Charles Darwin (达尔文) — The Architect of Evolution on the Beagle
Dynasty: Victorian Era (1809-1882)
A 5-year global voyage aboard HMS Beagle that unlocked the mysteries of life on Earth.
Life Footprint & Journey Nodes
Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England (英国什鲁斯伯里) - Age 16
Historic market town in Shropshire near Welsh border, England
A Boy Obsessed with Beetles and River Pebbles
Born into a prominent family of physicians and industrialists. Young Darwin roamed the banks of the River Severn, collecting bird eggs, shells, and insects, developing his sharp observational eye.
A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.
敢于虚度一小时光阴的人，尚未发现生命的真正价值。 (Gǎnyú xūdù yī xiǎoshí guāngyīn de rén, shàngwèi fāxiàn shēngmìng de zhēnzhèng jiàzhí.)Cambridge University, England (英国剑桥大学) - Age 22
World-renowned scholarly university along the River Cam, England
Destiny Knocked on the Door of a Reluctant Divinity Student
Under Professor John Henslow's mentorship, Darwin deepened his love for botany and geology. Henslow recommended him as the self-funded gentleman naturalist aboard HMS Beagle.
I believe I owed more to Henslow than to any other man.
若非遇上亨斯洛教授，我的人生轨迹将完全是另一番模样。 (Ruò fēi yù shàng Hēngsīluò jiàoshòu, wǒ de rénshēng guǐjì jiāng wánquán shì lìng yī fān múyàng.)Devonport / Plymouth, England (英国德文波特港 (起锚拔锚)) - Age 22
Historic English Channel naval harbor, Devon, England
Trapped by Winter Gales and Relentless Seasickness
Packed inside a tiny 90-foot wooden brig with 73 men. After being driven back twice by raging storms, HMS Beagle finally set sail on December 27, 1831.
The sea was at last open, and the world lay before us.
大海终于敞开胸膛，世界就在我们前方。 (Dàhǎi zhōngyú chǎngkāi xiōngtáng, shìjiè jiù zài wǒmen qiánfāng.)Salvador da Bahia, Brazil (巴西萨尔瓦多·巴伊亚) - Age 23
Lush tropical rainforests of Bahia, northeastern Brazil
A Living Cathedral of Infinite Biological Splendor
Darwin's first encounter with the Brazilian rainforest left him spellbound. He marveled at the teeming diversity of insects, orchids, and birds, describing his mind as a 'chaos of delight'.
The mind is a chaos of delight, out of which a world of new thoughts arises.
思绪如同一团欢愉的混沌，在其中升腾出一个充满全新思考的世界。 (Sīxù rūtóng yī tuán huānyú de hùndùn, zài qízhōng shēngténg chū yí gè chōngmǎn quánxīn sīkǎo de shìjiè.)Bahía Blanca & Pampas, Argentina (阿根廷布兰卡港与潘帕斯草原) - Age 24
Expansive grasslands and fossil-rich coastal cliffs, Argentina
Unearthing Extinct Giants Linked to Modern Creatures
In the reddish mud cliffs of Bahía Blanca, Darwin discovered fossilized skeletons of giant ground sloths (Megatherium) and Glyptodonts, sparking questions about why extinct species closely resembled living ones in the same region.
This wonderful relationship in the same continent between the dead and the living will throw more light on the appearance of organic beings.
为何灭绝的巨兽与这片土地上存活的微小动物拥有同一种骨骼蓝图？ (Wèihé mièjué de jùshòu yǔ zhè piàn tǔdì shàng cúnhuó de wēixiǎo dòngwù yōngyǒu tóng yī zhǒng gǔgé lántú?)Tierra del Fuego & Cape Horn, Chile (智利火地岛与合恩角 (冰海怒涛)) - Age 25
Stormy sub-Antarctic archipelago at the southern tip of South America
At the Ends of the Earth: Freezing Winds and Human Nature
Navigating the sub-Antarctic waters of Cape Horn. Encountering the indigenous Yaghan people living in sub-zero frost convinced Darwin of the common origin of all human races.
Nature here presents herself in her wildest and most untamed aspect.
大自然的力量在此展现出最严酷、最毫无掩饰的纯粹面容。 (Dàzìrán de lìliàng zài cǐ zhǎnxiàn chū zuì yánkù, zuì háowú yǎnshì de chúncuì miànróng.)Concepción & Andes Mountains, Chile (智利康塞普西翁与安第斯山脉) - Age 26
Towering volcanic mountain range revealing marine fossils in the Andes, Chile
Sea Shells atop 13,000-Foot Andean Peaks
After experiencing a violent earthquake that lifted the seabed, Darwin trekked into the high Andes and found fossil marine shells at 13,000 feet, proving Lyell's gradual geological uplift theory.
A bad earthquake at once destroys our oldest associations: the earth, the very emblem of solidity, has moved beneath our feet.
只要赋予大自然数百万年的岁月，最微小的力量亦能将沧海推上崇山之巅。 (Zhǐyào fùyǔ dàzìrán shù bǎiwàn nián de suìyuè, zuì wēixiǎo de lìliàng yì néng jiāng cānghǎi tuī shàng chóngshān zhī diān.)Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (厄瓜多尔加拉帕戈斯群岛 (演化圣地)) - Age 26
Volcanic Pacific archipelago whose endemic species inspired natural selection
Specimens and Island Differences: Clues Not Yet Decoded
Spending about five weeks on this isolated archipelago. Darwin collected specimens and noticed differences among mockingbirds and tortoise shells from island to island, but did not yet grasp natural selection. Only after returning home, when ornithologists identified his bird specimens, did the pattern become clear.
We seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact—that mystery of mysteries—the first appearance of new beings on this earth.
我们似乎正无限接近那个最伟大的事实——这奥秘中的奥秘——新生命最初在地球上的登场。 (Wǒmen sìhū zhèng wúxiàn jiējìn nàgè zuì wěidà de shìshí——zhè àomì zhōng de àomì——xīn shēngmìng zuìchū zài dìqiú shàng de dēngchǎng.)Sydney & Blue Mountains, Australia (澳大利亚悉尼港与蓝山) - Age 27
Southern Hemisphere harbor colony, New South Wales, Australia
Platypuses and Kangaroos: A World Created Afresh
Observing the platypus swimming in streams and kangaroos leaping across dry eucalyptus forests. Darwin pondered why an all-powerful Creator would place such radically unique mammalian designs solely on this remote continent.
An unbeliever in everything beyond his own reason might exclaim, 'Surely two distinct Creators must have been at work!'
一名怀疑论者可能会惊叹：必定是有两位截然不同的创造者在各自作工！ (Yī míng huáiyí lùn zhě kěnéng huì jīngtàn: bìdìng shì yǒu liǎng wèi jiérán bùtóng de chuàngzàozhě zài gèzì zuògōng!)Down House, Kent, England (英国肯特郡唐恩小筑 (物种起源)) - Age 50
Peaceful English countryside estate where On the Origin of Species was written, Kent
Forty Quiet Years of Solitude that Reshaped Human Thought
Settling at Down House for four decades. Walking his daily 'Sandwalk' thinking path, experimenting with barnacles, orchids, and pigeons. In 1859, he published 'On the Origin of Species', forever transforming science before resting in Westminster Abbey.
From so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.
从如此简单的开端，演化出了并且仍在演化着无数极美丽、极奇妙的生命形态。 (Cóng rúcǐ jiǎndān de kāiduān, yǎnhuà chū le bìngqiě réng zài yǎnhuà zhe wúshù jí měilì, jí qímiào de shēngmìng xíngtài.)
