I remember a day when I was very small, and my mother took me to a fair, and I got lost. After searching without finding her, I set out for home by myself. I walked up one road, down another, expecting to stumble on something recognizable. But everywhere the unfamiliar houses seemed unfriendly and forbidding. Afraid to knock on any door, I crept close to a tree in an empty corner lot and fell into the sleep of exhaustion.
我还记得在很小的时候,有一天妈妈带我逛集市,我迷了路.我焦急地寻找妈妈的身影,却一无所获,只好自己摸索着回家的道路.我踉跄地从一条街走到另一条街,希望能撞见熟悉的东西.但是,到处都是气势汹汹、令人害怕的陌生房子.胆小的我不敢去敲响任何一扇门,只好跌跌撞撞地走近街角的空地,蜷缩在一棵树旁,疲惫地睡着了.
At dusk I awakened. The first of night was seeping into the neighborhood, shadow by shadow. A pale wash of sunset pinked chimneys and rooftops. As I watched, the sky darkened to the deep, translucent blue of almost-evening, and a brilliant first star appeared-my own reliable wishing star, right where it belonged.
黄昏的时候,我醒了.黑夜的第一片投影正缓缓地渗入左邻右舍.烟囱与屋顶沐浴在薄暮淡淡的余晖中,散发着粉色的光晕.天空已沉淀成那种澄郁参半、接近夜色的深蓝.第一颗明星出现了,啊,我最信赖的许愿星出现在了它一直坚守的位置.
Suddenly my world was righted. This was the magic time when wishes were made and faces washed, when daddies appeared and babies had baths-a friendly time. Without hesitation, I ran to the nearest door and banged on it. Within an hour I was safely home.
一瞬间,我的世界豁然开朗.这一刻充满着魔力：人们虔诚地许愿,洗去一脸辛劳,父亲们回到家中,婴孩们欢快地洗澡.黄昏,这是多么温馨友好的时光啊.于是,我毫不犹豫地冲向最近的一户人家,用力敲门.不到一个小时,我就被平安送回了家中.
My parents asked why I had waited so long to seek help. I could not explain. I cannot now, except to say that the enchantment of dusk is still upon me, still smoothes away my fears and lifts my spirit. I dare more at dusk.
父母问我,为什么等了这么久才去寻求帮助.我无法解释清楚,至今也不能.只能说黄昏的魔力依然影响着我,依然能抚平我的恐惧,振奋我的精神.一到黄昏,我就会变得更有胆量.
The lights come on, for one thing?the companionable lights. Have you ever walked home on a late winter afternoon, under a leaden sky in a steady snowfall, and been surprised by the silent coming-on of street lights? All in a moment, they line the road like transforming angels, their frosty halos sparkling, and you go the rest of the way guarded and at peace.
灯亮起来了,那就让我们只说说友善可亲的灯光吧.你是否也曾在晚冬的傍晚漫步归家,天空暗沉,漫天飘雪,不经意间,街灯静静地亮起来,让你惊喜不已?它们就像瞬息万变的天使,守护在你身旁,让你安心轻松地走完回家的路.
Dusk is for homecoming, a wonderfully hollow-and-hungry-for-dinner hour. Telling of his boyhood in a small English village, Laurie Lee writes exuberantly, "The day was over and we had used it, running errands or prowling the fields. We returned to the kitchen, back to its smoky comfort. Every stone in the path as I ran down home shook my bones with arriving joy."
黄昏是归家的时候,是饥肠辘辘享用晚餐的时候,劳利·李曾兴奋地描述过他在英国乡村的童年生活："一天过完了,我们结束了四处跑腿、在乡野间横冲乱撞的一天,兴冲冲地回到了厨房,那个炊烟腾腾、温暖舒适的地方.奔跑在回家的小路上,每一块踢到的石头都让我浑身的骨头带着回家的喜悦而震颤."
But almost as good as returning home at day's end is the exhilarating business of faring forth then. There is no better time to take a train to the city than in the precious interval between day and night, when the blue air seems strung with excitement, almost tasting of adventure. Or to walk in a quiet country lane as the sparrows cheep sleepily, and night insects awaken to begin a fine musical clamor. Listen to that cricket!
但是,在美丽的黄昏时刻出发,开始一段新的旅程,也像归家一样令人欢喜雀跃.在白天到黑夜那一段时间里,暗蓝的天空洋溢着无限激动,你乘着火车抵达城市,开始享受探险的乐趣,没有比这更美妙的事了.或者,漫步于宁静的乡间小径,麻雀在树上一边吱吱细语一边打着瞌睡,夜虫初醒,兴奋地在准备一场奇妙音乐会.快听,那蟋蟀正在高歌呢!
Meanwhile, nearly forgotten, the last lovely light of day is caught on a pond and behind a hill, back of your barn and around the corner. But when you look again, it will be gone.
此刻,你差点忘了那可爱的落日余晖.它倒映在池塘里,躲藏在小山和你家谷仓的背后,或是流连于一个偏僻的小角落.但是等你再去寻觅,它却早已消失得无影无踪了.
To go out……to go somewhere and meet the evening……
出去吧……到某处与黑夜相会……