(原版)澳大利亞語文第三冊 LESSON 26

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LESSON 26 A RIVER

A RIVER

The day had been hot and sultry. As I sought a rest on the rocks near the river's mouth [1] the roar of the waves breaking on the distant sands soothed me to a pleasant drowsiness.

2. Then the river flowing gently by, lit up by the glow of the setting sun, sang to me its story. It sang of its source [2] bubbling from the spring in the mountain side, and of the rushing roaring time of its early youth, as its waters dashed in playful sport over a stony bed [3] , sometimes leaping from rock to rock, at other times resting in deep pools' neath the willows.

THE VICTORIA BRIDGE, BRISBANE (FROM TREASURY BUILDINGS)

3. It spoke of nooks of fern; of the scent of the wild flowers on its BANKS [4] ; of the songs of birds nesting in the thickets near, or among the rushes and sedges along its brim [5] ; and of the gay colours of the flies that dashed over its surface.

4. It told of the glories of the golden sunset among the hills; of the scented crops of lucerne growing on the tilled ground; of the lowing of cattle, the hum of bees, the rustle of wheat, and the gladsome shouts of the reapers.

BRISBANE R.—TOWN REACH

5. It spoke of the stately swans gliding over its surface, of the silent platypus and its silky fur, and of the silver gleam of fish sporting in its waters.

6. It told of the happy time when it hurried on to a meeting with its mate, which had come from a calm lake in the highlands; of the happy secrets they told to each other; and of the babbling sparkling brooks which joined them from time to time.

7. As it rolled by, it sang of its journey through the city, of stately ships laden with rich cargoes, of noble bridges, and busy wharves.

8. There was a note of sadness in this part of its story, when it told of foul drains that stained its clear waters, and of poverty and crime in the mean streets along its banks.

9. But the sadness changed to joy as it sang of the time when, slipping past the lighthouse on the headland [6] , it would meet the salt sea in the briny estuary [7] , and, crossing the bar [8] , would lose itself in the deep blue waters of the mighty ocean.

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[1] mouth: The mouth of a river is where it empties itself into the sea.

[2] source: The source is the beginning of a river, which is often a spring in the hills, or a lake in the mountains.

[3] bed: The bed of the river is the channel in which its waters flow.

[4] banks: The banks are the ground rising from the sides of the river.

[5] brim: The brim of the river is where its waters touch the banks.

[6] headland: A high bank at the entrance of a river; a cliff on the seashore.

[7] estuary: An estuary is a wide mouth of a river into which the tide flows.

[8] bar: A bar is a bank of sand or gravel which sometimes forms at the mouth of a river.