Chapter 60

On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. The infinite sky is motionless overhead and the restless water is boisterous¹. On the seashore of endless worlds the children meet with shouts and dances.
 
They build their houses with sand and they play with empty shells. With withered² leaves they weave their boats and smilingly float them on the vast deep. Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.
 
They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets. Pearl fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships, while children gather pebbles³ and scatter⁴ them again. they seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.
 
The sea surges up with laughter and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach. Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads⁵ to the children, even like a mother while rocking her baby’s cradle. The sea plays with children, and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach.
 
On the seashore of endless worlds children meet. Tempest roams in the pathless sky, ships get wrecked⁶ in the trackless water, death is abroad and children play. On the seashore of endless worlds is the great meeting of children.
 
孩子们在无边的世界的海滨聚会。头上是静止的无垠的天空，不宁的海波奔腾喧闹。在无边的世界的海滨，孩子们欢呼跳跃地聚会着。
 
他们用沙子盖起房屋，用宝贝壳来游戏。他们把枯叶编成小船，微笑着把它们飘浮在深远的海上。孩子在世界的海滨做着游戏。
 
他们不会凫水，他们也不会撒网。采珠的人潜水寻珠，商人们奔波航行，孩子们收集了石子却又把它们丢弃了。他们不搜求宝藏，他们也不会撒网。
 
大海涌起了喧笑，海岸闪烁着苍白的微笑。致人死命的波涛，像一个母亲在摇着婴儿的摇篮一样，对孩子们唱着无意义的歌谣。大海在同孩子们游戏，海岸闪烁着苍白的微笑。
 
孩子们在无边的世界的海滨聚会。风暴在无路的天空中飘游，船舶在无轨的海上破碎，死亡在猖狂，孩子们却在游戏。在无边的世界的海滨，孩子们盛大地聚会着。

1 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

2 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

3 pebbles   

[复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet. 汽车道上的小石子在他脚底下喀嚓作响。
• Line the pots with pebbles to ensure good drainage. 在罐子里铺一层鹅卵石，以确保排水良好。

4 scatter   

vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散

参考例句：

• You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。
• Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。

5 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

6 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞