優美散文：西雅圖的雨(一)
I've got a deep secret few people understand and even fewer will admit to sharing. It's time to tell the truth: I love the rain, deeply and passionately and more than the sun. At least I live in the right place, famous for its damp weather and spawning its own genuine rainforest. I can't imagine living anywhere else than the Pacific Northwest. The sun shines so infrequently that my friends forget where they put their sunglasses. Gloomy clouds cause many people around here to suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Yet I welcome the rain.
Seattleites will say they like how rain keeps the city green, how clean the air tastes afterwards. My real reason for enjoying the rain is steeped in pure selfishness when it's mucky outside, I don't have to do anything. I can spend the afternoon curled up reading, build a fire and make a big pot of spiced tea. I can sleep in late, waking up occasionally to hear soothing patter on the roof, water racing down the gutter. Nobody expects me to leave my house or do anything overly productive. Maybe I'll invite a few friends over to watch an old movie or play a board game. Friends' expectations are low and easy to meet.
Summer in Seattle is beautiful but exhausting. The sunny, gorgeous weather and blue skies draw Seattleites from their cozy little homes, ready to dry out and have fun. People go hiking, biking, canoeing. Folks work in their gardens, wash their cars and attend outdoor concerts in the park all in the same day! The effort involved to throw a party ratchets up several notches, as people host barbecues and picnics and water-skiing parties. ( to be continued )
中文：
我有一個極少為人理解甚至無人愿意分享的秘密。現在應該說出來了：我愛雨，深情而熱烈，甚至勝過對太陽的愛。最起碼我住在適宜之地，以潮濕的天氣和產生自己的雨林而出名。除了太平洋西北部，我想不出自己還能住在哪兒。陽光如此罕見，以至我的朋友們都忘了把太陽鏡放到哪里去了。烏云密布的天空讓很多在這兒生活的人都遭受季節性的情緒波動，然而我卻歡迎雨的到來。
西雅圖人會說他們喜歡雨使這個城市變綠，空氣變得清新。我喜歡雨的真正原因純粹是出于自我考慮。在外面泥濘的時候，我可以什么都不干，整個下午蜷縮在家里看書，再生盆火，泡一大壺香茶。我可以睡到很晚，時而醒來傾聽屋檐上柔和的拍打，水順著水槽往下流的聲音。沒人要我離開房子或去干一些超負荷的勞動。也許我會邀上幾個朋友看一部老電影，或者玩玩棋盤游戲。朋友的期望不高，極易滿足。
西雅圖的夏天如此美麗卻令人疲憊不堪。晴朗的天氣和蔚藍的天空吸引著西雅圖人走出安逸舒適的小家，準備去干燥的戶外尋找樂趣。他們去遠足、騎車、劃獨木舟。他們修整自家的花園、洗車、去公園聽露天音樂會，所有這些都在同一天做完！在他們舉行烤肉、野餐和參加水上滑雪派對時，他們會把派對分成幾個等級一步步推進。（待續）
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