《观潮》是一篇描绘钱塘江大潮的优美散文，出自南宋文学家周密之手。以下是《观潮》的原文及其英文翻译：

原文：

浙江之潮，天下之伟观也。自既望以至十八日为最盛。方其远出海门，仅如银线；既而渐近，则玉城雪岭际天而来，大声如雷霆，震撼激射，吞天沃日，势极雄豪。杨诚斋诗云：“海涌银为郭，江横玉系腰。”则足见其雄壮矣。

每岁京尹出浙江亭教阅水军，艨艟数百，分列两岸；既而尽奔腾分合五阵之势，并有乘骑弄旗标枪舞刀于水面者，如履平地。倏尔黄烟四起，人物略不相睹，水爆轰震，声如崩山。烟消波静，则一舸无迹，仅有“敌船”为火所焚，随波而逝。

吴儿善泅者数百，皆披发文身，手持十幅大彩旗，争先鼓勇，溯迎而上，出没于鲸波万仞中，腾身百变，而旗尾略不沾湿，以此夸能。

江干上下十余里间，珠翠罗绮溢目，车马塞途，饮食百物皆倍穹常时，而僦赁看幕，虽席地不容间也。

译文：

The tide of the Qiantang River is a magnificent sight in the world. The most spectacular time is from the 16th to the 18th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. When it first emerges from the sea gate, it appears as a thin silver line; gradually approaching, it turns into an immense wall of white waves stretching to the horizon. It roars like thunder, shaking and surging with power that seems to devour the sky and drench the sun. The scene is incredibly majestic. As the poet Yang Chengzai wrote: “The sea pours silver as its walls, the river encircles jade as its belt.” This fully demonstrates its grandeur.

Every year, the governor of the capital city would instruct his soldiers in water combat exercises at the Zhejiang Pavilion. Hundreds of warships were lined up on both sides of the river. Soon after, they displayed various formations, including horseback riding, flag waving, spear throwing, and sword dancing on the water, as if walking on solid ground. Suddenly, yellow smoke rose everywhere, making people and objects almost invisible. The sound of explosions was deafening, like the collapse of mountains. After the smoke cleared and the waves calmed, there was no trace of any boat, except for the enemy ships which had been burned by fire and drifted away with the current.

Hundreds of skilled swimmers from Wu region, all tattooed and with flowing hair, held ten large colorful flags and competed bravely against the tide. They surged forward, appearing and disappearing in the ocean of waves, performing acrobatic tricks in mid-air while keeping their flags dry. This was their way of showing off their skills.

From the riverbank to the top of the embankment, more than ten miles apart, pearls, jade, silk, and brocade filled the eyes, and carriages and horses blocked the roads. Food and goods were twice as expensive as usual, and even sitting on the ground was difficult due to the crowd renting viewing stands.