美国语文第五册 第293期:野鸽过客(2)

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　　I saw, at my leisure, immense legions still going by, with a front reaching far beyond the Ohio on the west, 我看到黑云压顶的庞大鸽群军团大军压境般飞扑涌来。野鸽队伍前列早已长驱直入俄亥俄州西部，

　　and the beech² wood forests directly on the east of me. 恰好抵达我所在位置东面的榉木森林。

　　Not a single bird alighted, for not a nut or acorn³ was that year to be seen in the neighborhood. 今年，就在周边地区，我观察到没有一只鸟儿落地不是为了觅食坚果或是橡果，

　　They consequently flew so high that different trials to reach them with a capital rifle proved ineffectual; 但这些野鸽通常飞得很高，哪怕想方设法，甚至用最好的步枪猎杀也是徒劳无益，

　　nor did the reports disturb them  in the least. 至于枪声干扰更是毫不奏效。

　　I can not describe to you the extreme beauty of their aerial evolutions when a hawk⁴ chanced to press upon the rear of a flock. 实在无法描述野鸽群空中队列变化的奇异壮观。我碰巧看见一只老鹰逼近鸽群尾部，

　　At once, like a torrent⁵, and with a noise like thunder, they rushed into a compact mass, pressing upon each other towards the center. 旋即，鸽群翻卷起一道狂涌气流，嘶鸣如雷，巨型队列迅速麇集成团，一只只叠起翅翼向中心靠拢，整个鸽群急遽地掠过空中；

　　In these almost solid masses, they darted⁶ forward in undulating and angular lines, 那排列齐整、棱角分明的队形波浪起伏，

　　descended⁷ and swept close over the earth with inconceivable velocity⁸, mounted perpendicularly⁹ so as to resemble a vast column, 以迅雷不及掩耳之势，时而俯冲直下，时而横扫而过，时而扶摇直上，犹如庞大柱体径直腾空而起。

　　and, when high, were seen wheeling and twisting within their continued lines, which then resembled the coils of a gigantic serpent. 它们不停地翻扭旋转，连绵不断地幻变组合队形，偌大天空中整齐划一的凌空翱翔，犹如一条巨龙倒海翻江。

　　As soon as the pigeons discover a sufficiency of food to entice¹⁰ them to alight, they fly round in circles, reviewing the country below. 每当鸽群发现可引诱其降落的充足食物，它们便在天空盘旋不停，观察地面动静。

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