評論
打印
II．THE BIRD OF PARADISE
II．天堂鳥
If you turn now to the map of Asia, you will find a number of islands lying to the south of Malacca,
如果你打開亞洲地圖，會發現馬六甲南端分布著很多島嶼，
and forming a link between Asia and Australia。
成為連接亞洲和澳大利亞的紐帶。
These islands are in the very midst of the Tropics.
這些島嶼位于熱帶地區的最中心，
The warm tropical seas bathe their coasts; and dark, dense forests, cover many of them from the sea-shore to the top of the highest mountain.
這些溫暖的熱帶海洋浸潤著它們的海岸線，從海岸線一直到最高的山頂，有很多地方都被幽深茂密的叢林所覆蓋。
One of the largest of these islands, called New Guinea, and a few small islands near it, are the home of the splendid Bird of Paradise.
這些島嶼中最大的一個叫做新幾內亞島，附近還環繞著一些小島，這里是神奇的天堂鳥的家園。
These birds live nowhere else. The natives call them God's Birds, because they think them more splendid than any other that he has made.
其他地方都沒有這種鳥，當地人稱它們為上帝之鳥，因為他們覺得這些鳥比上帝創造出來的其他鳥都要更美麗。
The head and neck of the Bird of Paradise are as soft as velvet, and of a golden tint, that changes,
天堂鳥的頭和脖子像天鵝絨一樣柔軟，還有可以變化的金黃色。
while you are looking at it, into all the colours of the rainbow. Its tail is a magnificent plume of fairy-like feathers,
當你看著它時，它會變成彩虹的顏色。它尾巴上的羽毛像仙子的霓裳華衣一樣美麗，
partly white and partly yellow, so that you might think they were made of silver and gold.
部分是白色，部分是黃色，或許你會覺得它們是由金銀制成的。
This plume is very much longer than the body, and makes the bird appear larger than it is; for in reality it is only about the size of a pigeon.
羽毛比身體長很多，讓這種鳥看起來比實際大小更大些。事實上，它僅有鴿子那么大。
We can hardly fancy a flock of these beautiful birds upon the wing, floating at their ease, or pursuing the insects of various kinds that serve them for food.
我們很難想象這么一大群美麗的鳥，或是飛翔，或無拘無束地飄動，或捕食各種昆蟲。
But this is no uncommon sight in that land of flowers and spices—a land that seems exactly fitted to be the home of the Bird of Paradise。
但是在那片滿是鮮花與香料的島上，這是個很常見的景象，這個小島看起來十分適合做天堂鳥的家園。
