世界上最优美的散文--人生短篇-第25章
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dmit me to the ledge and long enough for a glimpse of that fairy p ool； so seldom and so briefly exposed。
and so i knelt on the wet carpet of sea moss and looked back into the dark c avern that held the pool in a shallow basin。 the floor of the cave was only a fe w inches below the roof； and a mirror had been created in which all that grew on the ceiling was reflected in the still water below。
under water that was clear as glass the pool was carpeted with green sponge。 gray patches of sea squirts glistened on the ceiling and colonies of raft coral were a pale apricot color。 in the moment when i looked into the cave a little e lfin starfish hung down； suspended by the merest thread； perhaps by only a singl e tube foot。 it reached down to touch its own reflection； so perfectly delineate d that there might have been； not one starfish； but two。 the beauty of the refle cted images and of the limpid pool itself was the poignant beauty of things that are ephemeral； existing only until the sea should return to fill the little cav e。
在自然威力之下
埃德加。爱伦。坡
萧伯纳曾说：“美国出了两个伟大的作家——埃德加。爱伦。坡和马克。吐温。”埃德 加。爱伦坡（1809—1849）以其诗歌、小说和文学评论广受推崇，对于美国文学乃至世界文 学影响甚大。本文节选自其短篇小说《厄谢尔宅第的倒塌》。
那年秋天，一个天气阴沉、昏暗而又寂静的日子，低压的云层笼罩着大地。整整一天， 我独自骑着马，在一条异常沉闷的乡间小路上行进；暮『色』降临时分，凄凉的厄谢尔宅第终于 呈现在我眼前。但是，不知出于什么原因，第一眼望见这幢房子，我就被一种令人难以忍受 的阴郁抓住了。我说难以忍受，是因为往常即使人们看到荒山野岭或其他令人生畏的自然景 象时，也可能产生一些诗意，心中或许有几分快感，但此时此地的情景在我心中却丝毫引不 起此种感情。我看着眼前的这番景象——宅第本身、房子周围单调的景象、光秃秃的墙壁、 空空的圆窗、几丛杂『乱』的茅草、几株灰白的枯树——心情十分沮丧，这种沮丧，无法拿人世 间的任何心情来比拟，除非把它比作过足鸦片烟瘾的人从梦幻中回到现实生活里的那种痛苦 心情。我只觉心中一凉，往下一沉，异常难受。还有一种挥之不去的凄凉之感，无论如何也 不能激起我的兴致。那么，究竟是什么——我停下来仔细思量——究竟是什么使我的心绪在 凝望厄谢尔宅第时如此烦『乱』呢？这完全是一个无法解答的谜，在我思量的时候，脑海里充满 了模模糊糊的想法，却无法弄得清楚明白。我只好用那个不能令人满意的解释来安慰自己— —尽管一些非常简单的自然景物结合在一起，也具有影响我们的威力，但要仔细分析这种威 力，却远在我们思考的深度之外。
under the power of nature
edgar allan poe
during the whole of a dull； dark； and soundless day in the autumn of the yea r； when the clouds hung up pressively low in the heavens； i had been passing alo ne； on horseback； through a singularly dreary tract of country； and at length fo und myself； as the shades of the evening drew on； within view of the melancholy house of usher。 i knew not how it was — but； with the first glimpse of the buil ding； a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit。 i say insufferable； for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that halfpleasurable； because poetic；sent iment with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of t he desolate or terrible； i looked upon the scene before me — upon the mere hous e； and the simple landscape features of the domain； upon the bleak walls； upon t he vacant eyelike windows； upon a few randy sedges； and upon a few white trunk s of decayed treeswith an utter depression of soul which i can compare to no e arthly sensation more properly than to the afterdream of the reveler upon opium； the bitter lapse into everyday life；the hideous dropping off of the veil。 there was an iciness； a sinking； a sickening of the heart； an unredeemed torture into ought of the sublime。 what was it i paused to think what was it that so unnerve d me in the contemplation of the house of usher。 it was a mystery all insoluble； nor could i grapple with the shadowy fancies that crowded upon me as i pondered 。 i was forded to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion； that while； beyo nd doubt； there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the p ower of thus affecting us； still the analysis of this power lies among considera tions beyond our depth。
风 车
爱德华。凡尔拉莱。卢卡斯
爱德华。凡尔拉莱。卢卡斯（1868—1938），英国作家，散文家，毕业于伦敦大学，长 期从事编辑、出版工作，同时致力于写作，是20世纪初期英国文坛的知名人士。
不久之前，一个偶然的机会曾使我成为一座风车的住客。但并不是真的住进去，而且说 来遗憾，也不是进去磨点什么东西，只是兴致来时进去转了转，从它最顶的窗户遥望港口的 船只，或者俯视周围的羊群和原野。这座风车又大又白——而且白得很厉害，每当雷雨云绕 到它的背后时，整个风车就光亮得如同铝制的一样。
从风车的其他几个窗口往外看，你还可以看到另外的四个风车，这些风车和它一样，也 都在闲置着。其中有一个已经破损得非常厉害，还有一个也只剩下了两个翅膀。但就在下一 道山冈、远得望不见的东北方向，就有一座风车在那里欢快地转动着，另外由此再折向西北 四五英里的地方，也有一个风车非常活跃。所以这个地方的情形还不至于像全国其他地方那 么糟糕，任由阵阵好风从身边白白吹过……
一旦想起由于蒸气机以及工程师的聪明才智所带给英国的种种损失，人们总会把风车的 衰落列为其中的第一项。也许如果只从景物的美观别致来说，英国所遭遇的最大不幸乃是锌 镀铁屋顶的发明；不过，毕竟红『色』屋顶的美好也不只是安详富丽与舒适而已，但是转动着的 风车不仅看起来美丽，而且非常浪漫：一个受制于自然的魔力但情愿为人类服务的温顺家伙 ，一个飞舞旋转的怪物或者往往是一个使人惧怕的东西。如果谁在风力正强的时候靠近一座 风车轰鸣的翅膀，心里都会骤然紧张起来——那感觉就像人们在暴风雨中望见水浪冲击堤岸 的情景一样。而此时待在风车里边的话，就能对声音的来历有些体会，因为这里就是声音的 洞『穴』。当然有些孔洞中所发出的轰鸣声震耳欲聋，具有很大的威力，但风车的声音则大体来 说是比较自然的，它们是木头与西南风搏斗时产生的，它充盈于人耳而不会震耳欲聋。而且 这种效果并不因为没有风或者磨坊主人及其佣人的淡漠而有所减弱，这些人即使是在震耳欲 聋的喧闹之下，也总是一副文静态度，如同教堂管事人一般有条不紊地办事。
当然，我进入的磨坊并没有如此喧闹，我只是偶尔听到那些冷落的车翼上的横木几声摆 动罢了，一切都是如此寂静。更使人惆怅的是，一切又仿佛已完全就绪，就等着当天开工了 。这个风车以前——大约几十年前——也曾是生气勃勃的，但是从那以后，它就永归沉寂， 毫无生气，就像一条溪流在夜里突然遭遇封冻，或者像丁尼逊《睡美人》诗中的宫殿那样寂 寞。这风车并没损坏——它只是失去了魂魄。风车上几个苹果木的榫子已从轮机上脱落了， 地板上的木条也有几根烂掉了，但也仅是如此而已。只要一周的时间，就足以把这一切都修 好。但永远没有这种可能了。因此，以前曾经使千千万万个英国风车一起欢舞的阵阵好风， 而今也只能在英吉利海峡之上徒劳吹过。
the windmill
edward verrall lucas
chance recently made me for a while the tenant of a windmill。 not to live in ； and unhappily not to grind corn in； but to visit as the mood arose； and see th e ships in the harbour from the topmost window； and look down on the sheep and t he green world all around。 for this mill stands high and white — so white； inde ed； that when there is a thundercloud behind it； it seems a thing of polished aluminium。
from its windows you can see four other mills； all； like itself； idle； and o ne merely a ruin and one with only two sweeps left。 but just over the next range of hills； out of sight，to the northeast； is a windmill that still merrily go es； and about five miles away to the northwest is another also active； so that things are not quite so bad hereabouts as in many parts of the country； where t he good breezes blow altogether in vain…
thinking over the losses which england has had forced upon her by steam and the ingenuity of the engineer； one is disposed to count the decay of the windmil l among the first。 perhaps in the matter of pure picturesqueness the most seriou s thing that ever happened to england was the discovery of galvanized iron roofi ng； but； after all； there was never anything but quiet and rich and comfortable beauty about red roofs； whereas the living windmill is not only beautiful but ro mantic too： a willing； manserving creature； yoked to the elements； a whirling monster； often a thing of terror。 no one can stand very near the crashing sweeps of a windmill in half a gale without a tightening of the heart — a feeling com parable to that which comes from watching the waves break over a wall in a storm 。 and to be within the mill at such a time is to know something of sound's very sources； it is the cave of noise itself。 no doubt there are dens of hammering en ergy which are more shattering； but the noise of a windmill is largely natural； the product of wood striving with the good sou'wester； it fills the ears rathe r than assaults them。 the effect； moreover，is by no means lessened by the absen ce of the wind itself and the silent nonchalance of the miller and his man； who move about in the midst of this appalling racket with the quiet efficiency of ve rgers。
in my mill； of course； there is no such uproar； nothing but the ocomasional s haking of the crosspieces of the idle sails。 everything is still； and the pity of it is that everything is in almost perfect order for the day's work。 the mil l one day — some score years ago — was full of life； the next； and ever after； mute and lifeless； like a stream frozen in a night or the palace in tennyson's ballad of the ‘sleeping beauty。' there is no decay — merely inanition。 one or two of the applewood cogs have been broken from the great wheel； a few floor p lanks have been rotted； but that is all。 a week's overhauling would put everythi ng right。 but it will never come； and the cheerful winds that once were to drive a thousand english mills so happily now bustle over the channel in vain。
林 鸟
威廉。亨利。哈德逊
威廉。亨利。哈德逊（1841—1922），英国博物学家兼作家。自幼酷爱自然，尤其喜欢 观察鸟类的生活习惯，他的散文清新自然，朴实亲切。
有很长的一段时间，我总是在攀登一座低矮宽阔的平顶小山。当我从灌木丛中脱身而出 ，又出现在一片空地时，我已身在一片平坦的高地，周围非常空旷，到处是石楠与荆棘丛生 的地方，这中间偶尔也有几处稠密的冷杉与桦木之类的植物。在我面前以及高地的两侧，一 眼望去，都是广袤的原野；地面上的景物有时会中断，但这蔚为大观的青葱翠绿却是连绵不 断的，这可能跟最近降雨量的充沛有关。在我看来，南德文郡的绿『色』实在是很多的，但是它 『色』调的柔和与亮度却过于单一。在领略这番景『色』之后，山顶上那些棕褐刺目的稀疏草木反而 使人心情爽朗。这片石楠丛生之地�
