Walking along the Bund: comparing viewpoints

傍晚，我们沿着外滩慢慢散步。

bàng wǎn， wǒ men yán zhe wài tān màn màn sàn bù。

In the evening, we walk slowly along the Bund.

江岸边排列着不同年代的建筑。

jiāng àn biān pái liè zhe bù tóng nián dài de jiàn zhù。

Buildings from different periods line the riverbank.

江边有许多不同年代的建筑。

jiāng biān yǒu xǔ duō bù tóng nián dài de jiàn zhù。

There are buildings from many different periods beside the river.

我们隔着江水望向对岸。

wǒ men gé zhe jiāng shuǐ wàng xiàng duì àn。

We look across the river to the opposite bank.

天色变暗以后，两岸亮起灯光。

tiān sè biàn àn yǐ hòu， liǎng àn liàng qǐ dēng guāng。

After the sky darkens, lights come on along both banks.

老建筑和新高楼有不同的风格。

lǎo jiàn zhù hé xīn gāo lóu yǒu bù tóng de fēng gé。

The older buildings and new towers have different styles.

傍晚，林悦沿着上海外滩的江岸散步，先把自己站的位置画在小本子上，再记下对岸最显眼的楼房。

bàng wǎn， lín yuè yán zhe shàng hǎi wài tān de jiāng àn sàn bù， xiān bǎ zì jǐ zhàn de wèi zhì huà zài xiǎo běn zi shàng， zài jì xià duì àn zuì xiǎn yǎn de lóu fáng。

At dusk Lin Yue walks along the Bund in Shanghai, marking her own position in a notebook before recording the most noticeable buildings across the river.

她发现，眼前的建筑并不是一种样子，有的墙面带着细致装饰，有的线条简洁，有的楼顶形状特别。

tā fā xiàn， yǎn qián de jiàn zhù bìng bú shì yì zhǒng yàng zi， yǒu de qiáng miàn dài zhe xì zhì zhuāng shì， yǒu de xiàn tiáo jiǎn jié， yǒu de lóu dǐng xíng zhuàng tè bié。

She sees varied buildings: some have detailed wall decorations, some have simple lines and others have distinctive roof shapes.

爸爸和她在岸边停下来。一座旧楼的窗框映着夕阳，柱子投下长影，林悦沿着墙面望去，发现每一层都有不同的小细节。

bà ba hé tā zài àn biān tíng xià lai。 yí zuò jiù lóu de chuāng kuāng yìng zhe xī yáng， zhù zi tóu xià cháng yǐng， lín yuè yán zhe qiáng miàn wàng qù， fā xiàn měi yì céng dōu yǒu bù tóng de xiǎo xì jié。

She and her father stopped beside the river. Sunset shone on an old building's windows and its columns cast long shadows. Lin Yue noticed different small details on each floor.

天色渐暗，灯光亮起来，江面上的倒影随着水波轻轻晃动；她看得见亮点，却看不清远处墙上的小花纹。

tiān sè jiàn àn， dēng guāng liàng qǐ lai， jiāng miàn shàng de dào yǐng suí zhe shuǐ bō qīng qīng huàng dòng； tā kàn de jiàn liàng diǎn， què kàn bù qīng yuǎn chù qiáng shàng de xiǎo huā wén。

As it grows dark, lights appear and reflections move with the ripples; she sees bright points but cannot make out small patterns on distant walls.

白天拍过的照片里，同一座楼的墙面明亮；现在，最显眼的却是窗口透出的灯。林悦把照片递给爸爸，两人对照着寻找同一扇窗。

bái tiān pāi guò de zhào piān lǐ， tóng yí zuò lóu de qiáng miàn míng liàng； xiàn zài， zuì xiǎn yǎn de què shì chuāng kǒu tòu chū de dēng。 lín yuè bǎ zhào piān dì gěi bà ba， liǎng rén duì zhào zhe xún zhǎo tóng yī shàn chuāng。

In a daytime photograph the wall had looked bright; now the window lights stood out. She and her father compared the photograph to find the same window.

一艘船经过，水面碎成许多亮点。船慢慢驶远，波纹又一层层靠向岸边，把原来清楚的倒影拉长了。

yì sōu chuán jīng guò， shuǐ miàn suì chéng xǔ duō liàng diǎn。 chuán màn màn shǐ yuǎn， bō wén yòu yì céng céng kào xiàng àn biān， bǎ yuán lái qīng chu de dào yǐng lā cháng le。

A passing boat broke the reflections into bright fragments. As it moved away, ripples reached the bank and stretched the reflections.

她写，这边的江岸适合近看建筑的细节，对岸的楼房可以作为远景，两边连起来才构成眼前的画面。

tā xiě， zhè biān de jiāng àn shì hé jìn kàn jiàn zhù de xì jié， duì àn de lóu fáng kě yǐ zuò wéi yuǎn jǐng， liǎng biān lián qǐ lai cái gòu chéng yǎn qián de huà miàn。

She writes that nearby buildings show details while those across the river form the background, and together they make the scene before her.

江风渐凉，爸爸叫她回去。林悦把本子放好，最后看了一眼两岸的灯光，才沿着来时的路离开。

jiāng fēng jiàn liáng， bà ba jiào tā huí qu。 lín yuè bǎ běn zi fàng hǎo， zuì hòu kàn le yì yǎn liǎng àn de dēng guāng， cái yán zhe lái shí de lù lí kāi。

As the river breeze cooled, her father called her back. She put away her notebook, took one last look at the lights and followed their route home.

A 你觉得这边和对岸有什么不同？

nǐ jué de zhè biān hé duì àn yǒu shén me bù tóng？

What differs between this side and the opposite bank?

B 这边能近看墙面，对岸更容易看整体轮廓。

zhè biān néng jìn kàn qiáng miàn， duì àn gèng róng yì kàn zhěng tǐ lún kuò。

Here we can see walls closely; across the river we see overall outlines more easily.

A 只写漂亮够不够？

zhǐ xiě piào liàng gòu bù gòu？

Is writing beautiful enough?

B 不够，我要说清楚装饰、线条或者楼顶的形状。

bù gòu， wǒ yào shuō qīng chǔ zhuāng shì、 xiàn tiáo huò zhě lóu dǐng de xíng zhuàng。

No. I should specify decorations, lines or roof shapes.

A 江面上的灯光为什么在动？

jiāng miàn shàng de dēng guāng wèi shén me zài dòng？

Why do the lights on the river seem to move?

B 那是倒影，水波让它们看起来在晃动。

nà shì dào yǐng， shuǐ bō ràng tā men kàn qǐ lái zài huàng dòng。

They are reflections, and ripples make them appear to move.