美國語文第五冊 第293期：野鴿過客（02）
Whilst waiting for dinner at Young’s inn, at the confluence of Salt River with the Ohio,
在當地青年旅館就餐前的閑暇期間，在鹽湖與俄亥俄州一處接壤地帶，
I saw, at my leisure, immense legions still going by, with a front reaching far beyond the Ohio on the west,
我看到黑云壓頂的龐大鴿群軍團大軍壓境般飛撲涌來。野鴿隊伍前列早已長驅直入俄亥俄州西部，
and the beech wood forests directly on the east of me.
恰好抵達我所在位置東面的櫸木森林。
Not a single bird alighted, for not a nut or acorn was that year to be seen in the neighborhood.
今年，就在周邊地區(qū)，我觀察到沒有一只鳥兒落地不是為了覓食堅果或是橡果，
They consequently flew so high that different trials to reach them with a capital rifle proved ineffectual;
但這些野鴿通常飛得很高，哪怕想方設法，甚至用最好的步槍獵殺也是徒勞無益，
nor did the reports disturb them in the least.
至于槍聲干擾更是毫不奏效。
I can not desCRIbe to you the extreme beauty of their aerial evolutions when a hawk chanced to press upon the rear of a flock.
實在無法描述野鴿群空中隊列變化的奇異壯觀。我碰巧看見一只老鷹逼近鴿群尾部，
At once, like a torrent, and with a noise like thunder, they rushed into a compact mass, pressing upon each other towards the center.
旋即，鴿群翻卷起一道狂涌氣流，嘶鳴如雷，巨型隊列迅速麇集成團，一只只疊起翅翼向中心靠攏，整個鴿群急遽地掠過空中；
In these almost solid masses, they darted forward in undulating and angular lines,
那排列齊整、棱角分明的隊形波浪起伏，
descended and swept close over the earth with inconceivable velocity, mounted perpendicularly so as to resemble a vast column,
以迅雷不及掩耳之勢，時而俯沖直下，時而橫掃而過，時而扶搖直上，猶如龐大柱體徑直騰空而起。
and, when high, were seen wheeling and twisting within their continued lines, which then resembled the coils of a gigantic serpent.
它們不停地翻扭旋轉，連綿不斷地幻變組合隊形，偌大天空中整齊劃一的凌空翱翔，猶如一條巨龍倒海翻江。
As soon as the pigeons discover a sufficiency of food to entice them to alight, they fly round in circles, reviewing the country below.
每當鴿群發(fā)現(xiàn)可引誘其降落的充足食物，它們便在天空盤旋不停，觀察地面動靜。
