美国语文第六册 第7期:黎明(1)

 　　I had occasion, a few weeks since, to take the early train from Providence¹ to Boston; and for this purpose rose at two o'clock in the morning. 几个星期前，我有幸乘坐早班火车从普罗维登斯来到波士顿，为此我特地凌晨两点就起床已毕。

　　Everything around was wrapped in darkness and hushed in silence, broken only by what seemed at that hour the unearthly clank and rush of the train. 万物陷于黑暗之中悄无声息，只是在列车发出隆隆轰鸣突然启动的那一刻，这种平静才骤然打破。

　　It was a mild, serene², midsummer's night,—the sky was without a cloud, the winds were whist. 这是一个温暖宁静的仲夏之夜——天空没有一丝云彩，微风和煦。

　　The moon, then in the last quarter, had just risen, and the stars shone with a spectral³ luster⁴ but little affected⁵ by her presence. 在最后四分之一路程，月亮才爬上天际。星星散发出幽灵一般的光栅，丝毫无法影响月亮的光辉。

　　Jupiter, two hours high, was the herald⁶ of the day; the Pleiades, just above the horizon, shed their sweet influence in the east; 木星悬于天际已经两个钟头了，预示着拂晓将至。在地平线上，昴宿星已经露出脸来，东方泛出鱼肚白。

　　Lyra sparkled near the zenith; Andromeda veiled her newly-discovered glories from the naked eye in the south; 天琴星座在天顶附近闪闪发光，仙女星座遮盖住从南方裸露的眼睛绽放出的刚发现的光芒。

　　the steady Pointers, far beneath the pole, looked meekly⁷ up from the depths of the north to their sovereign. 在地极之下，一成不变的指针温顺地从北极深处向上窥探着它们的王国。

　　Such was the glorious spectacle as I entered the train. 我登上列车时，眼前出现的就是这幅壮丽景象。

　　As we proceeded, the timid approach of twilight⁸ became more perceptible; the intense blue of the sky began to soften⁹; 随着列车行进，黎明前的曙光羞怯地展露出来，越发容易察觉。天际一线的蓝色开始变得轻柔可亲。

　　the smaller stars, like little children, went first to rest; the sister beams of the Pleiades soon melted together; 那些很小的星星就像嗷嗷待哺的孩子似的，首先停止了啼哭。昴宿星系星团的光栅很快便一同隐去，

　　but the bright constellations¹⁰ of the west and north remained unchanged. 不过西方和北方那些明亮的恒星透过云层依旧散出光芒。

　　Steadily¹¹ the wondrous¹² transfiguration went on. 星团继续变换着奇异的形状和姿态。

1 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

2 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

3 spectral   

adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的

参考例句：

• At times he seems rather ordinary.At other times ethereal,perhaps even spectral.有时他好像很正常，有时又难以捉摸，甚至像个幽灵。
• She is compelling,spectral fascinating,an unforgettably unique performer.她极具吸引力，清幽如鬼魅，令人着迷，令人难忘，是个独具特色的演员。

4 luster   

n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉

参考例句：

• His great books have added luster to the university where he teaches.他的巨著给他任教的大学增了光。
• Mercerization enhances dyeability and luster of cotton materials.丝光处理扩大棉纤维的染色能力，增加纤维的光泽。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

7 meekly   

adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地

参考例句：

• He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

9 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

10 constellations   

n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人）

参考例句：

• The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转，要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分

11 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

12 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。