《瓦尔登湖·第一章·经济篇·Economy》第23节
We may imagine a time when, in the infancy of the human race, some enterprising mortal crept into a hollow in a rock for shelter. Every child begins the world again, to some extent, and loves to stay out doors, even in wet and cold. It plays house, as well as horse, having an instinct for it. Who does not remember the interest with which when young he looked at shelving rocks, or any approach to a cave? It was the natural yearning of that portion of our most primitive ancestor which still survived in us. From the cave we have advanced to roofs of palm leaves, of bark and boughs, of linen woven and stretched, of grass and straw, of boards and shingles, of stones and tiles. At last, we know not what it is to live in the open air, and our lives are domestic in more senses than we think. From the hearth to the field is a great distance. It would be well perhaps if we were to spend more of our days and nights without any obstruction between us and the celestial bodies, if the poet did not speak so much from under a roof, or the saint dwell there so long. Birds do not sing in caves, nor do doves cherish their innocence in dovecots.
注释摘要
梭罗在这段话里从人类最初的住所推演到当下，实际上是在勾勒一整部居住史，而这部居住史的走向并非进步，而是逐渐的封闭。他想象“人类幼年”时某个有胆量的凡人蜷进岩洞以避风雨；随即把镜头拉回到每个孩子身上——孩子喜欢待在户外，哪怕湿冷也在所不惜，他们玩“过家家”，也玩“骑马”，那是一种本能。梭罗用儿童对岩洞、倾斜的岩石天生的兴趣来证明，远古祖先的记忆仍然残存在我们…