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An Earthquake.

IN 1668 there was a very severe earthquake. I myself was staying at Chihsia, and happened to be that night sitting over a kettle of wine with my cousin Li Tu. All of a sudden we heard a noise like thunder, travelling from the southeast in a north-westerly direction. We were much astonished at this, and quite unable to account for the noise; in another moment the table began to rock, and the winecups were upset; the beams and supports of the house snapped here and there with a crash, and we looked at each other in fear and trembling. By-and-by we knew that it was an earthquake; and, rushing out, we saw houses and other buildings, as it were, fall down and get up again; and, amidst the sounds of crushing walls, we heard the shrieks of women and children, the whole mass being like a great seething cauldron. Men were giddy and could not stand, but rolled about on the ground; the river overflowed its banks; cocks crowed, and dogs barked from one end of the city to the other. In a little while the quaking began to subside; and then might be seen men and women running half naked about the streets, all anxious to tell their own experiences, and forgetting that they had on little or no clothing. I subsequently heard that a well was closed up and rendered useless by this earthquake; that a house was turned completely round, so as to face the opposite direction; that the Chihsia hill was riven open, and that the waters of the I river flowed in and made a lake of an acre and more. Truly such an earthquake as this is of rare occurrence.

地震

康熙七年六月十七日戌刻，地大震。余適客稷下，方與表兄李篤之對燭飲。忽聞有聲如雷，自東南來，向西北去。眾駭異，不解其故。俄而幾案擺簸，酒杯傾覆；屋梁椽柱，錯折有聲。相顧失色。久之，方知地震，各疾趨出。見樓閣房舍，仆而復起；牆傾屋塌之聲，與兒啼女號，喧如鼎沸。人眩暈不能立，坐地上，隨地轉側。河水傾潑丈余，鴨鳴犬吠滿城中。逾一時許，始稍定。視街上，則男女裸聚，競相告語，並忘其未衣也。後聞某處井傾仄，不可汲；某家樓台南北易向；棲霞山裂；沂水陷穴，廣數畝。此真非常之奇變也。
有邑人婦，夜起溲溺，回則狼銜其子，婦急與狼爭。狼一緩頰，婦奪兒出，攜抱中。狼蹲不去。婦大號，鄰人奔集，狼乃去。婦驚定作喜，指天畫地，述狼銜兒狀，己奪兒狀。良久，忽悟一身未著寸縷，乃奔。此與地震時男婦兩忘者，同一情狀也。人之惶急無謀，一何可笑！

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