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new colony far to the east and south of the tower.Weeks later he came to Valentine and told her to read something he had written; she pulled the file he namedfrom the ship's computer, and read it.It was written as if the hive-queen spoke, telling all that they had meant to do, and all that they had done. Hereare our failures, and here is our greatness; we did not mean to hurt you, and we forgive you for our death. Fromtheir earliest awareness to the great wars that swept across their home world, Ender told the story quickly, as if itwere an ancient memory. When he came to the tale of the great mother, the queen of all, who first learned tokeep and teach the new queen instead of killing her or driving her away, then he lingered, telling how manytimes she had finally to destroy the child of her body, the new self that was not herself, until she bore one whounderstood her quest for harmony. This was a new thing in the world, two queens that loved and helped eachother instead of battling, and together they were stronger than any other hive. They prospered; they had moredaughters who joined them in peace; it was the beginning of wisdom.If only we could have talked to you, the hive-queen said in Ender's words. But since it could not be, we ask onlythis: that you remember us, not as enemies, but as tragic sisters, changed into a foul shape by Fate or God orEvolution. If we had kissed, it would have been the miracle to make us human in each other's eyes. Instead wekilled each other. But still we welcome you now as guestfriends. Come into our home, daughters of Earth; dwellin our tunnels, harvest our fields; what we cannot do, you are now our hands to do for us. Blossom, trees; ripen,fields; be warm for them, suns; be fertile for them, planets: they are our adopted daughters, and they have comehome.The book that Ender wrote was not long, but in it was all the good and all the evil that the hive-queen knew.And he signed it, not with his name, but with a title:SPEAKER FOR THE DEADOn Earth, the book was published quietly, and quietly it was passed from hand to hand, until it was hard tobelieve that anyone on Earth might not have read it.Most who read it found it interesting -- some who read it refused to set it aside. They began to live by it as bestthey could, and when their loved ones died, a believer would arise beside the grave to be the Speaker for the第 338 页 共 340 页http://www.en8848.com.cn/ 原 版 英 语 阅 读 网