科罗拉多大峡谷

独秀文译青年

【标题】科罗拉多大峡谷

【正文】

From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence.Seldom can you hear the roar of the river. You cannot catch the patter. Likeapplause, from the leaves of the cottonwoods on the shelf-like plateau belowyou. For all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. "Itmakes one want to murmur." A woman once whispered to her companion. Thissilence is not the silence of death; rather, it is a presence.It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climaxand ceases; the Grand Canyon is all climax, achord echoing into eternity.

大峡谷深处寂静无声。你很少能够听到河水的咆哮声。你听不到脚下搁板式高原上三角叶杨的叶子发出如掌声般的劈啪声。一切声音都被淹没于太空的漩涡里。一个妇女曾经小声跟她的同伴说：“这让人想低声细语。”这种寂静不是死亡一般的寂静；相反，是一种存在的寂静。这就像一首宏伟的乐章。人类创造的音乐逐步达到高潮，然后就停止了；然而，科罗拉多大峡谷的音乐自始至终高潮迭起，是一种永恒回响的和弦之乐。

    Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Grand Canyon, its Redwall limestone cliff, stands about half way up thechasm and is practically vertical. Its average height is 550 feet almostexactly that of the Washington Monument. Though it isactually gray-blue limestone, the surface of the cliff has been stained to asunset hue by iron salts washing out of the rocks. Above the Redwall comealternating layers of red sandstone and shale l,000 feet thick, then comes thenext pale-blue layer. The topmost layers are a yellowishlimestone.

    或许，科罗拉多大峡谷最壮观的特征是它的“红墙”石灰岩峭壁，它几乎90度垂直树立于峡谷的半空之中。其平均高度是550英尺，几乎与华盛顿纪念碑同样高。虽然它实际上是灰蓝色的石灰岩，但是峭壁的表面已经被岩石渗透出来的铁盐沾上了日落色彩。红墙之上是红色砂岩以及1000英尺厚的页岩的交替层，下面是淡蓝色岩层。最高的岩层是淡黄色的石灰岩。

    Now, visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18,000 in a single day. Some of thatnumber will travel by mule train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon'sfloor, cross the raging river by a suspension bridge and amount to the NorthRim.

    目前，每天仅是到访大峡谷南缘来观光的游客就有18000人次。其中有些人骑着骡车沿着光明天使小径往下行至峡谷的底面，通过一条吊桥穿过一条波涛汹涌的河流，然后抵达北缘。

    Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is ajourney of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the NorthRim except in summer; some l,200 feet higher than the South Rim, it is snowcovered much of the year except in July and August.

    虽然南北两缘相隔只有12英里，但是通往彼此却要花上214英里的汽车车程。除了在夏天，其他季节你都不能游览北缘；北缘比南缘高大概1200英尺，除了7月份和8月份外，北缘常年积雪。

    But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find thesun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense of smoke from anIndian hearth. The Grand Canyon is anunearthly sight. No wonder an American writer and journalist said, "I camehere an atheist, and departed a devout believer."

    然而，你任何时候都可以游览南缘，而且会发现照在你脸上的阳光是那么温暖，你身边的空气弥漫着印第安火炉中散发出的香气。科罗拉多大峡谷是一道神秘莫测的景观。难怪一位美国作家兼新闻记者说：“来这的时候，我是一位无神论者，离开的时候，我是一位虔诚的信徒。”

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独秀文译青年

每天的晨吟 发表于 2014-9-8 08:51
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