With a single string, we can touch the heavens
手握风筝线，就能触碰天空
A startling constellation was visible in Beijing's western sky the other night.
不久前的一个夜晚，北京西边的天空中出现了令人惊艳的星宿 。
It wasn't made up of twinkling stars, and neither was it Mars, Jupiter or even Venus. It was, however, enchanting. After all, which evening "star" alternates slowly between flashes of brilliant green and red?
这不是由闪烁的星星组成的，也不是火星、土星甚至是金星，然而还是很迷人。毕竟，一颗真正的晚星是不会红绿色闪烁交替的。
I realized I was looking at a cluster of LED-illuminated kites flying magnificently high above the large open space just a few minutes' walk south of the National Stadium, otherwise known as the Bird's Nest.
我意识到自己正注视着一簇LED灯光风筝，在一大片空地的上空飞扬，蔚为壮观，这里位于国家体育馆（也就是鸟巢）以南几分钟步程。
I' ve watched, mesmerized, at that very site during daylight as kite masters unreeled their fancy flyers on Beijing's buoyant winds. They would let out just enough line to give lift to the huge kite, then guide its gradual climb until the kite was virtually out of sight, a mere dancing dot in the afternoon sky.
白天，我在那儿痴迷地看着风筝大师们迎着北京的浮风，释放绚丽的风筝。他们会放出足够使风筝升空的线，然后引导着风筝慢慢御风而上，直至消失不见，变成午后天空中一个跳舞的小点。
The wide-open expanse near the Bird's Nest, on the other hand, offers plenty of room for the number of enthusiasts often clustering there, day or night.
另一方面，鸟巢旁边广阔的空地也为白天或夜晚经常聚集在那里的风筝爱好者们提供了足够的空间。
In Beijing, whose after-dark skyline becomes a splash of color, countless buildings coming alive with light displays that rival the Las Vegas Strip, the night kites offer one more reason to look skyward.
北京夜晚的天际线光彩熠熠，数不清的建筑在灯光秀下焕发生机，可以媲美拉斯维加斯大道，夜晚的风筝成为了我们望向天空的又一个原因。
What is it about kites that can instantly transform adults into wonder-struck children gazing toward the heavens?
风筝到底有什么魔力，能够使大人立马变成惊奇的孩童盯着天空呢？
Maybe the answer itself is childish. Most of us love attention, so we are thrilled to literally pull the strings on an aerial show that, especially at night, can be seen far and wide.
或许答案本身就是幼稚的。大多数人喜欢受到关注，所以能够真正地操控一场天空秀，尤其在晚上，这场秀能够被四处的人看到，我们就会感到兴奋不已。
And let's face it, in an increasingly virtually connected world, that kite string provides a wonderfully palpable connection. Would it be even half as exciting if the kite were remote-controlled instead, and we couldn't feel the kite's bobs and tugs as we battled the wind for control?
我们不得不面对这样一个现实，在日益被虚拟网络连接的世界里，风筝线就提供了一种绝佳可触的联系。假如风筝是被遥控的，我们无法感受与风做对抗时风筝的跳跃和牵拉，这种兴奋感不就大打折扣了吗？
The real reason we love them is for the thrill they give us when, with our feet planted firmly on the ground and a single string in our hands, we can touch the heavens.
我们爱风筝的真正原因在于，当我们脚踏大地，手握风筝线时，我们就能触摸到天空，这让我们感到兴奋喜悦。
The kite triggers within us a primordial wish to ride the winds like Icarus of Greek mythology, who longed to soar close to the sun.
风筝激发了我们心中御风而行的原始渴望，就像是希腊神话中渴望飞向太阳的伊卡洛斯那样。
Nowadays , Beijingers manipulating night kites with their splendid array of LED lights are, figuratively and otherwise, reaching for the stars. From my earthbound vantage point, as I watch these human-dispatched twinklers mingling yonder with the heavenly bodies, I'd have to say they've succeeded.
现在，北京人们操作着带有美轮美奂LED灯的夜间风筝，他们既是象征性地也是实际上地在伸手去触摸星星。我站在地面上清晰地观看到这些人类释放的发光体和真正的天体交相辉映，不得不说，他们已经成功触到了星星。
