第30章 尼亚加拉大瀑布(1)

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    To the Fall of Niagara

    尼亚加拉大瀑布

    Charles Dickens/查尔斯·狄更斯

    I had a desire to travel through the interior of the state of Ohio，and to“strike the hikes，”as the phrase is，at a small town called Sandusky，to which that route would conduct us on our way to Niagara.

    It was a miserable day；chilly and raw；a damp mist falling；and the trees in that northern region quite bare and wintry.Whenever the train halted，I listened for the roar；and was constantly straining my eyes in the direction where I knew the Falls must be，from seeing the river rolling on towards them；every moment expecting to behold the spray.Within a few minutes of our stopping，not before，I saw two great white clouds rising up slowly and majestically from the depths of the earth.That was all.At length we alighted：and then for the first time，I heard the mighty rush of water，and felt the ground tremble underneath my feet.

    我一直都希望自己能有机会到俄亥俄州去游览一番，到一个名叫桑达斯基的小镇上戏水，而且，我们可以顺路去看看尼亚加拉大瀑布。

    那一天阴冷而潮湿，雾气四沉，此时北国的树木依旧赤裸着枝干，一片萧瑟景象。一路上，只要火车停下来，我便会侧耳倾听，希望能听到瀑布的轰鸣。与此同时，我还目不转睛地朝着心中认定的瀑布所在地望去——因为我看到滚滚河水正向那个方向涌去，每分每秒，我都祈盼着能看到飞溅的浪花。就在快要停车的时候，我看到两片白云正从地心处渐渐升腾，那种景象蔚为壮观。但在火车上，我所见到的仅此而已。当火车到站时，我终于有幸听到那激流四溅的声音，甚至感觉到脚下的大地都在颤动。

    The bank is very steep，and was slippery with rain，and half-melted ice.I hardly know how I got down，but I was soon at the bottom，and climbing，with two English officers who were crossing and had joined me，over some broken rocks，deafened by the noise，haft-blinded by the spray，and wet to the skin.We were at the foot of the American Fall.I could see an immense torrent of water tearing headlong down from some great height，but had no idea of shape，or situation，or anything but vague immensity.

    When we were seated in the little ferry-boat，and were crossing the swollen river immediately before both cataracts，I began to feel what it was：but I was in a manner stunned，and unable to comprehend the vastness of the scene.It was not until I came on Table Rock，and looked —Great Heaven，on what a fall of bright-green water！—that it came upon me in its full might and majesty.

    堤岸陡峭，而且，刚刚下过一场雨，雨水与正在消融的冰混合在一起，使地面变得更加滑溜，我简直不知道自己是怎么走过那段路的。不过，没过多久，我就来到了山脚，与途中偶遇的两位军官同爬上了一片嶙峋的怪石堆。我们刚刚站稳，震耳欲聋的声响便向我们扑来，眼前浪花飞溅，不一会儿，便将我们全部打湿了。原来，我们正站在美国瀑布脚下。我只能看到滔天的巨浪从空中直劈下来，但那巨浪如何形成，从哪个方向奔涌而来，我便不得而知了，只是茫然沉醉于那恢弘的气势之中。

    随后，我们乘着小型渡船，从两大瀑布前的激流之上飞速前行。直到那时，我才真正意识到自己身处何地，不过，我却感到有些目眩，无法知晓眼前的景观究竟有多么宏伟。直到我来到平顶岩上极目眺望的时候——上帝啊，那是怎样一片倒悬的澄莹碧波啊！它那浩大的气势才完全呈现在我面前。

    Then，when I felt how near to my Creator I was standing，the first effect，and the enduring one—instant and lasting—of the tremendous spectacle，was peace.Peace of mind，tranquillity，calm recollections of the dead，great thoughts of eternal rest and happiness：nothing of gloom or terror.Niagara was at once stamped upon my heart，an image of beauty；to remain there，changeless and indelible ，until its pulses cease to beat，for ever.（未完待续）