《瓦尔登湖·第一章·经济篇·Economy》第26节
It may be guessed that I reduce almost the whole advantage of holding this superfluous property as a fund in store against the future, so far as the individual is concerned, mainly to the defraying of funeral expenses. But perhaps a man is not required to bury himself. Nevertheless this points to an important distinction between the civilized man and the savage; and, no doubt, they have designs on us for our benefit, in making the life of a civilized people an institution, in which the life of the individual is to a great extent absorbed, in order to preserve and perfect that of the race. But I wish to show at what a sacrifice this advantage is at present obtained, and to suggest that we may possibly so live as to secure all the advantage without suffering any of the disadvantage. What mean ye by saying that the poor ye have always with you, or that the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? “As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.” “Behold all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”
注释摘要
在这段文字的前半部分，梭罗用一句近乎戏谑的话完成了一个重要的逻辑转向。他刚才算了一笔账，说普通农夫十年到十五年的劳动换来的房产，主要好处就是攒下一笔财产以备不时之需。然后他冷不丁地说，这个"以备不时之需"说到底就是支付丧葬费——一个人辛劳大半辈子，最大的收益竟然是给自己买一口体面的棺材。但他立刻又加了一句：也许人本来就用不着埋葬自己。这句话把死亡从一个被制…