第四冊第10篇：旱情解除

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威廉·黑爾·懷特

For three months there had been hardly a drop of rain. The wind had been almost continuously north-west, and from that to east. Occasionally there were light airs from the south-west, and vapour rose, but there was nothing in it; there was no true south-westerly breeze, and in a few hours the weather-cock returned to the old quarter. Not infrequently the clouds began to gather, and there was every sign that a change was at hand. The barometer at these times fell gradually day after day until at last it reached a point which generally brought drenching storms, but none appeared, and then it began slowly to rise again and we knew that our hopes were vain, and that a week at least must elapse before it would regain its usual height and there might be a chance of declining. At last the disappointment was so keen that the instrument was removed. It was better not to watch it, but to hope for a surprise. The grass became brown, and in many places was killed down to the roots; there was no hay; myriads of swarming caterpillars devoured the fruit trees; the brooks were all dry; water for cattle had to be fetched from ponds and springs miles away; the roads were broken up; the air was loaded with grit; and the beautiful green of the hedges was choked with dust. Birds like the rook, which fed upon worms, were nearly starved, and were driven far and wide for strange food. It was pitiable to see them trying to pick the soil of the meadow as hard as a rock. The everlasting glare was worse than the gloom of winter, and the sense of universal parching thirst became so distressing that the house was preferred to the fields. We were close to a water famine! The Atlantic, the source of all alike, was asleep, and what if it should never wake! We know not its ways, it mocks all our science. Close to us lies this great mystery, incomprehensible, and yet our very breath depends upon it. Why should not the sweet tides of soft moist air cease to stream in upon us? No reason could be given why every green herb and living thing should not perish; no reason, save a faith which was blind. For aught we knew, the ocean- begotten aerial current might forsake the land and it might become a desert.

三個月來幾乎沒有下一滴雨。差不多一直刮西北風，或者 轉成東風。偶面兒絲微風從西南方向飄來，霧氣升起，可是里 面什么也沒有。沒有真正的西南風，而過不了幾小時，風信標 又轉向老方位了。不時看到云塊開始聚集，大有天色馬上要變 的樣子。遇上這種時候，晴雨計的水銀柱便一天比一天降低， 終于降到在一般情況下準有一場透雨的標度。而事實上并沒有 下雨。接著水銀柱又緩慢上升，于是我們知道希望又落空了。 至少得再過一個星期，它才能恢復甄平常的高度，·然后或許會 再出現(xiàn)冰降的機會。最后，失望的情緒如此強烈，連晴雨計也_ 給挪開了，最好不要看它，而希望出乎意外地下場雨。草都焦- 黃了，好些地方連根枯死。收不到千草了，充數(shù)毛毛蟲成群結 隊地吞噬著果樹，小河下得見底，飲牲口的水要到幾英里以外 的池塘或山泉去取。路都曬裂了縫，空氣里帶著砂礫多美麗的 綠色樹籬蓋滿塵土，透不過氣來。以食蟲為生的鳥如白嘴鴉之 類兒乎餓死，不得已到處尋我從未嘗試過的食物。，看到它們在 草地上琢堅硬如石的土壤，賓叫人可憐。日復一日的強烈陽光 比冬天陰沉沉的天色更令人難受。大家感得世向萬物都在遭受 焦揭之苦，所以萬分沮喪，寧肯呆在室內，不愿到田間去。我 們幾乎是遭到了早災里一切生命之源的大西洋在沉睡。如果它 竟水遠不醒又該怎么辦呢?我們不了解它的牌氣，它叫我們的 一切科學無能為力。它就躺在我們身旁，偉大而神秘，無從了 ·解，可是我們的生命全依靠著它。那甜蜜的潮濕氣流為什么一 定要再流到險地上空呢全沒有理由可以說明為什么每一裸青草 和每一個生靈不該滅亡，除了盲目的信仰，找不到任何理由。 或許那生于大洋的氣流會遺棄這片土地，使它變成沙摸。

One night grey bars appeared in the western sky, but they had too often deluded us, and we did not believe in them. On this particular evening they were a little heavier, and the window-cords were damp. The air which came across the cliff was cool, and if we had dared to hope we should have said it had a scent of the sea in it. At four o'clock in the morning there was a noise of something beating against the panes - they were streaming! It was impossible to lie still, and I rose and went out of doors. No creature was stirring, there was no sound save that of the rain, but a busier time there had not been for many a long month. Thousands of millions of blades of grass and corn were eagerly drinking. For sixteen hours the downpour continued, and when it was dusk I again went out. The watercourses by the side of the roads had a little water in them, but not a drop had reached those at the edge of the fields, so thirsty was the earth. The drought, thank God, was at an end!

一天夜里，西方天空出現(xiàn)了灰色的條排.可是，由于受編的次數(shù)太多，我們再也不相信這些了。但這天夜里云塊比平時 濃密些，而且窗簾的索子也是濕潤的。越過崖壁吹來的風涼意 襲人。要是我們還敢于希望的話，我們該說風里還帶著海洋的氣 味。凌晨四時，有什么東西敲打著窗玻瑞發(fā)出了嘈雜聲響一一 原來玻璃上在嘩嘩地淌水呢玄不可能再躺著不動了，我起身走 出門去。一切生物都沒有動靜，除了雨聲，什么聲音也投有?？墒菐讉€月來從來也投有這樣忙碌的時刻。千千萬萬青草和莊 稼的葉片正在開懷痛飲，瓢潑大雨接連下了十六個小時。黃昏 時分我又出去一趟。路旁的水道里有了一點積水，可是沒有一滴能流到田頭的溝渠里，因為大地實在干渴極了。感謝上帝，旱情總算解除了.