《瓦尔登湖·第十八章·结束语·Conclusion》第11节
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, and obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices. I thought that there was no need of ice to freeze them. They talked to me of the age of the wine and the fame of the vintage; but I thought of an older, a newer, and purer wine, of a more glorious vintage, which they had not got, and could not buy. The style, the house and grounds and “entertainment” pass for nothing with me. I called on the king, but he made me wait in his hall, and conducted like a man incapacitated for hospitality. There was a man in my neighborhood who lived in a hollow tree. His manners were truly regal. I should have done better had I called on him.
注释摘要
这一段像是整部《瓦尔登湖》的一个浓缩的、戏剧化的道德寓言。梭罗在全书结束语里，把此前用两百多页展开的整套生活观念，压缩进了一次宴席和一个邻居的对比之中。开头的宣言——“与其给我爱，给我钱，给我名，不如给我真理”——语气陡峭，近乎斩钉截铁，这不是一句修辞上的排比，而是对他整个实验的一个最终结算：他在瓦尔登湖畔所求的，归根结底，不是某种田园牧歌，而是一种不被任…