Swans on their autumnal migratory flight—the celestial flutter of wings, the silver arrow of a flock splitting the sky—evoke poetic melancholy. Shadows lengthen. Days shorten. Another year closes in.

在秋天的迁徙飞行中，天鹅们化身为长着翅膀的飞仙，似银箭一般刺破蓝天，此情此景不免会勾起诗意愁绪来：光阴渐长，时日变短，又是一年将来到。

youdao

It is the 40th anniversary this October of the final Black Arrow flight from the Woomera range in Australia and the UK's abandonment of its satellite launch capability.

BBC: Skylon: Ending 40 years of hurt