First Snow 第一场雪

作 者 简 介

吉丽安・道格拉斯 （1900～1993），加拿大作家。同时也是摄影记者、历史学家和政治活动家。她的诗歌、散文、小说和自传等作品，描写了时间跨度近八十年的光阴岁月里的生活经历。她的作品集有《我所漫步的河流》（River For My Sidewalk， 1953）、《宁静是我的故乡：梯尔河生活记》（Silence Is My Homeland： Life on Teal River， 1978）和《守护之所》（The Protected Place， 1979）。

One evening I look out the window of my room， and there are soft flakes （碎片；薄片） falling slowly in the golden lamplight. They fall all night， while the voice of the river becomes more and more hushed （寂静的） and the noises of the forest die away. By dawn， the whole world of stream and wood and mountain has been covered by a white flame of beauty.

有一天晚上，我从屋子的窗口往外看，看见柔软的雪花缓缓地飘进了金黄的灯光之中。雪下了一整夜，同时，奔腾的河水愈发沉寂下来，森林的喧嚣也渐渐消失了。黎明前，小溪、树林与山所在的整个世界就已经被白雪覆盖，泛着一片美丽的白光。

I go out in the early morning and there is such silence that even breath is abrupt （突兀的；鲁莽的）. The mountain to the north has a steel-blue light on it， and to the west the sky still holds the darkness of the night. To the east and the south a faint （微弱的） pink is spreading to the sky. I look up and see the morning star keeping watching over the white world.

清晨，我走出去，外面是如此安静，甚至连呼吸的声音都会破坏这份宁静。北边的小山岭披上了青色的光芒，而西边的天空还残留着夜色。东方和南方，一片淡淡的粉红色正在逐渐浸透整个天空。我抬头仰望，头顶的晨星正俯看着这个白色的世界。

Soon the whole azure （蔚蓝色） sky is burning. Every branch of every tree is weighted with cold and stillness； every fallen log is overlaid （覆盖） with silver. The stark （光秃秃的） roots of hemlocks （铁杉） and cedars （雪松） have become all sorts of amazing sculptures （雕塑）.

不一会儿，蔚蓝的天空就像火焰般染成了一片红色。严寒和静谧重重地压在每棵树的每个枝头，每根断枝都被银色覆盖。铁杉和雪松光秃秃的树根已经变成了各种千奇百怪的雕塑。

After heavy snowfalls， it is the evergreens that are the loveliest， with their great white branches weighted down until they are almost parallel （平行） with the trunks. They seem like giant birds with their wings folded against the cold.

一场大雪过后，最美的就是这些常青树了。被积雪压弯的白色树枝垂挂在树干上，如同一只为抵御严寒而合拢翅膀的巨鸟。

But after a light fall，it is the deciduous （每年落叶的） trees that are the most beautiful. They are so fragile and so ethereal （飘渺的） that it seems even the sound of the rivers might break them as they appear to drift like crystal smoke along the banks. The bushes are silver filigree （金银细丝工艺的）， so light， so much on tiptoe in this enchanted world. Even the slightest breeze sends the snow shimmering down from them，leaving the branches brown and bare and rather pitiful.

而一场小雪之后，最美的当属那些落叶树木了。他们是如此的脆弱，如此的缥缈，像是沿着河岸飘去，但仿佛这水声也能将它们震碎。挂满银丝的灌木丛轻得好似可以在这个迷人的世界里踮起脚尖，哪怕是一阵最轻柔的微风，也会吹落枝梢上微微闪烁的雪花，徒留棕色的秃枝，惹人怜爱。

The sky is clear blue now and the sun is showering diamonds down on meadow （草地） and bank and in the woods. Beauty walks here quietly， quietly. Her feet make no sound and not sign upon the pure snow. The silence is dense （浓厚的） and deep. Even the squirrels have stopped their chattering.

现在，天空一片湛蓝，太阳把千万颗宝石撒在草地上，撒在河畔，撒在树丛中。美，脚步轻盈地漫步在无瑕的雪地上，不留一点儿痕迹。静，浓重而深沉，就连松鼠都停止了他们不合时宜的喧闹。

Night comes， and the silence holds. There is a feeling about this season that is in no other―a sense of comfort， security and loneliness. The bracing cold， clears the mind and invigorate （使生气勃勃； 使精力充沛） the heart. In the room， fire is a first-rate （上好的） companion. The coffee is fragrant， shadows dance on the walls and the world outside my windows is very still. I am more than content to begin and end a day like this in all the calm clarity of wintered earth.

夜幕降临，万籁俱寂。一种独特的感情油然而生――舒适、安宁而孤独。这令人振奋的严寒，让人头脑清醒，精力充沛。而在屋内，炉火是最好的伙伴。咖啡香气宜人，影子在墙上翩翩起舞，而我窗外的世界又是这样的宁静。能在冬日世界的宁静清透中像这样度过一天，我感到说不出的满足。

Outside the moon is high with a dark-blue sky behind it and with mountains， plains and forests of silver lying below. The trees and the bushes are carved with alabaster （石膏）. The silver flow river sings and runs between its banks.

窗外，月亮高高挂在深蓝的天幕上，之下静静睡卧着的是山川、大地和森林。那些树与灌木丛如同石膏雕塑。河水泛着银光，唱着歌，在河岸之间欢快地流淌着。

Earth and heavens glitter， and the grass are diamond sunbursts （镶有钻石的旭日形首饰） pinned （用针别住） to the ground. But it is all in silence. There are shadows from the stars. They are white， sharp lights in the midnight blue sky and appear to blink in the coldness. I feel as though I can see every star in the universe.

大地和天空都在闪闪发光，草丛恍若别在大地上的钻石胸针。星星投下了影子。他们在午夜的蓝天里闪着耀眼的白光，好像在寒冷中眨着眼睛。我觉的我仿佛能看见宇宙中的每一颗星星。

It seems impossible for one human heart to contain all this loveliness without breaking. Perhaps the ache that is in mine comes from the knowledge that all this beauty is so ephemeral （短暂的）， that it will be gone almost before I have done more than touch it with my fingertips.

看起来，没有谁能够将如此多的美景全部收入心中。或许，我心中的这份痛楚正是来自于这种认知――眼前的所有美景都太短暂了，我才刚刚触摸到它，它就又要悄然离去了。