A strange calm succeeded my first alarm.
驚恐之后,我感到一種奇怪的平靜。
I sat down upon the step of the door, and watched the awful scene in silence.
坐在門前的臺(tái)階上,我無聲地觀察著這可怕的情景。
The fire was raging in the cedar swamp immediately below the ridge on which the house stood, and it presented a spectacle truly appalling.
我們的房子坐落在山脊上,山脊下方的雪松沼澤里大火在迅速蔓延,情形確實(shí)令人震驚。
From out of the dense folds of a canopy of black smoke—the blackest I ever saw—leaped up red forks of lurid flame as high as the tree tops, igniting the branches of a group of tall pines that had been left for saw logs.
濃密的黑煙中火紅的火舌躍起到樹梢那么高,點(diǎn)燃了被留作鋸材用的原木的枝干。天空被濃煙遮擋住了。
A deep gloom blotted out the heavens from our sight.
昏暗的天遮住了我們的視線
The air was filled with fiery particles, which floated even to the doorstep—while the crackling and roaring of the flames might have been heard at a great distance.
空氣中充滿了熾熱的顆粒,有些顆粒甚至漂到了門前的臺(tái)階上——而火焰的噼噼啪啪聲和呼嘯聲從很遠(yuǎn)的地方也一定能聽到。
To reach the shore of the lake, we must pass through the burning swamp, and not a bird could pass over it with unscorched wings.
要到達(dá)湖邊,必須經(jīng)過燃燒著的沼澤地,即使鳥兒飛過去也會(huì)燒焦翅膀。
The fierce wind drove the flames at the sides and back of the house up the clearing; and our passage to the road or to the forest, on the right and left, was entirely obstructed by a sea of flames.
狂風(fēng)吹動(dòng)著火焰正越過門前空地,就要達(dá)到房子側(cè)墻和后墻了;通向左側(cè)的山路或右側(cè)森林的路完全被火焰阻擋了。
Our only ark of safety was the house, so long as it remained untouched by the fire.
如果火焰沒燒到房子,它就是我們唯一安全的方舟。
I turned to young Thomas, and asked him how long he thought that would he.
我轉(zhuǎn)向小托馬斯,問他需要多久會(huì)燒到房子。
When the fire clears this little ridge in front, ma'am. The Lord have mercy on us then, or we must all go.
當(dāng)火燒光前面的小山脊,太太。到時(shí)候上帝保佑我們,我們都得走。
I threw myself down on the floor beside my children, and pressed them to my heart, while inwardly I thanked God that they were asleep, unconscious of danger,
我撲倒在地板上的孩子們身邊,把他們緊緊抱在胸前,心里感謝上帝,他們還都熟睡著,不知道發(fā)生的危險(xiǎn),
and unable by their CRIes to distract our attention from adopting any plan which might offer to effect their escape.
不會(huì)因?yàn)榭藿懈蓴_我們,而我們計(jì)劃著如何使他們躲過這一場浩劫。