Account of My Travels游历记述

By Washington Irving

I was always fond of visiting new scenes, and observing strangecharacters and manners. Even when a mere child I began my travels, andmade many tours of discovery into foreign parts and unknown regions ofmy native city, to the frequent alarm of my parents, and the emolumentof the town-crier. As I grew into boyhood, I extended the range ofmy observations. My holiday afternoons were spent in rambles about thesurrounding country. I made myself familiar with all its places famousin history or fable. I knew every spot where a murder or robbery hadbeen committed, or a ghost seen. I visited the neighboring villages,and added greatly to my stock of knowledge, by noting their habits andcustoms, and conversing with their sages and great men. I evenjourneyed one long summer’s day to the summit of the most distanthill, whence I stretched my eye over many a mile of terra incognita,and was astonished to find how vast a globe I inhabited.

我总喜爱游览新奇美景，观赏奇风异俗。幼年之时，我便四处漫游，走过不少地方，深入故土的穷乡僻壤，作一番探索。为此，父母常感惊恐，不过公告传报员 [1]却受益不少。及至少年，观察范围更趋广泛。每逢假日下午，我便畅游四周。由此，历史上或传说中的著名地方，我无不知晓。哪里有过凶杀抢劫，哪里出现过幽灵，我均能一一告知。我去邻近的村庄，观察其风俗习惯，与贤明之士和不凡人物交谈，从而知识大增。在一个漫长的夏日，我甚至远走他乡，爬上一座高山，极目远眺，凝视尚未去过的陌生地带。目睹我所居住的地球广阔无垠，我惊叹不已。

This rambling propensity strengthened with my years. Books ofvoyages and travels became my passion, and in devouring theircontents, I neglected the regular exercises of the school. Howwistfully would I wander about the pier-heads in fine weather, andwatch the parting ships, bound to distant climes- with what longingeyes would I gaze after their lessening sails, and waft myself inimagination to the ends of the earth!

我年岁愈增，愈加喜欢漫游。种种游记书籍，令我爱不释手，读得废寝忘食，以致把学校日常功课忽略。我多么渴望在风和日丽之际，漫步码头，看只只船儿远去。我心驰神往，凝视它们愈来愈小的风帆，想象中随之漂向天涯海角。