《瓦尔登湖·第七章·豆田·The Bean-Field》第4节
Near at hand, upon the topmost spray of a birch, sings the brown-thrasher—or red mavis, as some love to call him—all the morning, glad of your society, that would find out another farmer’s field if yours were not here. While you are planting the seed, he cries,—“Drop it, drop it,—cover it up, cover it up,—pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.” But this was not corn, and so it was safe from such enemies as he. You may wonder what his rigmarole, his amateur Paganini performances on one string or on twenty, have to do with your planting, and yet prefer it to leached ashes or plaster. It was a cheap sort of top dressing in which I had entire faith.
注释摘要
这一段写在豆田里的听觉经验。梭罗把褐嘲鸫（brown-thrasher，也即 red mavis）的鸣声拟人化成对播种动作的评点。鸟栖在桦树最高的细枝上，整早晨都在唱，他说这鸟乐意有你做伴——如果这块地不在，它会去寻别的农人的田地。也就是说，鸟不是为你而留，只是你的田地恰好提供了它歇脚与吟唱的枝头。这个视角把人的耕作放在一种更宽松的自然关系里：你不是世界中…