Stories of Your Life and Others

by Ted Chiang

For the first time, he knew night for what it was: the shadow of the earth itself, cast against the sky.

Centuries of their labor would not reveal to them any more of Creation than they already knew. Yet through their endeavor, men would glimpse the unimaginable artistry of Yahweh’s work, in seeing how ingeniously the world had been constructed. By this construction, Yahweh’s work was indicated, and Yahweh’s work was concealed. Thus would men know their place.