《瓦尔登湖·第六章·访客·Visitors》第5节
Who should come to my lodge this morning but a true Homeric or Paphlagonian man,—he had so suitable and poetic a name that I am sorry I cannot print it here,—a Canadian, a woodchopper and post-maker, who can hole fifty posts in a day, who made his last supper on a woodchuck which his dog caught. He, too, has heard of Homer, and, “if it were not for books,” would “not know what to do rainy days,” though perhaps he has not read one wholly through for many rainy seasons. Some priest who could pronounce the Greek itself taught him to read his verse in the testament in his native parish far away; and now I must translate to him, while he holds the book, Achilles’ reproof to Patroclus for his sad countenance.—“Why are you in tears, Patroclus, like a young girl?”— “Or have you alone heard some news from Phthia? / They say that Menœtius lives yet, son of Actor, / And Peleus lives, son of Æacus, among the Myrmidons, / Either of whom having died, we should greatly grieve.”
注释摘要
梭罗在这里刻画的不只是一个访客，而是他心目中一种几近于神话原型的人类样本。他起手就用了两个分量极重的修饰语：荷马式的，帕弗拉戈尼亚的。荷马式不仅意味着这个人在梭罗眼里带着史诗人物般的质朴与完整，帕弗拉戈尼亚的则是一个更精确的提示，梭罗所指的是《伊利亚德》里那个偏远小邦的居民，野蛮、强壮、语言不同，却在荷马的世界里与英雄们比邻而居。梭罗用这个典故，一下子就把…