Text B Solitude(第1页)
TextBSolitude
HenryDavidThoreau
Pre-reading
HenryDavidThoreau(July1817-May1862)wasahi,andnaturalist。ThraduatedfromHarvardUyandtaughtschoolforseveralyearsbefhisjobtobeeapoetofnature。Bacord,hedertheinfluenceofRalphWaldoEmersoopublishpietheTramagazihoreaurefleainjailprotestingtheMexi-AmeritheessayCivilDisobedience(1849)。
Althoughhisasattralylotioime,hisessayachievedfameastheclear,well-reasoifiofaizeinganimmoralpolicyofhisgover。Assuch,CivilDisobediencebefluentialmaoforsubsequentantirotestersaerssuchasMohandasK。GandhiandDr。MartinLutherKing,Jr。
Inlateryearshisiraalismwaned,andhebecameadedicatedabolitionist。Hismaingsandrecordsofhiswanderingsinada,Maine,andCapeCoddisplaythemiuralist。Afterhisdeathhiscollectedwritingswerepublishedin20volumes,aiioappearinprint。
Walden(1854)isbasedowoyears(1845-1847)hespentlivinginabesideond,nearassachusetts,anddescribeshissimplewayoflife,aloionsonnatureahasbeeaclassiviros,idadvoplelife,whileembodyiofthetracreed。
Ihoreaureflethefeelingofsolitude。Heexplainshowlonelinessoamidpanioishem。Thoreaumeditatesonthepleasuresofesgsodthepettythingsthatsotails(gossip,fights,etc。)。Healsoreflehisnewpanion,alerwhoarrivesnearbyandanoldwomamemory(“memoryrunsbackfartherthanmythology”)。Thoreaurepeatedlyreflethebesofnatureandofhisdeepunionwithitaheonly“medieedsisadraughtair”。
Promptsf
1。WhathaveyoulearsolitudeinEmerson’spassage?
2。Wouldyouexpectsolitudetomeahingstoaphilosopher?
&heondlocated?Searterofindsomemapsahelake。
4。HowdoesThoreaumakelifetrulysimple?Whatishislifelike?
5。HowdoesThoreaudescribetheseryofWaldeailaboutthelakeimpressesyouthemost?
6。HowdoesThoreaudescribesociety?
7。IsThoreautrulyaloneorlonelyi,whatarehispanions?
8。WhydoesThoreaubelieveittobewholesometobealoofthetime?
9。Howwouldyoudescribethewritihispassage?
10。Whatisthegehispassage?
[1]Thisisadeliihewholebodyisonesense,athrougheverypoahastrayiofherself。
[2]AsIwalkaloohepondinmyshirt-sleeves,thoughitiscoolaswellasdwindy,ahioattractme,alltheelementsareunusuallyialtome。Thebullfrogstrumptousheri,aeofthewhip-poor-willisborheripplingwindfromovertheathywiththeflutteringalderandpoplarleavesalmosttakesawaymybreath;yet,likethelake,myserenityisrippledbuthesesmallwavesraisedbytheeveningwiefromstormasthesmsurface。Thoughitisnowdark,thewindstillblowsandroarsihewavesstilldash,aureslulltherestwiththeirhereposeise。Thewildestanimalsdoseektheirpreynow;thefox,andskunk,andrabbit,nowroamthefieldsandwoodswithoutfear。Theyare—linkswhiectthedaysofanimatedlife。
[3]WheomyhouseIfindthatvisitorshavebeetheircards,eitherabunchofflowers,orawreathreen,oranameinpenayellowwalnutleaforachip。Theywhoerarelytothewoodstakesomelittlepieceoftheforestintotheirhandstoplaywithbytheway,whichtheyleave,eitheriionallyoratally。Onehaspeeledaovenitint,aonmytable。
[4]Icouldalwaystellifvisitorshadmyabsehebewigsrass,ortheprintoftheirshoes,andgenerallyofwhatsexeorqualitytheywerebysomeslighttraceleft,asaflowerdropped,orabunchofgrasspludthrownaway,evenasfaroffastherailroad,halfamiledistant,orbythelingeringarorpipe。Nay1,Iwasfrequentlyhepassageofatraveleralongthehighwaysixtyrodsoffbythestofhispipe。
[5]Thereisonlysuffitspaceaboutus。Ourhorizoeatourelbows。Thethickwoodisnotjustatourdoor,northepond,butsomewhatisalwaysg,familiarandwornbyus,appropriatedandfeneway,andreclaimedfromNature。Forwhatreasohisvastrangeandciresquaremilesofu,formyprivaebymen?
[6]Myneighborisamiledistant,andnohouseisvisiblefromahehill-topswithinhalfamileofmyown。Ihavemyhorizonboundedbywoodsalltomyself;adistaherailroadwhereittouchesthepondontheonehand,andofthefencewhichskirtsthewoodlandroadoforthemostpartitisassolitarywhereIliveasontheprairies。ItisasmuchAsiaorAfriewEnglawere,myownsunandmoonandstars,andalittleworldalltomyself。Atnighttherewasravelerpassedmyhouse,orkmydoor,morethahefirstorlastmawereinthesprilongintervalssomethevillagetofishforpouts—theyplainlyfishedmutheond2oftheirownnatures,aheirhookswithdarktheysooed,usuallywithlightbaskets,aheworldtodarkome”,andtheblaelofthenightrofanedbyanyhumanneighborhood。Ibelievethatmeillalittleafraidhthewitchesareallhung,andityanddleshavebeenintroduced。
[7]YetIexperiehatthemostsweetahemostiandengsocietymaybefoundinanynaturalobjeforthepoormisamelanan。ThereoveryblawholivesiofNatureandhashisseill。。。。WhileIenjoythefriendshipoftheseasonsItrustthatnothingmakelifeaburdentome。。。。
[8]Melysaytome,“Ishouldthinkyouwouldfeellohere,andwaofolks,rainyandsnowydaysandnightsespecially。”Iamtemptedtoreplytosuch—Thiswholeearthwhihabitisbutapointinspace。Hoart,thinkyou,dwellthetwomostdistantinhabitantsofyohebreadthofwhosediskotbeappreciatedbyouris?WhyshouldIfeellonely?IsnotourplaheMilkyWay3?Thiswhichyouputseemstomeimportaion。Whatsortofspaceisthatwhichseparatesamanfromhisfellowsandmakeshimsolitary?Ihavefoundthationofthelegsgtwomindsmuearertoodowewantmosttodwello?Nottomanymehedepot,thepost-office,thebar-room,themeetiheschool-house,thegrocery,BeaHill,ortheFivePoigregate,buttotheperennialsourceofourlife,whenallourexperiencewehavefoundthattoissue,asthewillowstahewateraitsrootsinthatdire。Thiswillvarywithdifferehisistheplaceilldighiscellar。。。。Ioneeveookoownsmen,whohasaccumulatedwhatiscalled“ahay”—thoughIafairviewofit—ontheWaldenrapairofarket,whoinquiredofmehowIgmymindtogiveupsomasoflife。IaIwasverysureIlikeditpassablywell;Iwasnotjoking。Aomybed,aopickhiswaythroughthedarkhemudththttown—whichplacehewouldreaeinthem。
[9]Aofawakeningtolifetoadeadmanmakesiimesaheplacewherethatmayoccurisalwaysthesame,andindescribablypleasanttoalloursehemostpartweallowonlyoutlyingaakeouros。Theyare,infact,thecauseofourdistraearesttoallthingsisthatpowerwhistheirbeiousthegralawsareuallybeiousisnottheehavehired,elovesowelltotalk,buttheork>
[10]“HorofoundistheihesubtlepowersofHeaveh!”
[11]“Weseektoperceivethem,aseethem;weseektohearthem,ahearthem;idehesubstahibeseparatedfromthem。”
[12]“Theycausethatinalltheuniversemenpurifyandsas,ahemselvesintheirholidaygarmentstooffersacrifidoblatioors。Itisanoofsubtleiheyareeverywhere,aboveus,o,ht;theyenvironusonallsides。”
[13]Wearethesubjeexperimentwhiotalittleiome。otdowithoutthesocietyossipsalittlewhileuances—haveourownthoughtstocheerus?fuciussaystruly,“Virtuedoesnotremainasanabandonedorphan;itmustofyhaveneighbors。”4。。。
[14]Ifinditwholesometobealoofthetime。Tobeinpahebest,issoonwearisomeanddissipatiobealohepanionthataude。Weareforthemostpartmorelonelywhenwegmeayinourchambers。Amanthinkingisalwaysalohimbewherehewill。SolitudeisnotmeasuredbythemilesofspaterveweenamanahereallydiligeihecrowdedhiveseCollege5isassolitaryasadervish6ihefarmerworkalohefieldorthewoodsallday,h,andnotfeellonesome,becauseheisemployed;butwhesitdowninaroomalohemercyofhisthoughts,butmustbewherehe“seethefolks”,ae,ahiehimselfforhisday’ssolitude;andhendershowthestudentsitalohehouseallnightandmostofthedaywithoutennui7and“theblues”;buthedoeshatthestudent,thoughinthehouse,isstillatworkinhisfield,andginhiswoods,asthefarmerinhis,andihesamereahelatterdoes,thoughitmaybeamoresedformofit。
[15]Societyisonlytoocheap。Wemeetatveryshortintervals,nothavinghadtimetoaynewvalueforeachother。Wemeetatmealsthreetimesaday,aheraoldmustycheesethatweare。Wehavehadtoagreeoofrules,calledetiquetteaomakethisfrequeolerableaetoopethepost-offidatthesodaboutthefiresideeveryhidareiher’sway,andstumbleoveroher,andIthihuslosesomerespeeaainlylessfrequencywouldsuffiportayunis。siderthegirlsinafaeveralone,hardlyintheirdreams。Itwouldbebetteriftherewerebutoanttoasquaremile,aswhereIlive。Thevalueofamanisnotinhisskiouchhim。
[16]Ihaveheardofamanlostinthewoodsanddyingoffamiioofatree,whoselonelinesswasrelievedbythegrotesquevisionsingtobodilyweakness,hisdiseasedimaginationsurroundedhim,andwhichhebelievedtobereal。Soalso,owingtobodilyaalhealthah,wemaybeuallycheeredbyalikebutmorenormalandnaturalsodetoknowthatweareneveralone。