He, therefore, still continued to walk for a time, without the least remission of his ardor,
他兴致盎然地迈步前行,
except that he was sometimes tempted to stop by the music of the birds, which the heat had assembled in the shade,
有时停下脚步,聆听鸟儿声声鸣啾,丛林中扑来沁透心脾的凉爽,似乎收尽了漫天暑气;
and sometimes amused himself with picking the flowers that covered the banks on each side, or the fruits that hung upon the branches.
有时颇为自得地采撷路边野花,或捋下路边枝干上荡悠的三两野果。
At last, the green path began to decline from its first tendency,
末了,满眼绿色的小路从此处径直往下延伸,
and to wind among the hills and thickets, cooled with fountains, and murmuring with waterfalls.
周围山泉叮咚相间,瀑布浪花飞溅越起,空中泛起阵阵清新凉意,眼前小路一路蜿蜒,仄入连绵无尽的山岭密林。
Here Obidah paused for a time, and began to consider whether it was longer safe to forsake the known and common track;
走到一处地方,奥巴代亚停住了脚步,他思忖着,离开那条老路是否会发生什么意外,
but, remembering that the heat was now in its greatest violence, and that the plain was dusty and uneven,
转而一想,此刻阳光炙热灼人,老路上灰尘满天,坑洼不平,
he resolved to pursue the new path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders,
他当即决定还是循着新路往前走。
in compliance with the garieties of the ground, and to end at last in the common road.
他觉得,只消顺着这条路拐上几个弯,最终总会拐回老路上。
Having thus calmed his solicitude, he renewed his pace, though he suspected he was not gaining ground.
想到这里,他不再焦虑,继续前行,尽管心中隐隐有些狐疑,或许真会迷路吗?
This uneasiness of his mind inclined him to lay hold on every new object, and give way to every sensation that might soothe or divert him.
随着心中愈来愈多的忐忑不安,他开始仔细打量周边的景色,不放过视线里不断出现的陌生物体,甚至不时暗自宽慰自己。
He listened to every echo, he mounted every hill for a fresh prospect,
他细心聆听树林里的微小回声,他攀爬途经的每处高地,查看延伸向远的风景,
he turned aside to every cascade, and pleased himself with tracing the course of a gentle river that rolled among the trees,
揣测推断地形地貌的特征端倪,不幸的是,他所走过的关键路口,毫无例外地偏离了原先的正常路径。直到最后,他才欣喜地发现,一条河流从森林中静静流过,
and watered a large region, with innumerable circumvolutions.
河面流域极为宽广,九曲十八弯中有数不清的回转盘旋。