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LESSON 35 The deluge
第三十五课 大洪水
Look for a moment on the catastrophe of the Deluge. And let not our attention be so engrossed by its dread and awful character, as to overlook all that preceded it, and see nothing but the flood and its devouring waters.
我们来看洪水这一大灾难。我们不要太过专注于它的可怕特性而就此忽略了在这之前的一切，否则除了洪水和它所吞噬的水域外我们都将如若无睹。
The waters rise till rivers swell into lakes, and lakes become seas, and the sea stretches out her arms along fertile plains to seize their flying population. Still the waters rise; and now, mingled with beasts that terror has tamed, men climb to the mountain-tops, with the flood roaring at their heels. Still the waters rise; and now each summit stands above them like a separate and sea-girt isle.
水位在涨，直到河流膨胀变成湖泊、湖泊变成海洋，海洋则沿着肥沃的平原伸展她的手臂抓住那些逃亡的人群。水位继续上涨，此刻，人类及那些被恐惧驱使的野兽爬上了山顶，洪水在他们脚下咆哮。水位仍旧在涨，此时，每一座山峰都像一个独立的被海水环绕的岛屿耸立在他们的头顶之上。
Still the waters rise; and, crowding closer on the narrow spaces of lessening hill-tops, men and beasts fight for standing-room. Still the thunders roar, and the lightnings flash, and the rains descend, and the waters rise, till the last survivor of the shrieking crowd is washed off, and the head of the highest Alp goes down beneath the wave.
同样，水位在涨。越来越多的生物挤在空间越来越小的山顶之上，人类和野兽为了站立的空间开始相互争斗。雷声还在咆哮，闪电还在打闪，雨还在下，水还在涨，直到尖叫的人群中最后的幸存者被大水冲走，直到最高的山峰被海浪淹没。
Now the waters rise no more. God's servant has done his work. He rests from his labours; and, all land drowned, all life destroyed, an awful silence reigning and a shoreless ocean rolling, Death for once has nothing to do but ride in triumph on the top of some giant billow, which, meeting no coast, no continent, no Alp, no Andes against which to break, sweeps round and round the world.
现在，海水停止了上涨。上帝的仆人结束了工作，开始休憩。而，所有土地已被淹没，所有生命已被摧毁，只有可怕的寂静笼罩着大地，只有无边的大海咆哮翻滚。这一次，死亡在巨大的浪头上凯旋而归，它没有遇见海岸，没有遇见大陆，没有遇见高山，也没有需要冲破的安第斯山脉，它把世界横扫殆尽。
