01 The First Snow

01The First SnowHenry Wadsworth LongfellowThe first snow came. How beautifully it was, falling so silently, all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape, and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs, no more rattling wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.初雪亨利·沃兹沃思·朗费罗初雪飘临。

多么美啊！它整日整夜那么静静地飘着，落在山岭上，落在草地上，落在世人的屋顶上，落在死者的坟墓上！在一片白茫茫之中，只有河流在美丽的画面上划出一道曲曲弯弯的黑线；还有那叶儿落净的树木，映衬着铅灰色的天空，此刻更显得枝丫交错，姿态万千。

初雪飘落时，是何等的宁静，何等的幽静！一切声响都趋沉寂，一切噪音都化作柔和的音乐。

再也听不到马蹄得得，再也听不见车轮辚辚！唯有雪橇的铃铛，奏出和谐的乐声，那明快欢乐的节拍犹如孩子们心房的博动。

Notes:1. meadow s: 草地、牧场;(河边的)低洼地The meadow is people d with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。

vt.居住于; 使…充满居民；把…挤满人；住满居民His race has peopled this island through all recorded history.自有历史记载以来, 他的族人都居于此岛。

down the ages自古以来,从古至今The attraction has something to do with Britain’s stable society, her insular position and freedom from foreign invasions down the ages. 英国人之所以对自己的国家难忘留念的原因就在于英国稳定的社会、保守的秉性以及自古以来英国长期面与外来侵略的缘故。

自古以来有很多译法，具体用哪一个好，还是要结合上下文选择。

from time immemorial/from the old/since ancient times/from ancient times/past and present/from ancient to modern times/through the ages/everywhere and all the times【辨析】age 作’时代’讲时，通常指具有某种显著特征的或以某杰出人物命名或有某重大事件为其象征的时代，也可以指考古学或地质学上的时代。

时代, 时期The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

年龄段【心理学】(在智力等方面)达到的水平，智龄法定年龄；成年寿(命)；存活期；一生，毕生，终身epoch指发生巨大变化或重大事件的时代，常指一个新时代的起点。

纪元, 时期, 时代We're at the end of the historical epoch, and at the dawn of another.我们正处在一个历史时代的末期, 另一个历史时代的开端。

epoch-making, epoch-marking adj.开新纪元的,划时代的era意为’时代、纪元’，与epoch意思相近，但era更强调整个时代历程，不单指一个时代的起点。

(标志新的重要历史阶段开端的) 重大事件(或重要日子)(某一重大历史事件后的)年代；阶段【地质学】代纪元历史时期, 时代We are living in the information era.我们生活在信息时代。

period 意为’时期’，即可以是很短的一段时间，也可以是很长的一段时间。

(一段)时间Mary was restored to health after a period of medical treatment.经过一段时间治疗, 玛丽康复了。

时期, 时代This is his most difficult period.这是他最困难的时期。

He excels all other composers of his period.他胜过同时代的所有其他作曲家。

学时, 课时The school day is divided into seven periods.学校一天有七节课。

句号, 句点Use a period at the end of the sentence.在一个句子的末尾用句号。

（人生或国家历史的）阶段，时代（地质年代的）纪月经；经期；例假周期；期(比赛的)局；(比赛的)一节时间结束；终止；最后阶段【数学】(周期函数的)周期；(数字三位分节法的)节；(小数点后的)循环节【医学】过程；病期；病程【音乐】乐段；乐节time 表示’时代’，时一般用作复数，指一般的一段历史时期或某种特殊经历相关的岁月。

时代, 时期It doesn't meet the requirements of the times.它不适应时代的要求。

时间The philosopher speculated about time and space.这位哲学家在思索时间和空间问题。

次, 回He told the same style old jokes I've heard fifty times before.他讲的老笑话, 我已听过五十遍了。

When I saw him the second time, he had already got married.我第二次见到他时, 他已结婚了。

Three times four is[are] twelve.三乘四等于十二。

时机, 做某种活动的时候This time is ripe for action.采取行动的时机已经成熟。

It is high time for action.该采取行动了。

【例句】The period in which man learnt to make tools of iron is called the lron Age.人类学会制造铁器的时期称为铁器时代。

Counterfeiting was still punishable with death at that epoch.铸私钱在那个时代是要受极刑的。

The Christian era starts with the birth of Christ. 基督教时代从耶稣诞生起算。

2. the living: 活着的人（定冠词the +形容词，表示某一类人或事物）。

下面的the dead与此同3. save:（prep.) 除了......以外 =save and except:all save sb. 除某人以外所有的人The screen was all dark save for one bright spot. 除一个光点外，屏幕上一片黑暗。

All had gone save his mother. 除了他的母亲，其他人都走了。

4. leaden:(adj.) 铅(灰)色的leaden skies铅灰色的天空沉闷的,沉重的;郁郁不乐的A leaden weight lay on her heart as she waved him goodbye.她向他挥手道别时，心情十分沉重。

He walked towards the examination room with leaden feet (= slowly).他像脚灌了铅一样地走向考场。

5. intricacies: (n.) 原指错综复杂，这里指树枝盘结交错In software engineering, the degree of complication of a system or system component, determined by such factors as the number and intricacy of interfaces, the number and intricacy of conditional branches, the degree of nesting, the types of data structures, and other system characteristics.在软件工程中，系统或系统组成部分的复杂程度由下述因素确定：接口的数量和错综程度、条件转移的数量和错综程度、嵌套的深度、数据结构的类型，以及其它一些系统特性。

intricate adj.错综复杂的I have a novel with an intricate plot.我有一本情节错综复杂的小说。

The design is intricate.这个设计是错综复杂的。

an intricate instrument 复杂的仪器6. seclusion: n.隔绝,隔离,隐居宁静、远离喧嚣in the seclusion of one’s own home 在家里自己的天地I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

For holidays, I prefer the relative seclusion of the countryside.度假的时候，我较喜欢乡间相对的幽静。