Sumangali.org: In The Spirit Of Serendipity Sumangali.org ：的精神，偶然

There was an earthquake in England last month.有一次地震，英国上个月的工作。 It was a small one, but our biggest in a quarter century, so it caused due commotion.这是一个小的，但我们最大的四分之一个世纪，因此它引起骚动。 It woke my friend in town, and in her half-sleep she thought the wind had got up and was buffeting her house.它醒来我的朋友在城里，并在她的半睡眠，她认为风能已经站了起来，她的房子被抖振。

It woke me too, I remembered later.它把我吵醒了，我记得后来。 “It’s just a train,” I told myself, but was troubled by how long it was, and how very silent. “这只是一列火车， ”我告诉自己，但困扰多久是，如何非常沉默。 My semi-conscious decided it must be a ghost train, and (most disturbingly of all) I went back to sleep.我的半决定它必须是一个幽灵火车，和（最令人不安的所有）我回去睡觉。 Funny how the mind takes pains to account for unusual things, but only in familiar terms, however implausible.滑稽如何铭记需要着力帐户不寻常的事情，但是只有在熟悉的名词，然而难以置信。

I almost didn’t arrange a viewing for my current home when I was house hunting; on the map it’s practically on the railway.我几乎没有安排看我现在的房子的时候房子狩猎;它在地图上几乎铁路。 I think it was always meant to be mine though, and the trains have become my fond neighbours.我认为这是始终是地雷不过，和火车已成为我喜欢的邻国。

Rusted bunkers of coal squeak and trundle by, fringed with graffiti, open to all weather.生锈的掩体煤炭吱和滚动的，岸边有涂鸦，开放给所有的天气。 InterCities slither past in festival colours. InterCities滑行过去在节日的色彩。 They all grind on the railway seam, and some send the houses shivering.他们都磨铁路煤层，有的把房子发抖。

This time of year, like a migrant bird, a different visitor returns, chased by a plume of steam.每年的这个时候，像一个移民鸟，不同的观众的回报，追逐的一缕蒸汽。 Its breathing makes me smile and stop my work.它的呼吸使我的笑容，并停止我的工作。 Huff, huff, huff, more like a giant dog at play.赫夫，一怒之下，一怒之下，更像是一个巨大的狗在起作用。 The plume, bright white, tumbles by the window, and I must get up to watch.羽流，亮白色，贬值的窗口，我必须站起来观看。 No one can remain uncharmed by a steam train.没有人能够保持uncharmed了蒸汽火车。

All seem solemn in electric trains, whatever the class of their carriage.似乎都庄严电动火车，无论一流的运输。 Heads are usually down in a book or paper, rarely peering through the window’s grime to wonder where they are.元首通常是在一本书或文件，很少盯着窗外的尘垢怀疑他们在哪里。 The trains hoot like they’ve heard a bawdy joke: high-looooow-high.火车鸣响，他们已经听说了下流的玩笑：高looooow高。 They are hot inside.他们是热内。 There’s lots of plastic, coloured grey so you can’t tell if it’s clean or not.有大量的塑料，涂上灰色，使你无法判断它的清洁与否。 The air is full of stale coffee and fragments of loud discussions on the phone.空气中充满了陈旧的咖啡和碎片大声讨论了电话。 Thoughts are always fixed on the destination: What’s for supper?思想总是固定的目的地：什么晚饭？ Where shall I meet you?凡我应该满足你吗？ I’ll be late, can you feed the cat?我会迟到，你能不能养活猫？

Not so with steam trains, though they use the same tracks.没有这样的蒸汽火车，但他们使用相同的轨道。 The windows, invariably open, are full of faces, and madly waving hands.窗户，总是开放的，充满了脸，疯狂挥舞着双手。 The carriages shine with dignity.车厢服务与尊严。 The tables have lamps and lace.该表有灯和花边。 The driver sends their arrival ahead with a sweet sound, much longer than necessary, like one huge panpipe in the sky.司机向他们到达推进甜蜜的声音，远远长于必要的，就像一个巨大的箫在天空中。 I dare say he has a smile like his cargo, strong coaly hands and a blue cloth cap, but I never reach the window in time to see.我敢说，他微笑着喜欢他的货物，有力coaly双手和一个蓝色的布帽子，但我从未达到的窗口时间看到的。

Dads and windswept youngsters, pensioners in walking gear, all beam alike.爸爸和风化的年轻人，退休人员在步行齿轮，所有光束都。 Where do they go?他们去哪里？ It seems they don’t much mind; the journey is the thing to them.看来他们没有考虑到大部分的旅程是他们的事。 Will they hide their faces in a paper come Monday morning, sprinting between cities on electric trains?将它们隐藏在脸上的一份文件中周一早间，城市之间的短跑电动火车？ Or are they an entirely different breed?或者他们是完全不同的品种？

• More on the steam trains of North Yorkshire Moors Railway at nymr.co.uk .更多的蒸汽火车的北约克郡沼地铁路nymr.co.uk 。 (Image from the same source) （图像来自同一来源）