Solitude 独处

Solitude 独处 

亲爱的朋友，你好，I am Jeanne，今天分享的文章是 亨利·戴维·梭罗所写的一篇散文Solitude 独处。 亨利·戴维·梭罗是美国随笔作家、哲学家、超验主义的代表人物，同时也是一位废奴主义以及自然主义者。他毕业于哈佛大学，曾协助爱默生 编辑 评论季刊 日晷，也有许多政论反对美国与墨西哥的战争，一生支持废奴运动。1845年，他在距离 康科德两英里的瓦尔登湖畔 隐居两年，自耕自食，体验简朴和接近自然的生活，并以此为题材写成了长篇散文，瓦尔登湖，又译作湖滨散记，成为超验主义的经典作品。梭罗才华横溢，一生共创作了20多部一流的散文集。被称为自然随笔的创始者，他的文章简洁有力、朴实自然、富有思想性，在美国19世纪的散文中可以说独树一帜。接下来就请品读由 亨利·戴维·梭罗 所写这篇文章solitude 独处。

I find it wholesome to be alone the greaterpart of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome anddissipating. 我发现人若大部分时间用于独处，将有益身心。与人为伴，即使是挚友，也很快会有厌烦或虚度光阴的感觉。

I love to be alone. I never found thecompanion that was so companionable as solitude. 我爱独处，我发现没有比独处更好的伴侣了。

We are for the most part more lonely whenwe go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. 出国，身在熙攘人群中，要比退守陋室更让人寂寞。

A man thinking or working is always alone,let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space thatintervene between a man and his fellows. 心有所想，身有所系的人总是孤身一人，不论他身处何地。独处与否也不是由人与人之间的距离来确定。

The really diligent student in one of thecrowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert. 在剑桥苦读的学子虽身处蜂巢般拥挤的教室，实际上却和沙漠中的苦行僧一样，是在独处。

The farmer can work alone in the field orthe woods all day, hoeing or chopping, and not feel lonesome, because he isemployed; 家人终日耕于田间，伐于山野，此时他虽孤单但并不寂寞，因他专心于工作；

but when he comes home at night he cannotsit down in a room alone, at the mercy of his thoughts, 但待到他日暮而息，却未必能忍受形影相吊，空有思绪做伴的时光，

but must be where he can :see the folks,:”and recreate, and, as he thinks, remunerate himself for his day’s solitude; 他必到“可以看见大伙儿”的去处去找乐子，如他所认为的那样以补偿白日里的孤独；

and hence he wonders how the student cansit alone in the house all night and most of the day without ennui and :theblues:; 因此他无法理解学子如何能竟夜终日独坐而不心生厌倦或倍感凄凉；

but he does not realize that the student,though in the house, is still at work in his field, and chopping in his woods,as the farmer in his, 然而他没意识到，学子虽身在学堂，但心系劳作，但是耕于心田，伐于学林，这正和农人一样，

and in turn seeks the same recreation andsociety that the latter does, though it may be a more condensed form of it. 学子在寻求的无非是和他一样的快乐与陪伴，只是形式更简洁罢了。

Society is commonly too cheap. We meet atvery short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for eachother. 与人交往通常都因唾手可得而毫无价值，在频繁的相处中，我们无暇从彼此获取新价值。

We meet at meals three times a day, andgive each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. 我们每日三餐相聚，反复让彼此重新审视的也是依旧故我，并无新奇之处。

We have had to agree on a certain set ofrules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerableand that we need not come to open war. 为此我们要循规蹈矩，称其为懂礼仪，讲礼貌，以便在这些频繁的接触中相安无事，无须论战而有辱斯文。

We meet at the post-office, and at thesociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in eachother’s way, and stumble over one another,我们相遇在邮局，邂逅在社交场所，围坐在夜晚的炉火旁，交情甚笃，彼此干扰着，纠缠着；

and I think that we thus lose some respectfor one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important andhearty communications. 实际上我认为这样我们都或多或少失去了对彼此的尊重。对于所有重要的倾心交流，相见不必过频。

Consider the girls in a factory---neveralone, hardly in their dreams. It would be better if there were but oneinhabitant to a square mile, as where I live. 想想工厂里的女孩，她们虽从不落单，但也少有梦想。像这样方圆一英里仅一人居住，那情况会更好。

The value of a man is not in his skin, thatwe should touch him. 人的价值非在肌肤相亲，而在心有灵犀。

I have a great deal of company in my house;especially in the morning, when nobody calls. Let me suggest a few comparisons,that some one may convey an idea of my situation. 我的房子里有很多伙伴，尤其在无人造访的清晨。我把自己和周围事物对比一下，你或许能窥见我生活的一斑。

I am no more lonely than the loon in thepond that laughs so loud, or than Walden Pond itself. What company has thatlonely lake, I pray? 比起那湖中长笑的潜鸟，还有那湖，我并不比它们孤独多少。你看：这孤单的湖又何以为伴呢？

And yet it has not the blue devils, but theblue angels in it, in the azure tint of its waters. 然而它那一湾天蓝的湖水里有的却是天使的纯净，而非魔鬼的忧郁。

The sun is alone, except in thick weather,when there sometimes appear to be two, but one is a mock sun. god isalone---but the devil, he is far from being alone; 太阳是孤独的，虽然时而在阴郁的天气里会出现两个太阳，但其中之一为幻日；上帝是孤独的 – 魔鬼才从不孤单，

he sees a great deal of company; he islegion. I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, ora bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a bumblebee. 他永远不乏伙伴，因从他者甚众。比起牧场上的一朵毛蕊花，一支蒲公英，一片豆叶，一束酢浆草，一只牛虻或大黄蜂来，我并不孤单多少；

I am no more lonely than the Millbrook, ora weathercock, or the north star, or the south wind, or an April shower, or aJanuary thaw, or the first spider in a new house. 比起密尔溪，风标，北极星，南风，四月春雨，正月融雪，或者新房中的第一只蜘蛛，我也并不更加孤单。

人生在世，既要善于与人交往，融入社会，重视从“群居”中获取乐趣；同时也要重视独处，在独处中建设内心世界，与自己的心灵交谈，在独处中获得从容、优雅、宁静的人生感悟。一个人适当地独处，对于培养一个人独立思考的能力、习惯，都有很大的好处。适当的独处是对人生的一种修炼。当然，适当地独处并不以孤立自己为目的，并不是为了远离人间，适当地独处是为了更好地同世间的人同歌共舞，是为了在人间更高地腾飞。缺乏群居的生活是一种缺陷，然而缺乏独处的生活则是一种灾难。