A challenge! Begging for help here because I'm stumped. Historical "宣传语"

[calibantastic]

——天不生仲尼 万古如长夜

I don't so much need a ready made translation as I need it parsed word by word to understand the phrase. As is I've got no clue what this could mean because I'm sure it's metaphorical.

Have a go! My friend who threw it this way said:

如何能翻译的特别好，震撼所有的人呢。

and that part I do understand! If you can translate it, you're awesome! Don't worry, I'll give credit where credit is due and explain my liberal use of Chinese-Forums.com

[skylee]

仲尼 = Johnny = Confucius

Without Johnny aka Confucius the world would be in eternal darkness

No Johnny (aka Confucius), no light

[calibantastic]

Thank you!!!

It all makes sense now! I get it.

Someday if I meet Confucius, I'll just go up to him and be like- "Hey Johnny! What's shakin man?" See what he says.

Looks like Chow Yun Fat is supposed to play him in the upcoming movie...

[skylee]

Bump. Any other contribution?

[awela]

Another contribution comes.

Should Confucius not born, night remain in aeon

[zhwj]

With apologies to Alexander Pope: "The whole world and its way lay hid in night; Heaven said, Let Confucius be! and all was light."