"Loud shouting from the fleet announced the appearance of the flood, which seemed like a glistening white cable stretched athwart the river at its mouth, as far down as the eye could reach.
“船上人的大聲呼喊預(yù)示著潮水的來臨,目光所及,潮水好像是穿在河口處的一條白線。
Its noise, compared by Chinese poets to that of thunder, speedily drowned that of the boatmen;
中國的詩人將漲潮的聲音比作驚雷,這種聲音很快蓋過了船家的聲音;
and as it advanced with great rapidity—at the rate, I should judge, of twentyfive miles an hour—it assumed the appearance of an alabaster wall,
潮水涌來的速度極快;——我猜應(yīng)該達到了二十英里的時速——潮水鑄成了一道光亮潔白的墻,
or rather of a cataract four or five miles across, and about thirty feet high, moving bodily onward!
也像是一條四五英里寬,約三十英尺高的大瀑布在向前撲來!
Soon it reached the advanced guard of the immense assemblage of vessels awaiting its approach.”
很快,潮水就漲到了船只停放的地方?!?/p>
"Knowing that the Bore of the Hoogly-which scarcely deserves mention in connection with the one before me—invariably overturned boats which were not skilfully managed,
“我們所知道的胡格里河的漲潮——和我眼前的景象比起來根本就不值一提——那些操作不善的船只不可避免地會翻船,
I could not but feel apprehensive for the lives of the floating multitude.
我對水里的人的安全感到擔憂。
As the foaming wall of water dashed furiously onward they were silenced, all being intently occupied in keeping their prows towards the wave,
白色水墻襲來,潮水有要淹沒所有水里的東西的石頭,他們并不驚慌,
which threatened to submerge everything afloat; but they all vaulted, as it were, to the summit with perfect safety.”
專心致志地將船頭掉轉(zhuǎn)向潮水的方向,但是他們毫發(fā)無損地將船開到浪頭上?!?/p>
"The spectacle was of greatest interest when the Bore had passed about half way among the craft.
“最有意思的奇觀是當潮水到達半道的時候。
On one side they were quietly reposing on the surface of the unruffled stream, while those on the lower portion were pitching and heaving on the flood:
船身的一邊浮在平靜的水面上,但是地處低處的那些船就被潮水打翻了,在水里上下起伏:
others were scaling, with the agility of salmon, the formidable cascade.”
其它的船只像鮭魚一樣靈活,避開了強大的潮水。”
"This grand and exciting scene was of but a moment's duration,—it passed up the river in an instant;
“這一壯觀的場景只持續(xù)了一小會兒——潮水來得很急;
but, from this point, with gradually diminishing force, size, and velocity, until it ceased to be perceptible, at a distance, say the Chinese accounts, of eighty miles from the city.
但是它的力量,規(guī)模和速度慢慢地減弱,用中國的衡量方法來說,慢慢地漲到了離城市八英里的地方。