辉煌壮丽的暴风雨

it begins when a feeling of stillness creeps into my consciousness.
every thing has suddenly gone quiet.
birds do not chirp.
leaves do not rustle.
insects do not sing.

起初，有一种平静的 悄悄袭上我的心头。刹那间，万物都突然寂静无声。鸟儿不在啁啾，树叶不再沙沙作响，昆虫也停止了欢唱。

the air that has been hot all day becomes heavy.
it hangs over the trees, presses the heads of the flowers to the ground, sits on my shoulders.
with a vague feeling of uneasiness i move to the window.
there, in the west, lies the answer - cloud has piled on cloud to form a ridge of mammoth while towers, rearing against blue sky.

整日闷热的空气变得格外呆滞，它笼罩着树木，逼得花朵垂向地面，也压得我的肩头沉甸甸的。我怀着隐隐约约的烦躁不安，信步走到窗前，原来答案就在西边天际，云层重重叠叠，就像一排嵯峨的白塔，高耸在蓝天之上。

their piercing whiteness is of brief duration.
soon the marshmallow rims flatten to anvil tops, and the clouds reveal their darker nature.
they impose themselves before the late-afternoon sun, and the day darkens early.
then a gust of wind ships the dust along the road, chill warning of what is to come.

云彩那耀眼的白色转瞬便消失了。顷刻间，棉花糖状的云彼岸变得像铁砧一样平展，云层也露出了阴暗的本来面目。它强行遮住西斜的太阳，使天色早早就黑了下来。接着，劲风骤起，一路卷起尘土飞扬。冷嗖嗖的，预示着即将来临的一切。

in the house a door shuts with a bang, curtains billow into the room.
i rush to close the windows, empty the clothesline, secure the patio furnishings.
thunder begins to grumble in the distance.

砰的一声，风关上了一扇房门。窗帘也随风扬起，向屋内翻卷着。我急忙跑上去关上窗户，收下晾晒的衣服，安顿好露台上的家什。远处开始响起隆隆的雷声。

the first drops of rain are huge.
they splat into the dust and imprint the windows with individual signatures.
they plink on the vent pipe and plunk on the patio roof.
leaves shudder under their weight before rebounding, and sidewalk wears a coat of shiny spots.

最初落下来的是大颗大颗的水珠，扑扑地打在尘土里。在玻璃窗是留下了一个个印记。雨点把排气管敲得叮叮当当，把露台顶棚打得噼噼啪啪，树叶被砸得瑟瑟发抖，难以抬头。人行道披上了一层亮闪闪的水点。

the rhythm accelerates; plink follows plunk faster and faster until the sound is a roll of drums and the individual drops become an army marching over fields and rooftops.
now the first bolt of lightning stabs the earth.
it is heaven’s exclamation point.
the storm is here!

雨加快了节奏，叮叮当当紧跟着噼噼啪啪，一阵紧似一阵，终于连成一片紧密的鼓点，颗颗雨滴也汇集成一支行进在田野和屋顶的大军。这时，第一道闪电刺向大地，这是老天划的惊叹号。暴风雨来了。

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