英国语文第六册(双语):陆路(6)
"One of the first features of interest was a 'floating bridge,' thrown across the Canal by steam, at a point which, I was told, was in the track of the caravans. Now here was a most curious conjuncture of modern and ancient civilisation. This caravan track is one of the most ancient of all roads, leading from Egypt into Palestine and Syria, on the very line along which Jacob's sons may have gone down into Egypt to buy corn; and there we found one of the appliances of modem civilisation, in the shape of this 'floating bridge,' consisting of a large flat-bottomed boat which crosses and recrosses the Canal by means of chains wound and unwound upon large drums by a steam engine. This contact of ancient and modern civilization is one of the most remarkable features in Egypt.
“第一个有趣的特征便是‘浮桥’，通过蒸汽横跨在运河之上，在这一点上，我得知它是按照运河的轨迹设计的。这是现代文明和古老文明最奇特的一个结合点。这条运河之路是最古老的路线之一，它从埃及通往巴勒斯坦和叙利亚，这也正是雅各布的儿子们到埃及购买谷物的必经之路。我们在那儿还发现了一种现代化的装置，其形状类似“浮桥”，由一种大型平底船组成，而这种平底船通过一些或缠绕或非缠绕在某种由蒸汽机助力的大型鼓轮上的链条在运河上来来回回，这种古代文明与现代文明的碰撞是埃及最显著的特征之一。
"But there was another noticeable feature. There are stations all along the Canal, at which the officers reside, as well as the men who keep watch over the Canal, and who are ready to give help if any vessel should run aground. At most of these stations I noticed that there was a garden, generally with a gay show of flowers, and great cultivation of edible vegetables. Now what was the meaning of this? How could these gardens be made out of this sand and mud? The secret is, that every one of these places is supplied with fresh water.
埃及还有另外一种显著的特征。整个运河沿线都设有驻地，驻地里住着一些官员以及在船只搁浅时可以随时提供帮助的看守人员，而我注意到，在大多数的驻地里都有一个花园，花园里种植着一些鲜艳的花儿和许多可食用的蔬菜。这意味着什么呢？用这些沙子和淤泥又如何建成花园呢？秘密就在于，每一个驻地都有淡水供应。
"That fresh water is brought all the way from the Nile; for there is no fresh water to be got between Port Said and Suez—nothing but brackish water, obtained by digging. A fresh-water canal was therefore cut from the Nile at Cairo to Ismalia, a sort of half-way house between Suez and Port Said. Pipes convey this water to the railway which runs from Cairo to Suez by way of Ismalia. By this means a supply of wholesome water is conveyed regularly to all parts of the Canal, and flowers of every kind can be grown, nothing being wanted for the soil in that sunny clime but water. At Ismalia the head engineer has a villa with the most beautiful plants of all kinds, those of tropical as well as of temperate climes growing luxuriantly in his garden."
“这些淡水是从尼罗河一路运过来的，因为塞得港和苏伊士之间没有淡水，只有能够挖掘到的淡盐水。因此，一条从开罗的尼罗河到伊斯马莉娅的淡水运河被开凿出来，它是一条介于苏伊士和塞得港之间的中间航线，而那些淡水通过管道被输送到从开罗经伊斯马莉娅到苏伊士的铁路上。通过这种方式，健康的水源被定期输送到运河的各个部分，可以种植出各种各样的花儿，因为那里阳光充足，土壤除了缺水之外什么都不缺。在伊斯梅利亚，这位总工程师拥有一座别墅，里面种植着各式各样的美丽的植物，甚至一些热带和温带地区的植物也在他的花园里争相绽放。
