汉译英散文佳作赏析：《黄龙奇观》

黄龙奇观
A View of Huanglong

在四川西部，有一美妙的去处。它背倚峨山宇峰雪宝顶，树木苍翠，花香袭人，鸟声婉转，流水潺潺。这就是松潘县的黄龙。
One of Sichuan\'s finest scenic spots is Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) , which lies in Songpan County just beneath Xuebao, the main peals of the Minshan Mountains. Its lush green forests, filled with fragrant flowers, bubbling streams, and songbirds, are rich in historical interest as well as natural beauty.

相传在中国古代气洪水肆虐，人民苦不堪言。大禹决心治水，但船不能行气有黄龙来为他负舟，于是导水成功。黄龙疲惫，未及回归大海，死于眠山之下，因而其地就称为黄龙。
Legend has it that sane 4, 000 years ago, when great floods threatened the people of central China, Yu the Great resolved to tame the mighty rivers. He journeyed inland in a boat, but was soon stopped by the torrential current. Fortunately, a yellow dragon appeared and bore the boat upstream as far as it could go. Yu succeeded in controlling the flood and went on to found the 500-year Xia Dynasty, but the exhausted dragon could not return to the sea, and died at the foot of Xuebao Peak.

黄龙风景，自海拔近3600米处，沿山谷而下，逶迤3.5公里，地上覆盖着一层淡黄色碳酸钙沉积，形成大大小小的众多水池，状如梯田。池水澄清，呈淡蓝、淡绿各色。远看宛如黄龙俯卧，粼光闪闪。两旁森林，全是高大云杉。林间地上，多奇花异草，或蓝或白，或红或紫，灿烂如缤纷。
Viewing Huanglong from a distance, one might imagine that the noble serpent for which the area was named is still lying on the hillside. Actually, this "yellow dragon\' is a geological formation unique to this karst region; its yellow color is due to a layer of calcium carbonate, and the tiny, clear pools that line its back took like scales. The dragon is surrounded try, spruce trees and assorted rare flowering plants in blue, white, red, and purple.

山谷顶端，残留着一座道教建筑，名“黄龙古寺”。据松潘县志记载，该建于明代(公元1368一1644年)。寺前有一溶洞，深邃莫测。寺后有一石碑，除碑檐外，几乎全被碳酸钙沉积淹没，碑文已不可辨认。看来，这400来年的沉积速度是相当可观的。
On the hilltop stands the Yellow Dragon Monastery, a Taoist retreat hilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368-- 1644). A karst cave lies before it, and a stone tablet was erected behind. All but the top of the tablet has been eroded by calcium carbonate, and the inscriptions have become unreadable.

每年农历六月为黄龙寺庙会期，方圆几百里及至青海、甘肃的藏、羌、回、汉各族人民也前来赶会。届时，帐篷连营，人马喧腾，歌舞相杂，十分热闹。据科学工作者考察，这里的山体系石灰岩地质，黄龙景观实为岩溶地貌。在中国，岩溶地貌形成的绮丽景色着实不少，有名的如桂林山水、云南石林，然而它们的风貌都与黄龙迥异。
Every year in the sixth lunar month, the local people, along with an, Qiang, Hui, and Han visitors from neighboring provinces of Qinghai and Gansu travel to the monastery on horseback for a temple fair. They set up tents and celebrate wish songs and dances far into the night.Many of Chinas famous landscapes, such as those of Guilin in Guangxi Province and the Stone Forest in Yunnan Province, are also built on karst formations. But each has its own character.

在黄龙附近的林区，还栖息着大熊猫、扭角羚、虹雄等珍贵动物。
Giant pandas, takins, and pheasants roam the forests of Huanglong, along with many other species of animals and birds.

如今，国家拟将黄龙划人它北面的九寨沟自然保护区，统一管理，以保护自然生态，开展科学研究和供人们游览。
Huanglong and nearby Jiuzhaigou will soon be made a nature preserve to protect the area\'s ecology and to allow scientists to observe these rare animals in their own habitats.