亨利·大卫·梭罗/ Henry David Thoreau
亨利·大卫·梭罗(1817—1862),散文家、超验主义哲学家。出生于美国以超验主义中心著称的康科德,并在那儿度过了大半生。梭罗毕生以超验主义作为自己的生活准则,并将之发挥到极致;他一生未娶,曾隐居瓦尔登湖两年有余,过着与世隔绝的生活,并在湖边的木屋里写下了著名的《瓦尔登湖》一书。本文即选自此书。
Ace in the Hole
Understand these new words before you read this article.
1. congenial [k?n'd?i:nj?l] adj. 意气相投的,性格相似的,一致的
2. sufficient [s?'fi??nt] adj. 足够的,充分的
3. profane [pr??'fein] v. 亵渎,玷污
4. etiquette ['eti,ket] n. 礼节,礼仪,规矩
5. sorrel ['s?:r?l] n. 栗色,栗色毛的动物
This is a delicious evening, when the whole body is one sense, and imbibes delight through every pore. I go and come with a strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself. As I walk along the stony shore of the pond in my shirt-sleeves, though it is cool as well as cloudy and windy, and I see nothing special to attract me, all the elements are unusually congenial to me. The bullfrogs trump to usher in the night, and the note of the whippoorwill is borne on the rippling wind from over the water. Sympathy with the fluttering alder and poplar leaves almost takes away my breath; yet, like the lake, my serenity is rippled but not ruffled. These small waves raised by the evening wind are as remote from storm as the smooth reflecting surface. Though it is now dark, the wind still blows and roars in the wood, the waves still dash, and some creatures lull the rest with their notes. The repose is never complete. The wildest animals do not repose, but seek their prey now; the fox, and skunk, and rabbit, now roam the fields and woods without fear. They are Nature’s watchmen—links which connect the days of animated life.