介绍:
Walden [ˈwɔldən] (Issue 198)
16. The Pond in Winter(6)
[8] As I sounded through the ice I could determine the shape of the bottom with greater accuracy[ˈækjʊrəsɪ] than is possible in surveying harbors which do not freeze over, and I was surprised at its general regularity. In the deepest part there are several acres more level than almost any field which is exposed to the sun, wind, and plow. In one instance, on a line arbitrarily[ˌaːbɪˈtreərɪlɪ] chosen, the depth did not vary more than one foot in thirty rods; and generally, near the middle, I could calculate the variation for each one hundred feet in any direction beforehand within three or four inches. Some are accustomed to speak of deep and dangerous holes even in quiet sandy ponds like this, but the effect of water under these circumstances is to level all inequalities[ˌɪnɪˈkwɒlɪtɪz]. The regularity of the bottom and its conformity to the shores and the range of the neighboring hills were so perfect that a distant promontory betrayed itself in the soundings quite across the pond, and its direction could be determined by observing the opposite shore. Cape becomes bar, and plain shoal[ʃəʊl], and valley and gorge deep water and channel.
[9] When I had mapped the pond by the scale of ten rods to an inch, and put down the soundings, more than a hundred in all, I observed this remarkable coincidence[kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns]. Having noticed that the number indicating['ɪndɪkeɪtɪŋ] the greatest depth was apparently in the centre of the map, I laid a rule on the map lengthwise, and then breadthwise, and found, to my surprise, that the line of greatest length intersected the line of greatest breadth exactly at the point of greatest depth, notwithstanding that the middle is so nearly level, the outline of the pond far from regular, and the extreme length and breadth were got by measuring into the coves; and I said to myself, Who knows but this hint would conduct to the deepest part of the ocean as well as of a pond or puddle[ˈpʌdl]? Is not this the rule also for the height of mountains, regarded as the opposite of valleys? We know that a hill is not highest at its narrowest part.
既然我是通过冰面来实测，确定湖底的形状就能准确得多，比测量那些不冻港，而且瓦尔登湖总体上的规整令我很吃惊。在最深的部分有那么几英亩几乎比任何暴露在太阳、风和犁中的田野更平。有一次，在任意选择的一条线上，深度在三十杆的距离内差别不大，也就在一英尺之间；而且通常，靠近中央，我可以计算出每一个一百英尺，在事先预设的任何方向的变异也就在三到四英寸以内。有人习惯于去说那些深而危险的孔洞，即便是像这样一个平静的沙底湖，鉴于这种情况，水的影响也就是在削[xuē]平所有的不平等。湖底的齐整和它对岸的附和以及周围一带小山的绵延如此完美，以至于湖对岸一个遥远的岬[jiǎ]角在水深点暴露了自身，而且它的方向也能通过观察对岸判定。岬变成了坝和浅滩，而山谷和地峡成了深水和河道。
当我按照十杆一英寸的比例绘制了湖的地图，并标上那些测量点，我观察到这不寻常的巧合。注意到表示最大水深的数字显然在湖的中央，我纵向放上一把尺子，然后是横向，惊奇地发现最大长度线和最大宽度线是交叉的，交叉点就在最大深度上。虽然中央湖底近似水平，可湖的轮廓远没有那么规律，极长和极宽是通过测量进那些小湾里才得到的；我就对自己说，谁知道呢，这暗示也许适用于海洋的最深部分，如同适用于湖或水坑？这规则是不是也适于山的高度，当牵扯到对面的山谷？我们知道一座山的身高并不决定于它最窄的部分。
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