The First Snow
The first snow came. How beautiful it was, falling so silently all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead! All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding black line across the landscape; and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully the wonderful beauty and intricacies of their branches. What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion! Every sound was muffled, every noise changed to something soft and musical. No more tramping hoofs, no more ratting wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.
Notes:
1. meadows: 草地、牧场
2. the living: 活着的人 （定冠词the +形容词，表示某一类人或事物）。下面的the dead与此同
3. save:（prep.) 除了......以外 eg. All had gone save his mother.
4. leaden:(adj.) 铅灰色的
5. intricacies: (n.) 原指错综复杂，这里指树枝盘结交错
6. seclusion:宁静、远离喧嚣
7. was muffled: 被压抑而低沉
8. tramping:此处形容马蹄踏地发出“得得”声的样子
9. rattling:此处形容车轮发出“格格”声的样子
10. chiming: 由动词chime（和谐的奏鸣、敲打）得来
11. sleigh-bells:雪橇的铃铛
美文 英语本文地址：http://www.dioenglish.com/writing/essay/40361.html
