[美国]汉密尔顿·怀特·马堡/Hamilton Wright Mabie
The intimacy between man and Nature began with the birth of man on the earth, and becomes each century more intelligent and far-reaching. To Nature, therefore, we turn as to the oldest aim most influential teacher of our race;from one point of view once our task-master, now our servant;from another point of view, our constant friend, instructor and inspirer. The very intimacy of this relation robs it of a certain mystery and richness which it would have for all minds if it were the reward of the few instead of being the privilege of the many. To the few it is, in every age, full of wonder and beauty;to the many it is a matter of course. The heavens shine for all, but they have a changing splendor to those only who see in every midnight sky a majesty of creative energy and resource which no repetition of the spectacle can dim. If the stars shone but once in a thousand years, men would gaze, awe-struck and worshipful, on a vision which is not less but more wonderful because it shines nightly above the whole earth. In like manner, and for the same reason, we become indifferent to that delicately beautiful or sublimely impressive sky scenery which the clouds form and reform, compose and dissipate, a thousand times on a summer day.
The mystery, the terror, and the music of the sea;the secret and subduing charm of the woods, so full of healing for the spent mind or the restless spirit;the majesty of the hills, holding in their recesses the secrets of light and atmosphere;the infinite variety of landscape, never imitative or repetitious, but always appealing to the imagination with some fresh and unsuspected loveliness;who feels the full power of these marvelous resources for the enrichment of life, or takes from them all the health, delight, and enrichment they have to bestow?
从地球上出现人类开始，人与自然之间的亲密关系就随之诞生，而且被不断地发扬光大，这种关系每一世纪都比以前变得更为明智而深远。所以，我们求助于自然，并把自然视为人类最年长和最有影响力的老师。从某一个观点来看，自然曾是我们的监工，现在却成为我们的奴仆。但从另一个观点来看，自然一直是我们最忠实的朋友、教导者和启发者。这种和谐紧密的关系，如果仅仅是少数人的特权，而大多数人并不能享有，那便会在人们心目中引发一种神秘感和情趣。但是事实上，这种亲密关系是被天下所有的人共享的，这就使那种和谐紧密的关系失去神秘感和情趣。对于少数人来说，这种关系在每个时代都充满了奇妙和美好；对于多数人来说，这种关系只是理所当然的一件事。天空照耀着每一个人，但是只在少数人的心目中具有一种变化多端的壮丽，他们在每一个午夜的天空都能看出一种蕴涵着创造能力和源泉的庄严肃穆之美，不论那种景象重复多少次，都不会使那种美模糊不清。如果星辰千年才照耀一次大地，人们将怀着敬畏之情凝视着那种美景，而那种美景如果夜夜在全世界的上空出现，不但不会减损，反而更会增加它的奇妙。同样，基于相同的原因，我们对于夏日天空的那种由浮云聚散飘忽所形成的一日之间千变万化的纤巧秀丽或壮丽动人的景色，也都漠然置之。海洋的神秘感、恐怖感和节奏感，以及森林的神秘感与魔幻力有助于医治心灵的疲惫或者精神的烦躁；雄伟的山峦在其幽深之处拥有光与大气之奥秘；变幻、无穷的风景从不模仿或重复，永远以一种出人意料的新鲜美丽来冲击人类的想象——谁能感受到这些奇异景物的全部力量，或者能从它们那里得到它们所赐予的健康、快乐和充实呢？