We had a remarkable sunset one day last November. I was walking in a meadow, the source of a small brook, when the sun at last, just before setting, after a cold gray day, reached a clear stratum in the horizon, and the softest, brightest morning sunlight fell on the dry grass and on the stems of the trees in the opposite horizon, and on the leaves of the shrub-oaks on the hill-side, while our shadows stretched long over the meadow eastward, as if we were the only motes in its beams. It was such a light as we could not have imagined a moment before, and the air also was so warm and serene that nothing wanted to make a paradise of that meadow.

The sun sets on some retired meadow, where no house is visible, with all the glory and splendor that it lavishes on cities, and, perchance, as it has never set before, --where there is but a solitary marsh-hawk to have his wings gilded by it, or only a masques lookout from his cabin, and there is some little black-veined brook in the midst of the marsh, just beginning to meander, winding slowly round a decaying stump. We walked in so pure and bright a light, gilding the withered grass and leaves, so softly and serenely bright, I thought I had never bathed in such a golden flood, without a ripple or a murmur to it.

最近十一月的一天，我们目睹了一个极其美丽的日落。方当我仍然漫步于一道小溪发源处的草地之上，那天际的的太阳，终于在一个凄苦的寒天之后，暮夕之前，涌出云层，骤放澄明。这时但见远方天幕下的衰草残茎;山边的木叶橡丛，登时沉浸在一片最柔美也最耀眼的曙光般的绮照之中，而我们自己的身影也长长伸向东边草地，仿佛是那缕斜辉中仅有的点点微尘。周围的风物是那么妍美，一晌之前还是难以想象，空气也是那么和暖纯净，一时这普通草原实在无异天上景象。

此刻那落日的余辉正以它全般的灿烂与辉煌，并不分城市还是乡村，甚至以往日也少见的艳丽，尽情斜映在一带境远地僻的草地之上;这里没有一间房舍——茫茫之中只瞥见一头孤零零的沼鹰，背羽上染尽了金黄，一只麝香鼠正探头穴外，另外在沼泽之间望见了一股水色黝黑的小溪，蜿蜒而前，绕行于一堆残株败根之旁。我们漫步于其中的光照，是这样的纯美与熠耀，满目衰草木叶，一片金黄，晃晃之中又是这般柔和恬静，没有一丝涟漪，一息咽呜。我想我从来不曾沐浴于这么幽美的金色光汛之中。