英语美文经典段落摘抄

英语美文经典段落摘抄

　　美文似乎在英语国民里最为发达……中国古文里的序、记与说等,也可以说是美文的一类。下面小编整理了英语美文经典段落，希望大家喜欢

　　英语美文经典段落摘抄

　　Every Woman is Beautiful

　　每个女人都漂亮

　　Anonymous

　　佚名

　　A little boy asked his mother, "why are you crying?"

　　一个男孩问他的妈妈，“你为什么要哭呢?”

　　"Because I'm a woman,”she told him.

　　妈妈说，“因为我是女人啊。”

　　"I don't understand,”he said.

　　男孩说，“我不懂。”

　　His mum just hugged him and said, "and you never will."

　　妈妈抱起他说，“你永远不会懂的。”

　　Later the little boy asked his father, "why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

　　后来小男孩就问他爸爸，“妈妈为什么莫名其妙就哭呢?”

　　"All women cry for no reason，"was all his dad could say.

　　“所有女人都是这样的。”爸爸说。

　　The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

　　小男孩长大了，变成了男人，但仍不懂女人为什么要哭。

　　Finally he put in a call to God;and when God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

　　最后，他打电话给上帝，当上帝拿起电话时，他问道:“上帝，女人为什么那么容易哭泣呢?”

　　God said, "when I made the woman she had to be special.I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world;yet, gentle enough to give comfort.

　　上帝回答说:“当我创造女人时，让她很特别。我使她的肩膀能挑起整个世界的重担;并且又柔情似水。

　　I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection chat many times comes from her children.

　　我让她的内心很坚强，能够承受分娩的痛苦和忍受自己孩子多次的拒绝。

　　I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up，and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

　　我赋予她耐心，使她在别人放弃的时候继续坚持。并且无怨无悔地照顾着自己的家人，无论是在他们生病时或疲劳时。

　　I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

　　我赋予她在任何情况下都会爱孩子的感情，即使她的孩子深深地伤害了她。

　　And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.

　　然后，我让她可以流泪。只要她愿意，这是她所独有的。

　　You see: the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries，or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her hears and the place where love resides.”

　　你看，女人的漂亮不是因为她穿的衣服、保持的体型或者她梳头的方式。女人的漂亮必须从她的眼睛中去看，因为那是她心灵的窗户和爱所居住的地方。”

　　英语美文经典段落鉴赏

　　Westminster Abbey

　　西敏大寺

　　Washington Irving

　　〔美〕华盛顿·欧文

　　On one of those sober and rather melancholy days，in the latter part of Autumn，when the shadows of morning and evening almost mingle together, and throw a gloom over the decline of the year, I passed several hours in rambling about Westminster Abbey. There was something congenial to the season in the mournful magnificence of the old pile;and，as I passed its threshold, seemed like stepping back into the regions of antiquity, and losing myself among the shades of former ages.

　　正值深秋时节，这种天气让人感觉庄重而抑郁，早晨的阴影几乎和傍晚相互连接，给这岁末的幽情更加笼罩了一层灰蒙蒙的色彩。就是在这样一天，我一个人在西敏大寺走了几个小时。在这古老的建筑群中，有一种凄凉的感觉刚好与这个季节的色调相吻合;我跨进门槛，似乎一脚迈进了古老的年代，将自己融入到那些前人的阴影当中。

　　I entered from the inner court of Westminster School，through a long，low, vaulted passage，that had an almost subterranean look, being dimly lighted in one part by circular perforations in the massive walls. Through this dark avenue I had a distant view of the cloisters，with the figure of an old verger, in his black gown，moving along their shadowy vaults，and seeming like a spectre from one of the neighboring tombs. The approach to the abbey through these gloomy monastic remains prepares the mind for its solemn contemplation. The cloisters still retain something of the quiet and seclusion of former days.The gray walls are discolored by damps，and crumbling with age;a coat of hoary moss has gathered over the inscriptions of the mural monuments, and obscured the death's-heads, and other funereal emblems. The sharp touches of the chisel are gone from the rich tracery of the arches;the roses which adorned the key-stones have lost their leafy beauty; everything bears marks of the gradual dilapidations of time，which yet has something touching and pleasing in its very decay.

　　我是从西敏学校的内庭进去的，穿过一条低矮的有着弧顶的长廊，感觉像是在地下室。周围是厚厚的墙壁，只有墙上的小孔透出丝丝光亮，反而显得这里更加幽暗了。穿过这条长廊，我可以远远地看见前方的拱廊;一个上了年纪的教堂司事，身着黑色长袍，正从阴影里走过，那模样就像是一个刚刚从附近墓中爬出来的幽灵。这条路正是古修道院的遗址，景色分外凄凉，我的头脑也因此陷入了庄严的沉思默想之中。这条道路一如既往地寂静，与世隔绝。灰色的墙壁因为受到潮湿空气的侵蚀，早已褪了色，而且由于年代久远，也逐渐呈现出崩溃的迹象。墙壁上覆盖了一层灰白的苔藓，让人无法辨认清楚上面的碑文、骼髅像和各种丧葬的标识。弧顶上本来雕刻有华丽富贵的花纹，可如今早已不见了那些斧凿的痕迹;当年拱形石上枝繁叶茂的玫瑰花也不见了昔日的风采。这里所有的事物都刻上了岁月流逝的痕迹，然而就是在这样的颓废之中，依然有一种让人悴然心动、欢喜愉悦的感觉。

　　The sun was pouring down a yellow autumnal ray into the square of the cloisters; beaming upon a scanty plot of grass in the center, and lighting up an angle of the vaulted passage with a kind of dusky splendor. From between the arcades，the eye glanced up to a bit of blue sky or a passing cloud，and beheld the sungilt pinnacles of the abbey towering into the azure heaven.

　　一道秋意绵绵的金色阳光从拱廊的方场上空倾泻下来，照耀着场上稀稀拉拉的小草，也给拱廊的一角披上一层阴郁的光线。从拱廊中间拾头远望，可以看见一小片蓝天或时不时飘过的白云，还有那铺洒了金子般阳光的塔尖，正笔直地向蓝天延伸。

　　As I paced the cloisters，sometimes contemplating this mingled picture of glory and decay, and sometimes endeavoring to decipher the inscriptions on the tombstones，which formed the pavement beneath my feet, my eye was attracted to three figures，rudely carved in relief, but nearly worn away by the footsteps of many generations. They were the effigies of three of the early abbots; the epitaphs were entirely effaced;the names alone remained，having no doubt been renewed in later times.(Vitalis. Abbas.1082，and，Gislebert us Crispinus. Abbas.1114, and Laurentius. Abbas. 1176.) I remained some little while，musing over these casual relics of antiquity, thus left like wrecks upon this distant shore of time，telling no tale but that such beings had been，and had perished; teaching no moral but the futility of that pride which hopes still to exact homage in its ashes and to live in an inscription. A little longer, and even these faint records will be obliterated, and the monument will cease to be a memorial. Whilst I was yet looking down upon these gravestones,I was roused by the sound of the abbey clock，reverberating from buttress to buttress，and echoing among the cloisters. It is almost startling to hear this warning of departed time sounding among the tombs, and telling the lapse of the hour, which, like a billow, has rolled us onward towards the grave. I pursued my walk to an arched door opening to the interior of the abbey. On entering here, the magnitude of the building breaks fully upon the mind，contrasted with the vaults of the cloisters. The eyes gaze with wonder at clustered columns of gigantic dimensions,with arches springing from mem to such an amazing height; and man wandering about their bases，shrunk into insignificance in comparison with his own hand work. The spaciousness and gloom of this vast edifice produce a profound and mysterious awe. We step cautiously and softly about, as if fearful of disturbing the hallowed silence of the tomb; while every football whispers along the walls,and chatters among the sepulchers, making us more sensible of the quiet we have interrupted.

　　我缓慢地走在拱廊上，时而思索着这融合了辉煌与颓败的景象，时而又力求辨析我脚下墓石上的碑文。这时，三座雕塑工艺粗糙的浮像吸引了我的眼光，经过几代人在上面来来回回地行踏，它们几乎很难辨认清楚了。这是这座寺院早期三位住持的浮像，上面的墓志铭已经全被磨掉了，只剩下三个名字，很明显这也是由后人重新修整了的。(泰里斯住持，1082年;吉斯勃塔斯·克里斯宾诺斯住持，1114年;劳伦地奥斯住持，1176年。)我在这里停留片刻，默默地看着这些残缺不全的古人遗迹。它们就像几艘抛锚了的破船，停靠在悠悠岁月的岸边，唯一能说给人们听的就是这几个人曾经活着，而现在已经不复存在了。它们所蕴涵的道德意义不过是告诫那些企图死后还想受人敬仰的人，要依靠墓志铭得以永生简直是痴心妄想。再过些时日，甚至连这些模糊不清的记录都将消失，而所谓的纪念碑也不再是什么纪念物了。就在我俯视这些墓碑时，突然被大寺的钟声唤醒。钟声在墙壁之间回荡，刹那间整个拱廊都产生 共鸣。从坟基里传出来的钟声，真是让人不寒而栗，它向人们 提醒时光的消逝，好似巨大的浪潮，不断地把我们推向坟墓。 我继续向前走，到达了一扇通向大寺里面的拱门前面。走进大门，只见在拱门的衬托下，里面的建筑物显得更加雄伟壮丽。我瞪大了双眼看着那一根根巨大的圆柱，圆柱上横架着一支支拱梁，它们这么高，真让人惊叹不已。站在柱脚下，人们不禁会想到，与人类自己的建筑比起来，人类自己的确是无足轻重。这座空旷幽暗的大寺，顿时让人产生一种神秘的敬畏之情。我们小心谨慎轻轻地走过，生怕打破了墓地的肃静;而每一次四周的墙壁传出脚步声时，坟墓间也作出了低沉的回应，我们也更加深刻地体会到四周的宁静，只是此时的宁静却被我们破坏了。

　　It seems as if the awful nature of the place presses down upon the soul, and hushes the beholder info noiseless reverence.We feel that we are surrounded by the congregated bones of the great men of past times, who have filled history with their deeds, and the earth with their renown.

　　也许是寺院本身庄严肃穆的特性压抑着游客的心灵，使我们大家都肃然起敬，并且压低了所有的声音。我们感觉周身都被古代伟人的遗骸包围着，他们的丰功伟绩满载史册，声名遍誉世界。

　　And yet it almost provokes a smile at the vanity of human ambition，to see how they are crowded together and jostled in the dust; what parsimony is observed in doling out a scanty nook，a gloomy corner, a little portion of earth，to those，whom, when alive, kingdoms could not satisfy; and how many shapes, and forms, and artifices are devised to catch the casual notice of the passenger, and save from forgetfulness, for a few short years, a name which once aspired to occupy ages of the world's thought and admiration.

　　但是，想到人类所谓的宏伟抱负到头来不过是虚幻一场，我不禁要嘲笑他们:如今这些英雄七零八散地拥挤在这尘土之中，想当初他们在世时，整个帝国都不曾令他们心满意足，而死后却只是在这个吝啬的地方里的一个阴暗角落，分得了一点点贫瘠的土地，过去他们试图让人们永远铭记他们的名字并世世代代瞻仰他们，可如今人们却在他们的坟墓上想方设法地雕刻出各种形状和花纹—而这么做只是为了吸引游客们不经意瞥来的目光，免得人们过不了几年就把他们当年显赫一时的名字抛之脑后了。

　　I continued in this way to move from tomb to tomb，and from chapel to chapel. The day was gradually wearing away;the distant tread of loiterers about the abbey grew less and less frequent; the sweet-tongued bell was summoning to evening prayers;and I saw at a distance the choristers, in their white surplices, crossing the aisle and entering the choir. I stood before the entrance to Henry the Seventh's chapel. A flight of steps lead up to it, through a deep and gloomy, but magnificent arch. Great gates of brass, richly and delicately wrought, turn heavily upon their hinges, as if proudly reluctant to admit the feet of common mortals into this most gorgeous of sepulchres.

　　我仍然顺着这条路走过一座座坟墓，一所所礼拜堂。天色慢慢地暗了下来，从远处传来的游客的脚步声也越来越稀少了。动听的铃声提醒着人们作晚祷告的时间到了，远远地我就能看见唱诗班的人们穿着白色的法衣穿过走廊纷纷就位。我站在亨利七世礼拜堂的入口处，大堂前有几层台阶，然后要穿过一道很长的有些昏暗但很雄伟的拱门。巨大的铜制大门上雕满了精细华丽的花纹，门上的铰链发出沉重的响声，一副傲气十足的样子，似乎是不让这些凡夫俗子进入这最豪华的灵堂。

　　On entering, the eye is astonished by the pomp of architecture,and the elaborate beauty of sculptured detail. The very walls are wrought into universal ornament, incrusted with tracery, and scooped into niches, crowded with the statutes of saints and martyrs. Stone seems，by the cunning labor of the chisel，to have been robbed of its weight and density, suspended aloft,as if by magic, and the fretted roof achieved with the wonderful minuteness and airy security of a cobweb.

　　进入大堂内，里面华丽的建筑和精美的雕刻简直让人目不暇接。大墙上每一个地方都布满了精巧的装饰，里面镶嵌着雕花窗格，拼成一座座的壁盒，里面塞满了圣人和殉难者的雕像。炉火纯青的雕琢技术把石头雕刻得仿佛失去了它本来的重量和密度，像被施了魔法似地吊在半空中。还有那屋顶，装饰着无比精巧美丽的花纹，好像是一张无比牢固不能被破坏的蛛网那样悬在半空中。

　　Along the sides of the chapel are the lofty stalls of the Knights of the Bath，richly carved of oak，though with the grotesque decorations of Gothic architecture. On the pinnacles of the stalls are affixed the helmets and crests of the knights, with their scarfs and swords;and above them are suspended their banners，emblazoned with armorial bearings, and contrasting the splendor of gold and purple and crimson with the cold gray fretwork of the roof. In the midst of this grand mausoleum stands the sepulchre of its founder- his effigy, with that of his queen,extended on a sumptuous tomb, and the whole surrounded by a superbly wrought brazen railing.

　　在礼拜堂的两侧，设有巴斯武士高大的坐席，全部用橡木雕琢得富贵华丽，上面还有哥特式建筑的怪异装饰。武士的头盔、绥带和佩剑被摆放在坐席的顶端上。在这些物品的上方悬挂着武士的旗帜，上面装饰着纹章，这些金色、紫色和大红色耀眼夺目，与精雕细凿的灰暗屋顶形成鲜明的对比。在这个宏伟大厅的正中间，就是这座陵墓的主人—亨利七世的坟墓，他和皇后的雕像躺在一块豪华的墓石上，周围环绕着铸炼精细的黄铜栅栏。

　　There is a sad dreariness in this magnificence:this strange mixture of tombs and trophies;these emblems of living and aspiring ambition，close beside mementos which show the dust and oblivion in which all must sooner or later terminate.Nothing impresses the mind with a deeper feeling of loneliness than to tread the silent and deserted scene of former throng and pageant. On looking round on the vacant stalls of the knights and their esquires, and on the rows of dusty but gorgeous banners that were once born before them，my imagination conjured up the scene when this hall was bright with the valor and beauty of the land;glittering with the splendor of jeweled rank and military array; alive with the tread of many feet and the hum of an admiring multitude. All had passed away; the silence of death had settled again upon the which had found their way into the chapel，and built their nests among its friezes and pendants-sure sign of solitariness and desertion.

　　在这种奢华瑰丽的气氛中，却让人有种沉闷压抑的感觉，这是一个把坟墓和战利品混合在一起的怪异场合，这些标志象 征着朝气蓬勃和雄心壮志，如今却被摆放在满是灰尘和被人遗 忘的纪念物中间，而所有的一切最终也会消逝在这些尘埃和遗 忘之中。走在这个曾经热闹繁华而如今孤寂苍凉的地方，头脑 中涌起一种无法言说的落寞感受。环视周围武士和他们的侍从 们空空如也的座位，看着飘扬在他们面前的一排排布满了灰尘却依然锦绣华丽的军旗，我不禁想象起昔日的盛况:全国上下的英雄和美人都云集在这宽敞明亮的大厅里，这里因为有了这些珠光宝气的仕女和英武的武士行列而璀璨生辉;不绝于耳的脚步声和赞扬声在整个大厅回荡。而这一切突然就消失不见了，重新恢复了这死气沉沉的寂静，偶尔会有几声小鸟的鸣叫作为一点小插曲。连鸟儿都驻扎了这所礼拜堂，并把它们的巢穴建造在梁柱之间—由此可见，这里是多么的荒凉和寂寞。

　　When I read the names inscribed on the banners, they were those of men scattered far and wide about the world;some tossing upon distant seas;some under arms in distant lands;same mingling in the busy intrigues of courts and cabinets;all seeking to deserve one more distinction in this mansion of shadowy honors:the melancholy reward of a monument.

　　我读着旗子上刺绣的人名，这些人曾经被派驻在各个地方，有的远渡重洋，有的征战他乡，有的在宫廷与内阁的阴谋中纠缠，他们有个共同的愿望就是，使自己的名声在这所阴暗的墓堂中得到更多的表彰—也就是一块阴郁的纪念碑。

　　Two small aisles on each side of this chapel present a touching instance of the equality of the graves;which brings down the oppressor to a level with the oppressed，and mingles the dust of the bitterest enemies together. In one is the sepulchre of the haughty Elizabeth;in the other is that of her victim, the lovely and unfortunate Mary. Not an hour in the day but some ejaculation of pity is uttered over the fate of the latter, mingled with indignation at her oppressor. The walls of Elizabeth’s sepulchre continually echo with the sighs of sympathy heaved at the grave of her rival.

　　在礼拜堂的两侧设有小型的侧堂—这样做的目的是为了明示这座墓地的平等观念:它把压迫者和被压迫者放在同一个地位，让世代宿敌的遗骸相聚在一起。其中的一个侧堂是那位傲慢的伊丽莎白之墓，而另外一个则是那可爱又可怜的被她杀死了的玛丽之墓。对于后者，每一天里的每个时刻都会有人来悲怜叹息她凄惨的命运，在这声声叹息中也包含了对前者悲愤的感情。于是，在伊丽莎白基地周围的墙壁上就经常回荡着人们同情玛丽的声音。

　　A peculiar melancholy reigns over the aisle where Mary lies buried. The light struggles dimly through windows darkened by dust. The greater part of the place is in deep shadow, and the walls are stained and tinted by time and weather. A marble figure of Mary is stretched upon the tomb, round which is an iron railing，much corroded，bearing her national emblem-the thistle. I was weary with wandering，and sat down to rest myself by the monument, revolving in my mind the checked and disastrous story of poor Mary.

　　一种怪异阴郁的气氛笼罩在埋葬着玛丽的那个侧堂之上。阳光透过布满灰尘的窗户照射进来，一切都是这么幽暗，大部分的地方都被深深的阴影孤盖着，岁月和气候在墙壁上留下了痕迹。一座玛丽的大理石雕像躺在碑石上面，四周的铁栅栏锈迹斑斑，上面还雕刻着她的国徽—苏格兰的蓟花。我已经走得有点累了，于是坐在纪念碑下歇息，脑海里便不由自主地想起玛丽坎坷不幸的一生。

　　The sound of casual footsteps had ceased from the abbey.I could only hear，now and then，the distant voice of the priest repeating the evening service, and the faint responses of the choir，these paused for a time，and all was hushed. The stillness，the desertion and obscurity that were gradually prevailing around，gave a deeper and more solemn interest to the place.

　　寺院里零零碎碎的脚步声渐渐地消失了。我的耳边偶尔传来远处修士们进行晚祷的声音和唱诗班轻柔的应答声。当所有这些声音都静息后，整个大寺也沉静下来了。平静、荒凉和幽暗慢慢地靠近，使人们对这个地方产生了一种更加深邃和庄严的感情。

　　For in the silent grave no conversation，

　　在寂静的墓地里没有说话的声音，

　　No joyful tread of friends, no voice of lovers,

　　没有朋友们轻快的脚步声，没有情侣们呼唤的声音，

　　No careful father's counsel—nothing's heard，

　　也没有细心的父亲忠诚的告诫—什么都听不到，

　　For nothing is, but all oblivion,

　　因为一切都是虚无，一切都被遗忘，

　　Dust and an endless darkness.

　　只有尘土和无边无际的黑暗。

　　英语美文经典段落赏析

　　The Lotus Pool By Moonlight

　　荷塘月色

　　Zhu Ziqing

　　朱自清

　　The last few days have found me very restless. This evening as I sat in the yard to enjoy the cool，it struck me how different the lotus pool I pass every day must look under a full moon. The moon was sailing higher and higher up the heavens, the sound of childish laughter had died away from the lane beyond our wall, and my wife was in the house patting Juner and humming a lullaby to him. I quietly slipped on a long gown, and walked out leaving the door on the latch.

　　这几天心里颇不宁静。今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了;妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。

　　A cinder-path winds along by the side of the pool. It is off the beaten track and few pass this way even by day, so at night it is still more quiet. Trees grow thick and bosky all around the pool，with willows and other trees I cannot name by the path. On nights when there is no moon the track is almost terrifyingly dark,but tonight it was quite clear, though the moonlight was pale.

　　沿着荷塘，是一条曲折的小煤屑路。这是一条幽僻的路;白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。荷塘四面，长着许多树，菊赞郁郁的。路的一旁，是些杨柳，和一些不知道名字的树。没有月光的晚上，这路上阴森森的，有些怕人。今晚却很好，虽然月光也还是淡淡的。

　　Strolling alone down the path，hands behind my back, I felt as if the whole earth and sky were mine and I had stepped outside my usual self into another world. I like both excitement and stillness，under the full moon，I could think of whatever I pleased or of nothing at all，and that gave me a sense of freedom. All daytime duties could be disregarded. That was the advantage of solitude: I could savour to the full that expanse of fragrant lotus and the moonlight.

　　路上只我一个人，背着手踱着。这一片天地好像是我的;我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一世界里。我爱热闹，也爱冷静;爱群居，也爱独处。像今晚上，一个人在这苍茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便觉是个自由的人。白天里一定要做的事，一定要说的话，现在都可不理。这是独处的妙处，我且受用这无边的荷香月色好了。

　　As far as the eye could see, the pool with its winding margin was covered with trim leaves, which rose high out of the water like the flared skirts of dancing girls. And starring these tiers of leaves were white lotus flowers, alluringly open or bashfully in bud, like glimmering pearls, stars in an azure sky, or beauties fresh from the bath. The breeze carried past gusts of fragrance,like the strains of a song faintly heard from a far-off tower. And leaves and blossoms trembled slightly, while in a flash the scent was carried away. As the closely serried leaves bent, a tide of opaque emerald could be glimpsed. That was the softly running water beneath，hidden from sight, its colour invisible, though the leaves looked more graceful than ever.

　　曲曲折折的荷塘上面，弥望的是田田的叶子。叶子出水很高，像亭亭的舞女的裙。层层的叶子中间，零星地点缀着些白花，有袅娜地开着的，有羞涩地打着朵儿的;正如一粒粒的明珠，又如碧天里的星星，又如刚出浴的美人。微风过处，送来缕缕清香，仿佛远处高楼上渺茫的歌声似的。这时候叶子与花也有一丝的颤动，像闪电般，霎时传过荷塘的那边去了。叶子本是肩并肩密密地挨着，这便宛然有了一道凝碧的波痕。叶子底下是脉脉的流水，遮住了，不能见一些颜色;而叶子却更见风致了。

　　Moonlight cascaded like water over the lotus leaves and flowers，and a light blue mist floating up from the pool made them seem washed in milk or caught in a gauzy dream. Though the moon was full，a film of pale clouds in the sky would not allow its rays to shine through brightly; but I felt this was all to the good—though refreshing sleep is indispensable, short naps have a charm all their own. As the moon shone from behind them，the dense trees on the hills threw checkered shadows，dark forms loomed like devils，and the sparse, graceful shadows of willows seemed painted on the lotus leaves. The moonlight on the pool was not uniform，but light and shadow made up a harmonious rhythm like a beautiful tune played on a violin.

　　月光如流水一般，静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样;又像笼着轻纱的梦。虽然是满月，天上却有一层淡淡的云，所以不能朗照;但我以为这恰是到了好处—酣眠固不可少，小睡也别有风味的。月光是隔了树照过来的，高处丛生的灌木，落下参差的斑驳的黑影，峭楞楞如鬼一般;弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影，却又像是画在荷叶上。塘中的月色并不均匀;但光与影有着和谐的旋律，如梵婀玲上奏着的名曲。

　　Far and near, high and low around the pool were trees,most of them willows. These trees had the pool entirely hemmed in，the only small clearings left being those by the path，apparently intended for the moon. All the trees were somber as dense smoke, but among them you could make out the luxuriant willows, while faintly above the tree-tops loomed distant hills-their general outline only. And between the trees appeared one or two street lamps, listless as the eyes of someone drowsy. The liveliest sounds at this hour were the cicadas chirruping on the trees and the frogs croaking in the pool;but this animation was theirs alone, I had no part in it.

　　荷塘的四面，远远近近，高高低低都是树，而杨柳最多。这些树将一片荷塘重重围住;只在小路一旁，漏着几段空隙，像是特为月光留下的。树色一例是阴阴的，乍看像一团烟雾;但杨柳的风姿，便在烟雾里也辨得出。树梢上隐隐约约的是一带远山，只有些大意罢了。树缝里也漏着一两点路灯光，没精打采的，是渴睡人的眼。这时候最热闹的，要数树上的蝉声与水里的蛙声;但热闹是它们的，我什么也没有。

　　Then lotus-gathering flashed into my mind. This was an old custom south of the Yangtse, which apparently originated very early and was most popular in the period of the Six Kingdoms, as we see from the songs of the time. The lotus were picked by girls in small boats, who sang haunting songs as they padded. They turned out in force，we may be sure, and there were spectators too, for that was a cheerful festival and a romantic one. We have a good account of it in a poem by Emperor Yuan of the Liang dynasty called Lotus Gatherers:

　　忽然想起采莲的事情来了。采莲是江南的旧俗，似乎很早就有，而六朝时为盛;从诗歌里可以约略知道。采莲的是少年的女子，她们是荡着小船，唱着艳歌去的。采莲人不用说很多，还有看采莲的人。那是一个热闹的季节，也是一个风流的季节。梁元帝《采莲赋》里说得好:

　　Deft boys and pretty girls

　　reach an understanding while boating;

　　Their prows veer slowly,

　　but the winecups pass quickly;

　　Their oars are entangled,

　　as they cut through the duckweed,

　　and girls with slender waists

　　turn to gaze behind them.

　　Now spring and summer meet,

　　leaves are tender, flowers fresh;

　　with smiles they protect their silks,

　　drawing in their skirts, afraid lest the boat upset.