First Snow
初雪

冬天虽然寒冷，却也是很多人最爱的季节。小时候，每到冬天，一家老小就会盼望着雪的到来，仿佛只有当大地完全被白雪覆盖，才算得上是货真价实的冬天。初雪的到来尤其令人兴奋。那空中飞舞的一片片雪花，就像是我们内心那一个个快乐的精灵，精心地装扮着这个广袤的世界。冬日初雪过后，围坐在炉火边喝一杯热茶是那般舒适。

Gilean Douglas
吉琳·道格拉斯

One evening I look out the window of my secluded cabin, and there are soft languid flakes falling in the golden lamplight. They fall all night, while the voice of the Teal River becomes more and more hushed and the noises of the forest die away. By dawn, the whole world of stream and wood and mountain has been kindled to a white flame of beauty.

I go out in the early morning and there is such silence that even breath is a profanation. The mountain to the north has a steel-blue light on it, and to the west the sky still holds something of the darkness of the night. To the east and the south a faint pink is spreading. I look up and see the morning star keeping white watch over a white world.

After heavy snowfalls, it is the evergreens that are the loveliest, with their great white branches weighted down until they are almost parallel with the trunks. They seem like giant birds with their wings folded against the cold.

The sky is clear blue now and the sun has flung diamonds down on meadow and bank and wood. The silence is dense and deep. Even the squirrels have stopped their chattering. And faint snowbird whisperings seems to emphasize the stillness.

Night comes, and the silence holds. There is a feeling about this season that is in no other—a sense of snugness, security and solitude. It is good to be out in the bracing cold, which clears the mind and invigorate the heart. Blanket, fire is a first-rate companion. The coffee is full-bodied and fragrant; shadows dance on the walls and the world outside my windows is very still. I am more than content to begin and end a day like this amid all the calm clarity of wintered earth.

一天晚上，我从隐居的小屋窗户向外望去，只见轻柔的雪花飘落在昏黄的灯光下。雪下了一整夜，梯尔河沉寂了下来，森林的喧嚣也褪去了。破晓时分，这个由小溪、树林和大山构成的世界已经被白雪覆盖，散发出美丽的白色光芒。

我早早地起了床，发现周围是如此安静，以至于连呼吸都会破坏这份静谧。北边的大山披着一层蓝色的光，西边的天空还是黑乎乎的一片，东边和南边呈现出淡淡的粉红色，而且还在继续蔓延。我抬头望向天空，发现闪亮的晨星散发着白色的光，俯瞰着这个银装素裹的世界。

大雪过后，最美的就是常青树了，它们的树枝上覆盖上了厚厚的一层白雪，树枝被压弯了，差不多和树干平行了。它们看上去就像巨大的鸟，为了抵御严寒而合拢了翅膀。

这时天空已经一片蔚蓝。草地上，河岸边和树林里，到处洒满了阳光，如钻石一般闪闪发亮。这静谧是如此地浓厚深沉，就连松鼠也不再发出吱吱的叫声，而雪鸟微弱的啼鸣似乎更是凸显了这份宁静。

夜幕降临，静谧依然。在这个季节里，我感受到了一种在其他任何季节都不曾感受到的舒适、安全和清静。走出房门，欣然沉浸在这严寒之中，让头脑变得清醒，让心灵为之振奋，这实在是美事一桩。待回到屋里，有毯子和炉火相伴，感觉亦是十分舒服。咖啡浓香四溢，光影在墙上翩翩起舞，窗外的世界依然宁静。能在这种清静的冬日中开始和结束一天，我感觉再满足不过了。

巧记词汇

languid [ˈlæŋɡwɪd] a. 无精打采的

【拓】liquid [ˈlɪkwɪd] n. 液体

lamplight [ˈlæmplaɪt] n. 灯光

【拓】lamp [læmp] n. 灯

hushed [hʌʃt] a. 寂静的

【拓】quiet [ˈkwaɪət] a. 安静的

profanation [ˌprɒfə'neɪʃn] n. 亵渎

【拓】destruction [dɪˈstrʌkʃn] n. 破坏

evergreen [ˈevəɡriːn] n. 常青树

【拓】holly [ˈhɒli] n. 冬青树

meadow [ˈmedəʊ] n. 草地；牧场

【拓】grassland [ˈɡrɑːslænd] n. 草地

chatter [ˈtʃætə(r)] v.（动物）鸣叫；喋喋不休

【拓】charter [ˈtʃɑːtə(r)] n. 宪章；执照

snugness [ˈsnʌɡnəs] n. 舒适

【拓】comfort [ˈkʌmfət] n. 舒适

invigorate [ɪnˈvɪɡəreɪt] v. 使精神焕发

【拓】vigorous [ˈvɪɡərəs] a. 精力充沛的

fragrant [ˈfreɪɡrənt] a. 芳香的

【拓】fragrance [ˈfreɪɡrəns] n. 香味，芬芳

趣学短语

seem to 似乎，好像；看起来

【例】She never walks with her head buried in the cellphone though many other people seem to do it. 她从不在走路的时候低头看手机，尽管其他很多人会那么做。