请教这句怎样理解？

A day later the sun would come closer to her and to the others on this side of the world, ---这句不懂。 先谢过指教！

This is excerpt from Yiyun Li’s novel “The Vagrants” – 这一天顾老师的女儿要以反革命罪被处决。

The day started before sunrise, on March 21, 1979, when Teacher Gu woke up and found his wife sobbing quietly into her blanket. A day of equality it was, or so it had occurred to Teacher Gu many times when he had pondered the date, the spring equinox, and again the thought came to him: Their daughter’s life would end on this day, when neither the sun nor its shadow reigned. 1979年3月21号，那天顾老师起了个大早，当他起床之际发现他妻子在被窝里无声地哭泣。是日正值春分，顾老师曾经无数次沉思这春分之日。那个想法再一次纷至沓来：他们女儿的生命将在那天嘎然而止，不管那天的太阳或其影子是否统治这个世界。。。

所有跟帖： 

• 明天，太阳将离他和地球这边的其他人更近了一点。 -NewVoice- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 11:39:45

• 谢过声姐！修改了，晚些在继续。Good evening! -sportwoman- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 11:43:20

• 太陽沒有SHADOW說法。太陽能投下蔭影SHADE。 -海外逸士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 14:58:47

• 感觉应该是he started his day, or: His day started, -sportwoman- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 15:08:34

• 大内高手们请指教：neither the sun nor its shadow reigned.怎样理解？或整段翻译一下。感谢！ -sportwoman- ♀ (161 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 16:43:49

• reigned 过去分词吗？ -sportwoman- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 16:50:05

• 回复：大内高手们请指教：neither the sun nor its shadow reigned.怎样理解？或整段翻译一下。 -hammerheadshark- ♀ (948 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 20:42:57

• To tell you the truth, you are the best! 感谢鲨鱼兄！我明白了. -sportwoman- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/29/2012 postreply 20:52:45