《瓦尔登湖·第十七章·春天·Spring》第14节
“After the germs of virtue have thus been prevented many times from developing themselves, then the beneficent breath of evening does not suffice to preserve them. As soon as the breath of evening does not suffice longer to preserve them, then the nature of man does not differ much from that of the brute. Men seeing the nature of this man like that of the brute, think that he has never possessed the innate faculty of reason. Are those the true and natural sentiments of man?” “The Golden Age was first created, which without any avenger / Spontaneously without law cherished fidelity and rectitude. / Punishment and fear were not; nor were threatening words read / On suspended brass; nor did the suppliant crowd fear / The words of their judge; but were safe without an avenger. / Not yet the pine felled on its mountains had descended / To the liquid waves that it might see a foreign world, / And mortals knew no shores but their own. / * * * * / There was eternal spring, and placid zephyrs with warm / Blasts soothed the flowers born without seed.”
注释摘要
梭罗在这一段里接连引了两个来源截然不同的文本，把它们嵌进了春天来临、万物更新的长段讴歌里。前一段引文是一段论理体的道德说教，后一段则是古罗马奥维德《变形记》里的诗句，两处引文在梭罗自己的初版中都没有给出准确出处，他是把它们当作证据，来加强他关于春天具有宽恕一切、使人与万物重获新生的论断。 前一段引文讲的是德行的萌芽如何被反复阻遏，最终连晚间的温柔气息也无力…