We went slipping silently along， between the green and fragrant banks， with a sense of pleasure and contentment that grew， and grew， all the time. Sometimes the banks were overhung with thick masses of willows that wholly hid the ground behind； sometimes we had noble hills on one hand， clothed densely with foliage to their tops， and on the other hand open levels blazing with poppies， or clothed in the rich blue of the corn-flower； sometimes we drifted in the shadow of forests， and sometimes along the margin of long stretches of velvety grass， fresh and green and bright， a tireless charm to the eye. And the birds！ —they were everywhere； they swept back and forth across the river constantly， and their jubilant music was never stilled.
It was a deep and satisfying pleasure to see the sun create the new morning， and gradually， patiently， lovingly， clothe it on with splendor after splendor， and glory after glory， till the miracle was complete. How different is this marvel observed from a raft， from what it is when one observes it through the dingy windows of a railway-station in some wretched village while he munches a petrified sandwich and waits for the train.
参考译文
当旅店老板得知我和我的代理人是艺术家时，我们在他心中的地位就提升了一大截，得知我们正在欧洲徒步旅行后，我们的地位就更高了。
他向我们介绍了海德堡的路线情况，告诉我们最好绕过哪些地方，最好在哪些地方多逗留些时日；对那晚我所使用的物品，他只收取了低于成本的费用；还为我们准备了一桌丰盛的午餐，并送了很多德国人最喜爱的绿李子。因为我们赏光，他坚决不答应我们步行离开海尔布隆，于是，叫了葛兹·封·贝利欣根的马车来载我们离开。
我用素描的形式把马车画了下来。它算不上是件作品，只是画家所谓的“习作”——能够完整作画的素材。这幅素描有几处败笔，如：马车的速度与马的步伐不一致，这是不对的。而且，给马车让路的人实在太小了，就是我所说的不符合透视画法。最上边的两条线不是马背的曲线，而是缰绳；似乎还丢了一只车轮——当然在完成的画中，这些败笔都会被纠正。马车后面飞舞的不是旗帜，而是车上的篷帘。画中还有太阳，不过，我没有空出足够的空间。现在，我记不清奔跑的那个人前面是什么了，不过我想那可能是堆干草，或者是个女人。1879年的巴黎画廊上，这幅习作被展览出来，但是并没有获得任何奖项，因为展览不为习作设奖。