18. Scorching Summer 酷夏
Spring gave way to summer. At first the heat was intense only in the day and at its worst at noon. Then, as the summer proceeded, the heat began an hour earlier, gradually intensifying at eleven, then at ten, until by eight o'clock the sun was scorching and relentless. From noon till three in the afternoon the heat was blistering, and finally they felt the heat early in the morning shortly after sunup, and it lasted until an hour or more after sundown. Then the earth began to cool gradually. The night breezes were pleasant with the scent of Cape jessamine and wild honeysuckle vines. Throughout the early evening the earth was like a fire banked with ashes; it was nearly midnight before there was real relief.
---Margaret Walker: Jubilee, I,10.

   春去夏来。起初白天热，中午最热。夏季临至，天提早一小时便热起，八点左右已冉冉毒日，十一点更加灼热，从正午到下午三点，酷日当头烘烤大地。清晨旭日向大地喷吐火舌，到日坠西山大地才渐渐凉快。晚风吹拂着茉莉花和野忍冬藤的芳香，令人惬意。黄昏，大地像一只围盖着炭灰的火盆散发着热量，到午夜才逐渐变凉。
---Translated by SDZ