文本
One day thirty years ago Marseilles lay in the burning sun. A blazing sun upon a fierce August day was no greater rarity in southern France then than at any other time before or since. Everything in Marseilles and about Marseilles had stared at the fervid sun, and been stared at in return, until a staring habit had become universal there. Strangers were stared out of countenance by staring white houses, staring white streets, staring tracts of arid road, staring hills from which verdure was burnt away. The only things to be seen not fixedly staring and glaring were the vines drooping under their loads of grapes. These did occasionally wink a little,as the hot air barely moved their faint leaves.

The universal stare made the eyes ache. Towards the distant blue of the Italian coast, indeed, it was a little relieved by light clouds of mist slowly rising from the evaporation of the sea, but it softened nowhere else. Far away the staring roads, deep in dust, stared from the hillside, stared from the hollow, stared from the interminable plain. Far away the dusty vines overhanging wayside cottages, and the monotonous wayside avenues of parched trees without shade,dropped beneath the stare of earth and sky. So did the horse with drowsy bells, in long files of carts, creeping slowly towards the interior; so did their recumbent drivers, when they were awake, which rarely happened; so did the exhausted laborers in the fields. Everything that lived or grew was oppressed by the glare: except the lizard, passing swiftly over rough stone walls,and cicada, chirping its dry hot chirp, like a rattle. The very dust was scorched brown, and something quivered in the atmosphere as if the air itself were panting.

Blinds, shutters, curtains, awnings, were all closed and drawn to keep out the stare. Grant it but a chink or a keyhole,and it shot in like a whitehot arrow.

参考翻译
夏 日
查尔斯•狄更斯

三十年前的一天，马赛躺在烈日之下。 在法国南部，八月炎热的日子里赤日当空，在那时以前或以后都不是什么罕见的事。马赛范围内以及马赛周围的一切都凝视着灼热的太阳，而太阳反过来也凝视着这一切；久而久之，在马赛普遍形成一种耀眼的色彩。白色的房屋，白色的街道，一段段干旱的大路，草木晒得枯死的小山都十分耀眼象在瞪着眼瞧人似的，使初到此地的人们手足无措。能看到的唯一不是老瞪着眼使人眼花缭乱的，只有坠着串串葡萄的葡萄藤；热空气微微吹动着萎缩的藤叶时，葡萄确实也偶而眨眨眼。
这种普遍的耀眼的色彩令人眼睛发痛。说实在的，要远到意大利沿海蔚蓝的天空，由于海水蒸发冉冉升起的缕缕薄雾，这耀眼的色彩才不致那么强烈，但是除此之外别的地方，它一点也不曾柔和下来。远处，耀眼的大路，上面积着很厚的尘土，沿着山坡盯着人看，穿过山谷盯着人看，横过一望无际的平原盯着人看。远处，悬挂在路旁小屋上蒙着尘土的葡萄藤，还有路旁单调的成行的晒焦了不能遮荫的树木，都在大地和天空的凝视下耷拉着脑袋。长长的大车队中，发出催人欲睡的铃铛声的马匹也耷拉着脑袋，慢慢地向内地爬行着；斜靠在车上的车夫们醒来时，也耷拉着脑袋，不过他们也难得醒；田野里筋疲力尽的农夫们耷拉着脑袋。一切动物和植物都受到这耀眼光芒的压抑；例外的只是在那凹凸不平的石墙上敏捷爬行的蜥蜴和拔浪鼓似地发出强烈鸣声的蝉儿。连那尘土都被炙烤成褐色了，大气中似乎也有什么东西在颤抖，仿佛空气本身也在气喘吁吁。
竹帘子、百叶窗、窗帘、遮篷全都拉拢了，把这耀眼的光芒挡在外面。那怕只露出一条小缝或者一个钥匙孔，它就会象一支白热的箭直射进来。


讲解
out of countenance: 感到难堪或局促不安

the blue: 天空,有时也指海洋.

So did...;so did...;so did...: 这里so did 代替dropped beneath the stare of earth and sky.

Grant it but a chink or a keyhole, and it...: 那怕只给它一条小缝或者一个钥匙孔,它就会......,Grant 解作"给予",it 指 the stares .此句结构为"祈使句+ and +陈述句",含义上相当于"条件从句+主句".