《瓦尔登湖·第一章·经济篇·Economy》第57节
“On the fourth morning, the high priest, by rubbing dry wood together, produces new fire in the public square, from whence every habitation in the town is supplied with the new and pure flame.” They then feast on the new corn and fruits, and dance and sing for three days, “and the four following days they receive visits and rejoice with their friends from neighboring towns who have in like manner purified and prepared themselves.” The Mexicans also practised a similar purification at the end of every fifty-two years, in the belief that it was time for the world to come to an end. I have scarcely heard of a truer sacrament, that is, as the dictionary defines it, “outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace,” than this, and I have no doubt that they were originally inspired directly from Heaven to do thus, though they have no biblical record of the revelation.
注释摘要
梭罗在此处引述的是威廉·巴特拉姆（William Bartram）所著《游记》（Travels）中对克里克印第安人（Mucclasse 即 Muskogee 人的一支）每年举行的“巴士克节”（busk）的记录。这是一个以焚烧旧物和取得新火为核心的年节仪式，他要借这个例子为全章的反物质堆积主题做一个集体性的收束。 在整个“经济篇”里，梭罗已经反复论证：衣食住…