Indeed, for a living being there is no such thing as true silence, for silence itself is a revelation of the mind and the heart, an echo of the soul of a different form.

Some people use silence as a disguise of the emptiness of the head.

Some use it as a means to depict their disorientation and melancholy.

And some use it as a way of expressing their angers and sorrows.

...

Silence usually is ephemeral. It reminds one of the bronze bells dangling from a pagoda''s eaves; on windless days they are a decoration upon the age-weathered beauty, but with wind they give out wonderful tinkling and jingling metallurgic sounds, as if echoing age-old stories of long, long ago...

Do you not think the same of silent people?

they say that "silence is golden", but of what nature is this "gold"? It can include integrity, honesty and kindness; it can stand for indifference to and detachment from fame and fortune; but it can also act as an excuse for hypocrisy, slyness and cowardice... the glittering of gold may not necessarily be the most brilliant lustre in the world.

Can it be that permanent silence is only represented by death?

Perhaps even death cannot represent true silence, for the carrier of the soul can turn into dust, so that the sincere and wise voices from the bottom of the heart will trigger long-lasting echoes in the seas of human hearts...

其实，对活着的生命而言，真正的沉默是不存在的。沉默本身也是一种思想和心境的流露，是灵魂的另一种形式的回声。

有的人以沉默掩饰思想的空虚。

有的人以沉默叙述迷茫和惆怅。

有的人以沉默表达内心的愤怒和忧伤。

……

沉默常常是暂时的。就像古塔檐角下的铜铃，无风时，它们只是一种古色古香的装饰，一起风，它们便会发出奇妙的金属音响，似乎是许多古老故事的悠远的回声……

沉默的人们不也一样?

“沉默是金”，是怎样的一种“金”呢? 这个“金”字中，可以包含正直、善良，可以代表淡泊、超脱，也可以是虚伪、圆滑、怯懦的一种托辞……金子的光泽，未必是世界上最动人的光泽。

是不是只有死亡才是永远的沉默?

也许，死亡也未必是真正的沉默，灵魂的载体可以化为尘土，那些真诚睿智的心声，却会长久地在人心的海洋中引起悠长的回声……-