瓦尔登湖:Conclusion2

　　It is said that Mirabeau took to highway robbery "to ascertain what degree of resolution was necessary in order to place one's self in formal opposition to the most sacred laws of society."  He declared that "a soldier who fights in the ranks does not require half so much courage as a footpad" ―― "that honor and religion have never stood in the way of a well-considered and a firm resolve." This was manly， as the world goes； and yet it was idle， if not desperate.  A saner man would have found himself often enough "in formal opposition" to what are deemed "the most sacred laws of society，" through obedience to yet more sacred laws， and so have tested his resolution without going out of his way.  It is not for a man to put himself in such an attitude to society， but to maintain himself in whatever attitude he find himself through obedience to the laws of his being， which will never be one of opposition to a just government， if he should chance to meet with such.

　　I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there.  Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live， and could not spare any more time for that one.  It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route， and make a beaten track for ourselves.  I had not lived there a week before my feet wore a path from my door to the pond-side； and though it is five or six years since I trod it， it is still quite distinct.  It is true， I fear， that others may have fallen into it， and so helped to keep it open.  The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men； and so with the paths which the mind travels.  How worn and dusty， then， must be the highways of the world， how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity！  I did not wish to take a cabin passage，but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world， for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains.  I do not wish to go below now.

　　I learned this， at least， by my experiment： that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams， and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined， he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.  He will put some things behind， will pass an invisible boundary； new， universal， and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him； or the old laws be expanded， and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense， and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.  In proportion as he simplifies his life， the laws of the universe will appear less complex， and solitude will not be solitude， nor poverty poverty， nor weakness weakness.  If you have built castles in the air， your work need not be lost； that is where they should be.  Now put the foundations under them.

　　It is a ridiculous demand which England and America make， that you shall speak so that they can understand you.  Neither men nor toadstools grow so.  As if that were important， and there were not enough to understand you without them.  As if Nature could support but one order of understandings， could not sustain birds as well as quadrupeds， flying as well as creeping things， and hush and whoa，which Bright can understand， were the best English.  As if there were safety in stupidity alone.  I fear chiefly lest my expression may not be extravagant enough， may not wander far enough beyond the narrow limits of my daily experience， so as to be adequate to the truth of which I have been convinced.  Extra vagance！ it depends on how you are yarded.  The migrating buffalo， which seeks new pastures in another latitude， is not extravagant like the cow which kicks over the pail， leaps the cowyard fence， and runs after her calf， in milking time.  I desire to speak somewhere without bounds； like a man in a waking moment， to men in their waking moments； for I am convinced that I cannot exaggerate enough even to lay the foundation of a true expression.  Who that has heard a strain of music feared then lest he should speak extravagantly any more forever？  In view of the future or possible， we should live quite laxly and undefined in front， our outlines dim and misty on that side； as our shadows reveal an insensible perspiration toward the sun.  The volatile truth of our words should continually betray the inadequacy of the residual statement.  Their truth is instantly translated； its literal monument alone remains.  The words which express our faith and piety are not definite； yet they are significant and fragrant like frankincense to superior natures.

　　Why level downward to our dullest perception always， and praise that as common sense？  The commonest sense is the sense of men asleep， which they express by snoring.  Sometimes we are inclined to class those who are once-and-a-half-witted with the half-witted，because we appreciate only a third part of their wit.  Some would find fault with the morning red， if they ever got up early enough. "They pretend，" as I hear， "that the verses of Kabir have four different senses； illusion， spirit， intellect， and the exoteric doctrine of the Vedas"； but in this part of the world it is considered a ground for complaint if a man's writings admit of more than one interpretation.  While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot， will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot， which prevails so much more widely and fatally？

　　I do not suppose that I have attained to obscurity， but I should be proud if no more fatal fault were found with my pages on this score than was found with the Walden ice.  Southern customers objected to its blue color， which is the evidence of its purity， as if it were muddy， and preferred the Cambridge ice， which is white，but tastes of weeds.  The purity men love is like the mists which envelop the earth， and not like the azure ether beyond.

　　Some are dinning in our ears that we Americans， and moderns generally， are intellectual dwarfs compared with the ancients， or even the Elizabethan men.  But what is that to the purpose？  A living dog is better than a dead lion.  Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of pygmies， and not be the biggest pygmy that he can？  Let every one mind his own business， and endeavor to be what he was made.

　　据说米拉波到大路上试验了一次剪径的行为，“来测验一下，正式违抗社会最神圣的法律到底需要多少程度的决心”。他后来宣称“战场上的士兵所需要的勇气只有剪径强盗的一半”，――还说，“荣誉和宗教不能拦阻住一个审慎而坚定的决心。”而在这个世界上，米拉波总算是个男子汉了；可是这很无聊，即使他并不是无赖。一个比较清醒的人将发现自己“正式违抗”所谓“社会最神圣的法律”的次数是太多了，因为他服从一些更加神圣的法律，他不故意这样做，也已经测验了他自己的决心。其实他不必对社会采取这样的态度，他只要保持原来的态度，仅仅服从他自己的法则，如果他能碰到一个公正的政府，他这样做是不会和它对抗的。

　　我离开森林，就跟我进入森林，有同样的好理由。我觉得也许还有好几个生命可过，我不必把更多时间来交给这一种生命了。惊人的是我们很容易糊里糊涂习惯于一种生活，踏出一条自己的一定轨迹。在那儿住不到一星期，我的脚就踏出了一条小径，从门口一直通到湖滨；距今不觉五六年了，这小径依然还在。是的，我想是别人也走了这条小径了，所以它还在通行。大地的表面是柔软的，人脚留下了踪迹；同样的是，心灵的行程也留下了路线。想人世的公路如何给践踏得尘埃蔽天，传统和习俗形成了何等深的车辙！

　　我不愿坐在房舱里，宁肯站在世界的桅杆前与甲板上，因为从那里我更能看清群峰中的皓月。我再也不愿意下到舱底去了。

　　至少我是从实验中了解这个的：一个人若能自信地向他梦想的方向行进，努力经营他所想望的生活，他是可以获得通常还意想不到的成功的。他将要越过一条看不见的界线，他将要把一些事物抛在后面；新的、更广大的、更自由的规律将要开始围绕着他，并且在他的内心里建立起来；或者旧有的规律将要扩大，并在更自由的意义里得到有利于他的新解释，他将要拿到许可证，生活在事物的更高级的秩序中。他自己的生活越简单，宇宙的规律也就越显得简单，寂寞将不成其为寂寞，贫困将不成其为贫困，软弱将不成其为软弱。如果你造了空中楼阁，你的劳苦并不是白费的，楼阁应该造在空中，就是要把基础放到它们的下面去。

　　英国和美国提出了奇怪可笑的要求，要求你说话必须能被他们理解。人生和毒菌的生长都不是这样听命的。还以为这很重要，好像没有了他们便没有人来理解你了。好像大自然只赞成这样一种理解的能力，它养得活四足动物而并不能养活鸟雀，养活了走兽而养不活飞禽，轻声，别说话和站住的吆喝，好像成了最好的英文，连勃莱特也能懂得的。仿佛只有愚蠢倒能永保安全！我最担心的是我表达的还不够过火呢，我担心我的表达不能超过我自己的日常经验的狭隘范围，来适应我所肯定的真理！过火！这要看你处在什么境地。漂泊的水牛跑到另一个纬度去找新的牧场，并不比奶牛在喂奶时踢翻了铅桶，跳过了牛栏，奔到小牛身边去，来得更加过火。我希望在一些没有束缚的地方说话；像一个清醒的人跟另一些清醒的人那样他说话；我觉得，要给真正的表达奠立一个基础，我还不够过火呢。谁听到过一段音乐就害怕自己会永远说话说得过火呢？为了未来或为了可能的事物，我们应该生活得不太紧张，表面上不要外露，轮廓不妨暧昧而朦胧些，正如我们的影子，对着太阳也会显得不知不觉地汗流浃背的。我们的真实的语言易于蒸发掉，常使一些残余下来的语言变得不适用。它们的真实是时刻改变的；只有它的文字形式还保留着。表达我们的信心和虔诚的文字是很不确定的；它们只对于卓越的人才有意义，其芳馨如乳香。

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