AttheEdgeoftheSea
蕾切爾·卡遜/RachelCarson
Theshoreisanancientworld,foraslongastherehasbeenanearthandseatherehasbeenthisplaceofthemeetingoflandandwater.Yetitisaworldthatkeepsalivethesenseofcontinuingcreationandoftherelentlessdriveoflife.EachtimethatIenterit,Igainsomenewawarenessofitsbeautyanditsdeepermeanings,sensingthatintricatefabricoflifebywhichonecreatureislinkedwithanother,andeachwithitssurroundings.
Inmythoughtsoftheshore,oneplacestandsapartforitsrevelationofexquisitebeauty.Itisapoolhiddenwithinacavethatonecanvisitonlyrarelyandbrief?lywhenthelowestoftheyear』slowtidesfallbelowit,andperhapsfromthatveryfactitacquiressomeofitsspecialbeauty.Choosingsuchatide,Ihopedforaglimpseofthepool.Theebbwastofallearlyinthemorning.Iknewthatifthewindheldfromthenorthwestandnointerferingswellraninfromadistantstormtheleveloftheseashoulddropbelowtheentrancetothepool.Therehadbeensuddenominousshowersinthenight,withrainlikehandfulsofgravelf?lungontheroof.WhenIlookedoutintotheearlymorningtheskywasfullofagraydawnlightbutthesunhadnotyetrisen.Waterandairwerepallid.Acrossthebaythemoonwasaluminousdiscinthewesternsky,suspendedabovethedimlineofdistantshorethefullAugustmoon,drawingthetidetothelow,lowlevelsofthethresholdofthealienseaworld.AsIwatched,agullf?lewby,abovethespruces.Itsbreastwasrosywiththelightoftheunrisensun.Thedaywas,afterall,tobefair.
Later,asIstoodabovethetideneartheentrancetothepool,thepromiseofthatrosylightwassustained.FromthebaseofthesteepwallofrockonwhichIstood,amoss-coveredledgejuttedseawardintodeepwater.Inthesurgeattherimoftheledgethedarkfrondsofoarweedsswayedsmoothandgleamingasleather.Theprojectingledgewasthepathtothesmallhiddencaveanditspool.Occasionallyaswell,strongerthantherest,rolledsmoothlyovertherimandbrokeinfoamagainstthecliff.Buttheintervalsbetweensuchswellswerelongenoughtoadmitmetotheledgeandlongenoughforaglimpseofthatfairypool,soseldomandsobrief?lyexposed.
AndsoIkneltonthewetcarpetofseamossandlookedbackintothedarkcavernthatheldthepoolinashallowbasin.Thef?loorofthecavewasonlyafewinchesbelowtheroof,andamirrorhadbeencreatedinwhichallthatgrewontheceilingwasref?lectedinthestillwaterbelow.
Underwaterthatwasclearasglassthepoolwascarpetedwithgreensponge.Graypatchesofseasquirtsglistenedontheceilingandcoloniesofraftcoralwereapaleapricotcolor.InthemomentwhenIlookedintothecavealittleelf?instarf?ishhungdown,suspendedbythemerestthread,perhapsbyonlyasingletubefoot.Itreacheddowntotouchitsownref?lection,soperfectlydelineatedthattheremighthavebeen,notonestarf?ish,buttwo.Thebeautyoftheref?lectedimagesandofthelimpidpoolitselfwasthepoignantbeautyofthingsthatareephemeral,existingonlyuntiltheseashouldreturntof?illthelittlecave.
海岸是一個古老的世界。自從有地球和大海以來，就有這個水陸相接的地方。人們卻感覺它是一個總在進行創造、生命力頑強而又充沛的世界。每當我踏入這個世界，感覺到生物之間以及每一生物與它的周圍環境之間，通過錯綜複雜的生命結構彼此相連的時候，我對它的美，對它的深層意蘊，都會產生某種新的認識。
我想起海岸，心中就有一個地方因為它所表現出的獨特美景而佔有突出的地位。那是一個隱匿於洞中的水潭。平時，這個洞被海水淹沒，一年當中只有海潮降落到最低，以至低於水潭時，人們才能在這難得的短時間內看見它。也許正因如此，它獲得了某種特殊的美。我選好一個低潮的時機，希望能看一眼水潭。根據推算，潮水將在清晨退下去。我知道，如果不刮西北風，遠處的風暴就不再會掀起驚濤駭浪進行干擾，海平面就會落得比水潭的入口還低。夜裡突然下了幾場預示不祥的陣雨，把碎石般的雨點一把把地拋到屋頂上。清晨，我向外眺望，只見天空籠罩著灰濛濛的曙光，只是太陽還沒有升起。水和空氣一片暗淡。一輪明月掛在海灣對面的西天上，月下灰暗的一線就是遠方的海岸——八月的望月把海潮吸得很低，直到那與人世隔離的海的世界的門檻。在我觀望的時候，一隻海鷗飛過雲杉。呼之欲出的太陽把它的腹部照成粉色。天終於晴了。
後來，當我在高於海潮的水潭入口附近駐足時，四周已是瑰紅色的晨光。從我立足的峭巖底部，一塊被青苔覆蓋的礁石伸向大海的最深處。海水拍擊著礁石周圍，水藻上下左右地漂動，像皮革般滑溜發亮。通往隱藏的小洞和洞中水潭的路徑是那些凸現的礁石。間或一陣強於一陣的波濤，悠然地漫過礁石的邊緣，並在巖壁上擊成水沫。這種波濤間歇的時間足以讓我踏上礁石，足以讓我探視那仙境般的水潭。它平時不露面，露面也只是一瞬間。
我跪在那海苔蘚鋪成的濕漉漉的地毯上，向那些黑洞裡窺探，就是這些黑洞把水潭環抱成淺盆模樣。洞的底部距離頂部只有幾英吋，一面天造明鏡使得洞頂上的一切生物都倒映在下面紋絲不動的水中。
在清明如鏡的水底，鋪著一層碧綠的海綿。洞頂上一片片灰色的海蛸閃閃發光，一堆堆軟珊瑚披著淡淡的杏黃色衣裳。就在我朝洞裡探望時，從洞頂上掛下一隻小海星，僅僅懸在一條線上，或許就在它的一隻管足上。它向下接觸到自己的倒影。多麼完美的畫面！彷彿不是一隻海星，而是一對海星。水中倒影的美，清澈的水潭本身的美，這都是些稍縱即逝的事物所體現的強烈而動人心扉的美——海水一旦漫過小洞，這種美便不復存在了。
記憶填空
1.Inmythoughtsofthe,oneplacestandsapartforitsrevelationofexquisite.Itisapoolhiddenacavethatonecanvisitonlyrarelybrief?lywhenthelowestoftheyear』slowtidesbelowit,andperhapsfromthatveryitacquiressomeofitsspecialbeauty.
2.,asIstoodabovethetideneartheentrancetothepool,thepromiseofthatrosywassustained.FromthebaseofthesteepofrockonwhichIstood,amoss-coveredledgejuttedseawardintodeep.Inthesurgeattherimoftheledgethedarkfrondsofoarweedsswayedsmoothandgleamingleather.
佳句翻譯
1.夜裡突然下了幾場預示不祥的陣雨，把碎石般的雨點一把把地拋到屋頂上。
2.一輪明月掛在海灣對面的西天上，月下灰暗的一線就是遠方的海岸。
3.它平時不露面，露面也只是一瞬間。
短語應用
1.Foraslongastherehasbeenanearthandseatherehasbeenthisplaceofthemeetingoflandandwater.
aslongas：只要
2.InthemomentwhenIlookedintothecavealittleelf?instarf?ishhungdown.
inthemoment：與此同時