瓦尔登湖:Spring2

　　One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the Spring come in.  The ice in the pond at length begins to be honeycombed， and I can set my heel in it as I walk.  Fogs and rains and warmer suns are gradually melting the snow； the days have grown sensibly longer； and I see how I shall get through the winter without adding to my wood-pile， for large fires are no longer necessary.  I am on the alert for the first signs of spring， to hear the chance note of some arriving bird， or the striped squirrel's chirp， for his stores must be now nearly exhausted， or see the woodchuck venture out of his winter quarters.  On the 13th of March， after I had heard the bluebird，song sparrow， and red-wing， the ice was still nearly a foot thick. As the weather grew warmer it was not sensibly worn away by the water， nor broken up and floated off as in rivers， but， though it was completely melted for half a rod in width about the shore， the middle was merely honeycombed and saturated with water， so that you could put your foot through it when six inches thick； but by the next day evening， perhaps， after a warm rain followed by fog， it would have wholly disappeared， all gone off with the fog， spirited away.  One year I went across the middle only five days before it disappeared entirely.  In 1845 Walden was first completely open on the 1st of April； in '46， the 25th of March； in '47， the 8th of April； in '51， the 28th of March； in '52， the 18th of April； in '53，the 23d of March； in '54， about the 7th of April.

　　Every incident connected with the breaking up of the rivers and ponds and the settling of the weather is particularly interesting to us who live in a climate of so great extremes.  When the warmer days come， they who dwell near the river hear the ice crack at night with a startling whoop as loud as artillery， as if its icy fetters were rent from end to end， and within a few days see it rapidly going out.  So the alligator comes out of the mud with quakings of the earth.  One old man， who has been a close observer of Nature， and seems as thoroughly wise in regard to all her operations as if she had been put upon the stocks when he was a boy， and he had helped to lay her keel ―― who has come to his growth， and can hardly acquire more of natural lore if he should live to the age of Methuselah ――told me ―― and I was surprised to hear him express wonder at any of Nature's operations， for I thought that there were no secrets between them ―― that one spring day he took his gun and boat， and thought that he would have a little sport with the ducks.  There was ice still on the meadows， but it was all gone out of the river， and he dropped down without obstruction from Sudbury， where he lived， to Fair Haven Pond， which he found， unexpectedly， covered for the most part with a firm field of ice.  It was a warm day， and he was surprised to see so great a body of ice remaining.  Not seeing any ducks， he hid his boat on the north or back side of an island in the pond， and then concealed himself in the bushes on the south side， to await them.  The ice was melted for three or four rods from the shore， and there was a smooth and warm sheet of water， with a muddy bottom， such as the ducks love， within， and he thought it likely that some would be along pretty soon.  After he had lain still there about an hour he heard a low and seemingly very distant sound， but singularly grand and impressive， unlike anything he had ever heard，gradually swelling and increasing as if it would have a universal and memorable ending， a sullen rush and roar， which seemed to him all at once like the sound of a vast body of fowl coming in to settle there， and， seizing his gun， he started up in haste and excited； but he found， to his surprise， that the whole body of the ice had started while he lay there， and drifted in to the shore， and the sound he had heard was made by its edge grating on the shore ――at first gently nibbled and crumbled off， but at length heaving up and scattering its wrecks along the island to a considerable height before it came to a standstill.

　　At length the sun's rays have attained the right angle， and warm winds blow up mist and rain and melt the snowbanks， and the sun，dispersing the mist， smiles on a checkered landscape of russet and white smoking with incense， through which the traveller picks his way from islet to islet， cheered by the music of a thousand tinkling rills and rivulets whose veins are filled with the blood of winter which they are bearing off.

　　吸引我住到森林中来的是我要生活得有闲暇，并有机会看到春天的来临。最后，湖中的冰开始像蜂房那样了，我一走上去，后跟都陷进去了。雾，雨，温暖的太阳慢慢地把雪溶化了；你感觉到白昼已延长得多，我看到我的燃料已不必增添，尽够过冬，现在已经根本不需要生个旺火了。我注意地等待着春天的第一个信号，倾听着一些飞来鸟雀的偶然的乐音，或有条纹的松鼠的啁啾，因为它的储藏大约也告罄了吧，我也想看――看土拨鼠如何从它们冬蛰的地方出现。三月十三日，我已经听到青鸟、篱雀和红翼鸫，冰那时却还有一英尺厚。因为天气更温暖了，它不再给水冲掉，也不像河里的冰那样地浮动，虽然沿岸半杆阔的地方都已经溶化，可是湖心的依然像蜂房一样，饱和着水，六英寸深的时候，还可以用你的脚穿过去；可是第二天晚上，也许在一阵温暖的雨和紧跟着的大雾之后，它就全部消失，跟着雾一起走掉，迅速而神秘地给带走了。有一年，我在湖心散步之后的第五天，它全部消隐了。一八四五年，瓦尔登在四月一日全部开冻；四六年，三月二十五日；四七年，四月八日；五一年，三月二十八日；五二年，四月十八日；五三年，三月二十三日；五四年，大约在四月七日。

　　凡有关于河和湖的开冻，春光之来临的一切琐碎事，对我们生活在这样极端的气候中的人，都是特别地有趣的。当比较温和的日子来到的时候，住在河流附近的人，晚间能听到冰裂开的声响，惊人的吼声，像一声大炮，好像那冰的锁链就此全都断了，几天之内，只见它迅速地消溶。正像鳄鱼从泥土中钻了出来，大地为之震动。有一位老年人，是大自然的精密的观察家，关于大自然的一切变幻，似乎他有充分的智慧，好像他还只是一个孩子的时候，大自然给放在造船台上，而他也帮助过安置她的龙骨似的，――他现在已经成长了，即使他再活下去，活到玛土撒拉那样的年纪，也不会增加多少大自然的知识了。他告诉我，有一个春季的日子里，他持枪坐上了船，想跟那些野鸭进行竞技，――听到他居然也对大自然的任何变幻表示惊奇，我感到诧异，因为我想他跟大自然之间一定不会有任何秘密了。那时草原上还有冰，可是河里完全没有了，他毫无阻碍地从他住的萨德伯里地方顺流而下，到了美港湖，在那里，他突然发现大部分还是坚实的冰。这是一个温和的日子，而还有这样大体积的冰残留着，使他非常惊异。因为看不到野鸭，他把船藏在北部，或者说，湖中一个小岛的背后，而他自己则躲在南岸的灌木丛中，等待它们。离岸三四杆的地方，冰已经都溶化掉了，有着平滑而温暖的水，水底却很泥泞，这正是鸭子所喜爱的，所以他想，不久一定会有野鸭飞来。他一动不动地躺卧在那里，大约已有一个小时了，他听到了一种低沉，似乎很远的声音，出奇地伟大而给人留下深刻的印象，那是从来没有听到过的，慢慢地上涨而加强，仿佛它会有一个全宇宙的，令人难忘的音乐尾声一样，一种温郁的激撞声和吼声，由他听来，仿佛一下子大群的飞禽要降落到这里来了，于是他抓住了枪，急忙跳了起来，很是兴奋；可是他发现，真是惊奇的事，整整一大块冰，就在躺卧的时候却行动起来了，向岸边流动，而他所听到的正是它的边沿摩擦湖岸的粗厉之声，――起先还比较的温和，一点一点地咬着，碎落着，可是到后来却沸腾了，把它自己撞到湖岸上，冰花飞溅到相当的高度，才又落下而复归于平静。

　　终于，太阳的光线形成了直角，温暖的风吹散了雾和雨，更溶化了湖岸上的积雪，雾散后的太阳，向着一个褐色和白色相间隔的格子形的风景微笑，而且熏香似的微雾还在缭绕呢。旅行家从一个小岛屿寻路到另一个小岛屿，给一千道淙淙的小溪和小涧的音乐迷住了，在它们的脉管中，冬天的血液畅流，从中逝去。

更多 英文美文、英语美文、英文短文、英语短文，请继续关注 英语作文大全