《瓦尔登湖·第八章·村子·The Village》第4节
“Nec bella fuerunt, / Faginus astabat dum scyphus ante dapes.” “Nor wars did men molest, / When only beechen bowls were in request.” “You who govern public affairs, what need have you to employ punishments? Love virtue, and the people will be virtuous. The virtues of a superior man are like the wind; the virtues of a common man are like the grass; the grass, when the wind passes over it, bends.”
注释摘要
在这节结尾，梭罗用三段引文收束了此前关于国家暴力的个人经历。他刚刚讲完自己被捕的故事——因为拒绝向一个买卖人口的国家缴纳人头税，他被关进监狱，次日获释，补好鞋，回到林中采越橘。正是在这个叙事节点上，他转向了这些古人的话。 第一段拉丁文出自古罗马诗人提布卢斯的哀歌，梭罗附上了自己的英译。它的意思很朴素：当人们还用山毛榉木碗吃饭的时候，世上还没有战争。这是一个…