The Author's Account of Himself

作者自述

This rambling propensity strengthened with my years.

寒来暑往，年岁渐增，游兴愈浓。

Books of voyages and travels became my passion,and in devouring their contents,

我对游记类的书籍爱不释手，如饥似渴、狼吞虎咽地阅读这些书，

I neglected the regular exercises of the school.

使我荒废了学校的正常功课。

How wistfully would I wander about the pierheads in fine weather, and watch the parting ships,bound to distant climes-with what longing eyes would I gaze after their lessening sails,and waft myself in imagination to the ends of the earth!

在风和日丽的日子，我常若有所思地游荡在码头外边，望着轮船渐渐离港，驶往遥远的地方；我渴望的双眼注视着渐行渐远的点点风帆，任思绪将我带向天涯海角。

Further reading and thinking,

随着涉猎的书籍增多和思想的越发成熟，

though they brought this vague inclination into more reasonable bounds,only served to make it more decided.

这一懵懵懂懂的嗜好变得较为理智一些，但是也更为根深蒂固。

I visited various parts of my own country;

我踏遍了本国的山山水水；

and had I been merely a lover of fine scenery,I should have felt little desire to seek elsewhere its gratification,for on no country have the charms of nature been more prodigally lavished.

倘若仅仅是喜爱美景佳色而已，我就不会有去异国他乡一饱眼福的欲望，因为没有哪个国度能像我的祖国那样得到大自然的垂青厚爱，处处皆是鬼斧神工的迷人风光。

Her mighty lakes, like oceans of liquid silver;

浩淼的湖泊，如同银色的海洋，浩浩荡荡；

her mountains, with their bright aerial tints;

逶迤的群山，高耸云霄、郁郁葱葱、光彩夺目；

her valleys, teeming with wild fertility;

幽幽的溪谷，草木丛生，飞禽走兽匿迹其间；

her tremendous cataracts, thundering in their solitudes;

宽阔的瀑布，飞流直下，发出孤寂的雷鸣；

her boundless plains, waving with spontaneous verdure;

苍茫的原野，草青木翠、随风摇曳；

her broad deep rivers, rolling in solemn silence to the ocean;

长江大川，水阔流深，肃穆无声，奔流入海；

her trackless forests,where vegetation puts forth all its magnificence;

人迹罕至的森林，各色植物争奇斗艳，蔚为大观；

her skies, kindling with the magic of summer clouds and glorious sunshine-no, never need an American look beyond his own countryfor the sublime and beautiful of natural scenery.

夏日的长空，艳阳高照、云蒸霞蔚，变幻莫测—不，一个美国人根本无须远游故土之外去发现壮丽的自然风景。