THE COLOR OF THE SKY
Alfred Russel Wallace
天空的色彩
阿尔弗雷德·拉塞尔·华莱士
If we look at the sky on a perfectly fine summer’s day we shall find that the blue color is the most pure and intense overhead, and when looking high up in a direction opposite the sun.
夏日，如果我们背对太阳，抬头看看晴朗的天空，就会发现头顶的天蓝得那么纯澈。
Near the horizon it is always less bright, while in the region immediately around the sun it is more or less yellow.
而边界地带则蓝得不是那么明亮，太阳周围还有点泛黄。The reason of this is that near the horizon we look through a very great thickness of the lower atmosphere, which is full of the larger dust particles reflecting white light, and this dilutes the pure blue of the higher atmosphere seen beyond.
原因是，我们在看天空的边界时，透过了一层厚厚低低的大气，大气里蕴含大量的灰尘颗粒，反射白色的光线，这些光线将我们看到的高层大气上的蓝色稀释了。
And in the vicinity of the sun a good deal of the blue light is reflected back into space by the finer dust, thus giving a yellowish tinge to that which reaches us reflected chiefly from the coarse dust of the lower atmosphere.
离太阳较近的大量蓝色光线被灰尘反射回来，反射回来的光线泛着黄色，因为它被低空大气层中的尘埃反射。
At sunset and sunrise, however, this last effect is greatly intensified, owing to the great thickness of the strata of air through which the light reaches us.
然而在日出日落时，这种反射效果大大增强，原因是光线在进入我们眼睛之时必须穿过厚厚的空气层。
The enormous amount of this dust is well shown by the fact that only then can we look full at the sun, even when the whole sky is free from clouds and there is no apparent mist.
只有在这个时候我们才能看到整个太阳，即使此时天空万里无云，没有明显的雾霭。
But the sun’s rays then reach us after having passed, first, through an enormous thickness of the higher strata of the air, the minute dust of which reflects most of the blue rays away from us, leaving the complementary yellow light to pass on.
但是太阳的光线首先得穿过高层大气，然后穿过把大部分蓝色光线反射掉的小尘土最后让补充的黄色光线穿过，太阳的光线才能最终到达地面。
Then, the somewhat coarser dust reflects the green rays, leaving a more orange-colored light to pass on; and finally some the yellow is reflected, leaving almost pure red.
然后，大颗的灰尘反射掉绿色光线，只剩下橘黄色光线继续穿过，最后一些黄色光线被反射掉，只剩下纯红色了。
But owing to the constant presence of air currents, arranging both the dust and vapor in strata of varying extent and density, and of high or low clouds which both absorb and reflect the light in varying degrees, we see produced all those wondrous combinations of tints and those gorgeous ever-changing colors which are a constant source of admiration and delight to all who have the advantage of an uninterrupted view to the west and who are accustomed to watch for those not infrequent exhibitions of nature’s kaleidoscopic color painting.
但是由于气流的不断涌现，排列尘埃和水汽，高空和低空的云彩充分吸收和反射光线，产生了我们所看到的绚烂的色彩，那些喜欢看西边广阔天空的人，那些喜欢凝视大自然涂鸦的罕见的万花筒的人，都会为这些瞬息万变额美丽色彩大感惊叹大加赞美。
With every change in the altitude of the sun the display changes its character; and most of all when it has sunk below the horizon, and owing to the favorable angles a larger quantity of the colored light is reflected toward us.
太阳一天当中高高低低，形态各异；当太阳落下地平线，得益于这个有利的角度，我们可以看到万道霞光。
Especially when there is a certain amount of cloud is this the case.
特别是如果那时有云彩的话，霞光就更美了。
These, so long as the sun is above the horizon, intercept much of the light and color; but when the great luminary has passed away from our direct vision, his light shines more directly on the under sides of all clouds and air strata of different densities; a new and more brilliant light flushes the western sky, and a display of gorgeous ever-changing tints occurs which are at once the delight of the beholder and the despair of the artist.
只要太阳还在地平线行上，云彩就会截断光线和色彩；但是当太阳这个巨大的发光体从我们直视的视野消失，它的光线就会以不同的密度直射在云层和气层之上；一缕新的、更明亮的光线染红了西边天空，华美灿烂，变化万端，让人叹为观止，却又因其转瞬即逝而叹惋。
And all this unsurpassable glory we owe to ——dust!
之所以能欣赏到这无与伦比的光辉，我们都应该感谢一个东西——灰尘！
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