LESSON 25 The polar world(II)

第二十五课 极地世界(二)

Though nature generally wears a more stern and forbidding aspect on advancing towards the Pole, yet the high latitudes have many beauties of their own. Nothing can exceed the magnificence of an Arctic sunset, clothing the snow-clad mountains and the skies with all the glories of colour; or be more serenely beautiful than the clear star-lit night, illumined by the brilliant moon, which for days continually circles around the horizon, never setting until she has run her long course of brightness. The uniform whiteness of the landscape and the general transparency of the atmosphere add to the lustre of her beams, which serve to guide the natives in their nomadic life, and to lead them to their hunting-grounds.

在去往极地的途中，大自然虽然整体呈现出一种更加残酷、更加严峻的面貌，不过高纬度地区也自有其魅力之处，北极壮丽无比的日落景观便是其一：夕阳下那被冰雪覆盖的山脉和天空如同披上了一件金黄色的外衣。那清澈的、点缀着淡淡星光的夜空安详恬静，让人惊叹。那点亮了夜空的皎洁月光盘旋在地平线之上长达数日之久，直至完成了自己漫长的光辉历程才甘心沉寂下来。交相呼应的白色调风景线和清新的空气更加增添了她的光辉色彩，并引导着当地人的游牧生活，将他们带进猎场。

A number of icebergs floating in the sea—a familiar scene in polar regions—is one of the most magnificent spectacles in nature. But the wonderful beauty of these crystal cliffs never appears to greater advantage than when clothed by the midnight sun with all the splendid colours of twilight. In the distance, they seem like masses of burnished metal or solid flame. Nearer at hand, they are like huge blocks of purest marble inlaid with pearl and opal gems. Thousands of sparkling little cascades leap into the sea from their sides, the water being discharged from lakes of melted snow and ice that repose in the quietude of their valleys.

海面上漂浮着许多冰山，这是极地地区常见的画面，也是大自然最壮观的景象之一。然而，当午夜的太阳为这些水晶峭壁披上黄昏的绚丽色彩时，它们本身那奇妙的美则变得更加光彩动人，从远处看像是一团蹭亮的金属或者固体火焰，近了看则像是很多块镶着珍珠和蛋白石的光洁无比的的大理石。无数条反着光的小瀑布自它们的侧面跃入大海，水流则是从在宁静山谷中休憩的湖泊中的雪和冰融化而来。

But of all the magnificent spectacles that relieve the monotonous gloom of the Arctic winter, there is none to equal the magical beauty of the Aurora. Night covers the snow-clad earth; the stars glimmer feebly through the haze which so frequently dims their brilliancy in the high latitudes, when suddenly a broad and clear bow of light spans the horizon in the direction where it is traversed by the magnetic meridian. This bow sometimes remains for several hours, heaving or waving to and fro, before it sends forth streams of light toward the zenith. Sometimes these flashes proceed from the bow of light alone; at others they simultaneously shoot forth from many oppsite parts of the horizon, and form a vast sea of fire, whose brilliant waves are continually changing their position. Finally they all unite in a magnificent crown or cupola of light, with the appearance of which the phenomenon attains its highest degree of splendour.

不过，在能缓解北极冬季单调沉闷的所有壮观景象中，极光的神奇之美位列其一。夜幕笼罩着被白雪覆盖的大地，星星们透过常常令高纬度地区黯然失色的薄雾闪耀着自己微弱的光芒。猛然间，一道宽而清澈的弓形亮光沿着磁子午线穿过的方向划过地平线。这道弓形亮光在将光束射向天顶之前有时会在原地上下起伏长达数小时之久，而那些闪光时而仅自弓形亮光发出，时而又同时从地平线上许多相反的地方发出并形成一个巨大的火海，火海里那灿烂的波浪不断涌动变换位置，直至最后全部组合在一起，形成一个华丽的王冠或者穹顶，而此时极光的壮观程度已经推至高潮。