峡谷边缘的雨

第五天又热又静。下午,峡谷上空的天变成了深灰色,空气里飘着湿尘土的味道。峡谷里的每一只动物都开始往高处走,离开沙地。Polly不是傻瓜,她也跟着一起走了。

The fifth day was too hot and too quiet. In the afternoon the sky above the canyon turned dark grey, and the air smelled of wet dust. Every animal in the canyon started moving up, away from the sand. Polly is not a fool, so she went with them.

接着,雨下来了。雨水落在峡谷上方的平石上,可石头吸不住水。于是水同时从好几个地方涌过边缘。大约一个小时里,峡谷的石壁上出现了早晨还没有的瀑布。

Then the rain came. It fell on the flat rock above the canyon, but the rock could not drink it. So the water came over the edge in many places at the same time. For about an hour, the walls had waterfalls that were not there in the morning.

下面,干涸的河道灌满了奶茶色的水。这就是为什么没人把房子建在沙地上,乌鸦说。它又飞回来了,很喜欢这样的天气。这条河道,十一个月是路,一个下午却是河。

Below, the dry wash filled with water the colour of milky tea. This is why nobody builds a house on the sand, said the raven. He was back, and he liked this weather. This wash is a road for eleven months and a river for one afternoon.

到了傍晚,水已经慢慢渗进沙子里了。整个峡谷都散发着青草的气味。靠近石壁的小田地里,玉米挺得更直了。老果园里,桃树和杏树的叶子又湿又干净。一个小时的雨,浇灌了整个峡谷。

By the evening, the water was already sinking into the sand. The canyon smelled green. In small fields near the walls, the corn stood up straighter. In an old orchard, the peach and apricot leaves were wet and clean. One hour of rain had watered the whole canyon.