瓦尔登湖

回想中学时期的语文课，就数讲唐传奇和《金瓶梅》（非课本内容，纯属语文老师讲水浒时多嘴）时听得最认真了，而对于《瓦尔登湖》只是隐约记得是篇描写湖的散文。上大学时，得知《瓦尔登湖》是一名叫梭罗的哈佛毕业生在瓦尔登湖旁的树林中独自生活两年多的生活感悟，却不曾读过。正如今，这被炎炎夏日煮沸的内心忽然被这本书中译本序的第一句话“你能把你的心安静下来吗？”镇住，继而又被作者对于生活的深刻观点给点燃。至此也希望走过、路过、错过它的读者共同来一探它的魅力。

二十世纪以来，美国的几大出版社都把它列为美国高中文学教材的重要篇目，教材一般节选自《瓦尔登湖》的第二章“我生活的地方，我为什么生活”，以及作品的结束语；我们读到的国内教材一般节选自《湖》和《寂寞》两个章节。一方重在说理，一方重于体验（参考自王爱娣老师“中美语文教材里的《瓦尔登湖》”一文）。瓦尔登湖之美丽想必大家已从课本上探之，但是否美过清华园的荷塘，桨声灯影中的秦淮河，各人自有定夺。本期书屋为大家节选的第二章的内容，讲的是梭罗为何要去湖边、去林中。

he morning， which is the most memorable season of the day， is the awakening hour. Then there is least 1）somnolence in us； and for an hour， at least， some part of us awakes which 2）slumbers all the rest of the day and night. Little is to be expected of that day， if it can be called a day， to which we are not awakened by our Genius， but by the mechanical 3）nudgings of some 4）servitor， are not awakened by our own newly-acquired force and aspirations from within， accompanied by the 5）undulations of 6）celestial music， instead of factory bells， and a fragrance filling the air—to a higher life than we fell asleep from； and thus the darkness bear its fruit， and prove itself to be good， no less than the light. That man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier， more sacred， and 7）auroral hour than he has yet 8）profaned， has despaired of life， and is pursuing a descending and darkening way.

黎明啊，一天之中最值得纪念的时节，是觉醒的时辰。那时候，我们的昏沉欲睡的感觉是最少的了；至少可有一小时之久，整日夜昏昏沉沉的官能大都要清醒起来。但是，如果我们并不是被我们自己的禀赋所唤醒，而是被仆人机械地轻轻推醒的；如果并不是由我们内心的新生力量和内心的渴望来唤醒，既没有那空中的芬香，也没有回荡的天籁般的音乐，而是由工厂的汽笛声唤醒的我们，——如果我们醒来时，并没有比睡前有了更崇高的生命，那么这样的白天，即便能称之为白天，也不会有什么希望可言；这样黑暗便窃取了它的果实，证明它自己的功能并不下于白昼。一个人如果不能相信每一天都有一个比他亵读过的更早、更神圣的曙光时辰，他一定是已经对于生命失望的了，正在摸索着一条降入黑暗去的道路。

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake， not by mechanical aids， but by an infinite expectation of the dawn， which does not 9）forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture， or to carve a statue， and so to make a few objects beautiful； but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look， which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day， that is the highest of arts. Every man is tasked to make his life， even in its details， worthy of the 10）contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour. If we refused， or rather used up， such 11）paltry information as we get， the 12）oracles would distinctly inform us how this might be done.

我们必须学会再次苏醒，更须学会保持清醒而不再昏睡，但不能用机械的方法，而应寄托无穷的期望于黎明，这样在最沉的沉睡中，黎明也不会抛弃我们。人类无疑是有能力来有意识地提高他自己的生命的，我没有看到过比这更使人振奋的事实了。能画出某一张画，雕刻出某一个肖像，美化某几个对象，是很了不起的；但更加荣耀的事是使我们能从中发现能够塑造或画出作品的那种氛围与媒介，而且能使我们正当地有所为。能影响当代的本质的，是最高的艺术。每人都应该把最崇高的和最紧急时刻内他所想到的做到，使他的生命配得上他所想的，哪怕是在细小的地方也配得上。如果我们拒绝了，或者说虚耗了我们得到的这一点微不足道的思想，神示自会清清楚楚地把如何做到这一点告诉我们的。

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately， to front only the essential facts of life， and see if I could not learn what it had to teach， and not， when I came to die， discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life， living is so dear； nor did I wish to practise 13）resignation， unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the 14）marrow of life， to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to 15）rout all that was not life， to cut a broad 16）swath and shave close， to drive life into a corner， and reduce it to its lowest terms， and， if it proved to be mean， why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it， and publish its meanness to the world； or if it were 17）sublime， to know it by experience， and be able to give a true account of it in my next 18）excursion.

我到林中去，因为我希望谨慎地生活，只面对生活的基本事实，看看我是否学得到生活要教给我的东西，免得到了临死的时候，才发现我根本就没有真正活过。我不希望度过非生活的生活，生活是这样的可爱；我却也不愿意去修行过隐逸的生活，除非是万不得已。我要生活得深深地把生命的精髓都汲取到，要生活得稳稳当当，生活得像斯巴达人一样，以便根除一切非生活的东西，划出一块刈割的面积来，细细地刈割或修剪，把生活压缩到一个角隅里去，把它缩小到最低的条件中，如果它被证明是卑微的，那么就把那真正的卑微全部认识到，并把它的卑微之处公布于世界；或者，如果它是崇高的，就用切身的经历来体会它，在我下一次远游时，也可以作出一个真实的报道。