[美國]華盛頓·歐文/Washington Irving
華盛頓·歐文（1783-1859），享譽國際的文學家，也是19世紀最偉大的美國散文家之一。他生於紐約，在家中是11個孩子中最小的。歐文自幼聰穎，19歲攻讀法律。1804年至1806年間遊曆歐洲，回國後取得律師資格。但是，他對當律師並不感興趣，而且身體不太好。因此，他改變職業，以寫作謀生，並進入仕途，曾任駐西班牙公使，旅居歐洲長達17年。他的傑作《見聞劄記》就在這其間完成的，其中的《瑞普·凡·溫克爾》已成為婦孺皆知的故事。總之，華盛頓·歐文在世界文學史上有著不可或缺的地位。
On one of those sober and rather melancholy days, in the latter part of Autumn, when the shadows of morning and evening almost mingle together, and throw a gloom over the decline of the year, I passed several hours in rambling about Westminster Abbey. There was something congenial to the season in the mournful magnificence of the old pile;and, as I passed its threshold, seemed like stepping back into the regions of antiquity, and losing myself among the shades of former ages.
I entered from the inner court of Westminster School, through a long, low, vaulted passage, that had an almost subterranean look, being dimly lighted in one part by circular perforations in the massive walls. Through this dark avenue I had a distant view of the cloisters, with the figure of an old verger, in his black gown, moving along their shadowy vaults, and seeming like a spectre from one of the neighboring tombs. The approach to the abbey through these gloomy monastic remains prepares the mind for its solemn contemplation. The cloisters still retain something of the quiet and seclusion of former days. The gray walls are discolored by damps, and crumbling with age;a coat of hoary moss has gathered over the inscriptions of the mural monuments, and obscured the death's heads, and other funereal emblems. The sharp touches of the chisel are gone from the rich tracery of the arches;the roses which adorned the key-stones have lost their leafy beauty;everything bears marks of the gradual dilapidations of time, which yet has something touching and pleasing in its very decay.