虎课外刊精读丨 2021 年第 235 期 讲师丨一零 上线日期丨 2021.12.09 Thur.

Tiger Times 01

瓦尔登湖畔的隐士

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散文集《瓦尔登湖》享誉全球，如同大多数畅销书一样，对他的评价也
两极分化。有人说梭罗是一个返璞归真、亲近自然的哲学家，也有人说作
者梭罗是个“伪善，厌世，自恋”的假隐士。你怎么看？
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狼在西方文化有何象征意义？梭罗为何将亚美利坚比作“shewolf”？
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如何理解超验主义，超验主义者在反对什么？
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为什么梭罗说“人类在过着静静的绝望的生活”？ 扫码听课

Walden, or Life in the Woods

By Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Published Aug. 9, 1854

听课笔记
Chapter I. Economy

I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have

inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these

are more easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born

in the open pasture and suckled by a wolf, that they might have seen

with clearer eyes what field they were called to labor in. Who made

them serfs of the soil? Why should they eat their sixty acres, when

man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt? Why should they

begin digging their graves as soon as they are born? They have got to

live a man's life, pushing all these things before them, and get on as

well as they can. How many a poor immortal soul have I met well

nigh crushed and smothered under its load, creeping down the road

of life, pushing before it a barn seventy-five feet by forty, its Augean

stables never cleansed, and one hundred acres of land, tillage,

mowing, pasture, and wood-lot! The portionless, who struggle with

no such unnecessary inherited encumbrances, find it labor enough to

subdue and cultivate a few cubic feet of flesh.

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But men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon

ploughed into the soil for compost. By a seeming fate, commonly

called necessity, they are employed, as it says in an old book, laying

up treasures which moth and rust will corrupt and thieves break

through and steal. It is a fool's life, as they will find when they get to

the end of it, if not before.

...

Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere

ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares

and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be

plucked by them. Their fingers, from excessive toil, are too clumsy

and tremble too much for that. Actually, the laboring man has not

leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain

the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in

the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine. How can

he remember well his ignorance—which his growth requires—who

has so often to use his knowledge? We should feed and clothe him

gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials, before

we judge of him. The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on

fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do

not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly.

...

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called

resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you

go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the

bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious

despair is concealed even under what are called the games and
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amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes

after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate

things.

Chapter II. Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown

off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on

the rails. Let us rise early and fast, or breakfast, gently and without

perturbation; let company come and let company go, let the bells

ring and the children cry,—determined to make a day of it. Why

should we knock under and go with the stream? Let us not be upset

and overwhelmed in that terrible rapid and whirlpool called a dinner,

situated in the meridian shallows. Weather this danger and you are

safe, for the rest of the way is down hill. With unrelaxed nerves, with

morning vigor, sail by it, looking another way, tied to the mast like

Ulysses. If the engine whistles, let it whistle till it is hoarse for its

pains. If the bell rings, why should we run? We will consider what

kind of music they are like. Let us settle ourselves, and work and

wedge our feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and

prejudice, and tradition, and delusion, and appearance, that alluvion

which covers the globe, through Paris and London, through New

York and Boston and Concord, through church and state, through

poetry and philosophy and religion, till we come to a hard bottom

and rocks in place, which we can call reality, and say, This is, and

no mistake; and then begin, having a point d'appui, below freshet

and frost and fire, a place where you might found a wall or a state,

or set a lamp-post safely, or perhaps a gauge, not a Nilometer, but

a Realometer, that future ages might know how deep a freshet of

shams and appearances had gathered from time to time. If you stand
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right fronting and face to face to a fact, you will see the sun glimmer

on both its surfaces, as if it were a cimeter, and feel its sweet edge

dividing you through the heart and marrow, and so you will happily

conclude your mortal career. Be it life or death, we crave only reality.

If we are really dying, let us hear the rattle in our throats and feel

cold in the extremities; if we are alive, let us go about our business.

...

Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink

I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current

slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the

sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars. I cannot count one. I know

not the first letter of the alphabet. I have always been regretting that

I was not as wise as the day I was born. The intellect is a cleaver; it

discerns and rifts its way into the secret of things. I do not wish to be

any more busy with my hands than is necessary. My head is hands

and feet. I feel all my best faculties concentrated in it. My instinct

tells me that my head is an organ for burrowing, as some creatures

use their snout and fore-paws, and with it I would mine and burrow

my way through these hills. I think that the richest vein is somewhere

hereabouts; so by the divining-rod and thin rising vapors I judge;

and here I will begin to mine.

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词汇

inherit /ɪnˈherɪt/ v. 继承（金钱、财产等） ○ e.g. His stables are near Oxford. 他的养马场在牛津附近。
○ to receive money, property, etc. from sb. when they die
○ e.g. She inherited a fortune from her father. 她从她父亲那 tillage /ˈtɪlɪdʒ/ n. 耕地（包括整地和土壤中耕）
里继承了一大笔财富。 ○ (old-fashioned) the process of preparing and using land for
growing crops
pasture /ˈpɑːstʃə(r)/ n. 牧场，牧草地
○ land covered with grass that is suitable for feeding animals mow /məʊ/ v. 刈，割，修剪
on ○ to cut grass, etc. using a machine or tool with a special
○ e.g. The cattle were put out to pasture. 牛群放牧在牧场草 blade or blades
地上。 ○ e.g. I mow the lawn every week in summer. 夏天我每周都
要修剪草坪。
suckle /ˈsʌkl/ v.（妇女或雌兽）给 … 喂奶，给 … 哺乳
○ (of a woman or female animal) to feed a baby or young encumbrance /ɪnˈkʌmbrəns/ n. 妨碍者，累赘，障碍物
animal with milk from the breast or udder ○ a person or thing that prevents sb. from moving easily or
○ e.g. a cow suckling her calves 给小牛喂奶的母牛 from doing what they want
○ e.g. I felt I was being an encumbrance to them. 我感到自
serf /sɜːf/ n.（旧时的）农奴 己成了他们的累赘。
○ (in the past) a person who was forced to live and work on
land that belonged to a landowner whom they had to obey subdue /səbˈdjuː/ v. 使某块土地适合种植
○ to bring (land) under cultivation
peck /pek/ n. 许多，大量
○ a large quantity or number cubic /ˈkjuːbɪk/ adj. 立方的；用立方单位度量（或表示）
○ e.g. The actor disappeared leaving a peck of unpaid bills. 的
那个演员消失了，留下了一大堆没支付的账单。 ○ used to show that a measurement is the volume of sth, that
○ a peck of dirt 一抔土 is the height multiplied by the length and the width
○ e.g. Every man must eat a peck of dirt before he dies. 每个 ○ e.g. cubic centimetres/inches/metres 立方厘米／英寸／米
人在死去之前都必须经历无数苦难。 ○ measured or expressed in cubic units
○ e.g. the cubic capacity of a car's engine 汽车发动机汽缸
immortal /ɪˈmɔːtl/ adj. 长生的，永世的，不朽的 的容量
○ that lives or lasts for ever
○ e.g. The soul is immortal. 灵魂不灭。 plough /plaʊ/ v. 犁（地），耕（地）
○ (= plow) to turn over the earth using a plough so that seeds
nigh /naɪ/ adv. 几乎，差不多 can be planted
○ (old-fashioned) almost; nearly ○ e.g. In those days the land was ploughed by oxen. 在那个
○ e.g. They've lived in that house for nigh on 30 years. 他们 年代是用公牛来犁地的。
在那所房子里住了差不多 30 年了。
○ well nigh 非常接近，几乎，基本上 compost /ˈkɒmpɒst/ n. 混合肥料，堆肥
○ e.g. Recovery will be well nigh impossible. 这人基本上不 ○ a mixture of decayed plants, food, etc. that can be added to
可能痊愈了。 soil to help plants grow

crush /krʌʃ/ v. 压坏，压伤，挤压变形 seeming /ˈsiːmɪŋ/ adj. 看似 …（而实际未必）的，表面上的，

○ to press or squeeze sth so hard that it is damaged or
injured, or loses its shape
○ e.g. The car was completely crushed under the truck. 小轿
车被卡车压得完全变形了。
smother /ˈsmʌðə(r)/ v. 使窒息，把 … 闷死
○ to kill someone by putting something over their face to
stop them breathing
○ e.g. He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴
儿闷死了。
creep /kriːp/ v. 悄悄地小心行进，蹑手蹑脚地移动
○ to move in a quiet, careful way, especially to avoid
attracting attention
○ e.g. Johann would creep into the gallery to listen to the
singers. 约翰会悄悄溜进楼座去听歌手唱歌。
stable /ˈsteɪbl/ n.（养马作特定用途的）养马场，马房
○ (BrE also stables) an organization that keeps horses for a
particular purpose
貌似 … 的
○ appearing to be sth that may not be true
○ e.g. a seeming impossibility 表面看来不可能的事
lay sth. ↔ up 贮备，贮存
○ to collect and store sth to use in the future
○ e.g. to lay in food supplies 贮存食物
factitious /fækˈtɪʃəs/ adj. 人为的，虚假的
○ not genuine but created deliberately and made to appear to
be true
superfluous /suːˈpɜːfluəs/ adj. 过剩的，过多的，多余的
○ more than you need or want
○ e.g. She gave him a look that made words superfluous. 她
看了他一眼，这已表明一切，无须多言了。
○ superfluously /suːˈpɜːfluəsli/ adv. 过剩地，过多地
coarse /kɔːs/ adj. 粗的，粗糙的
○ having a rough surface that feels slightly hard
 Tiger Times
○ e.g. a jacket of coarse wool 粗羊毛夹克衫
pluck /plʌk/ v. 摘，掐，采摘
○ (old-fashioned or literary) to pick a fruit, flower, etc. from
where it is growing
○ e.g. I plucked an orange from the tree. 我从树上摘了一个
橙子。
depreciate /dɪˈpriːʃieɪt/ v. 贬低，轻视
○ to make sth. seem unimportant or of no value
○ e.g. I had no intention of depreciating your contribution.
我并不想贬低你的贡献。
gratuitous /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/ adj. 无正当理由的，无端的
○ said or done without a good reason, in a way that offends
someone
○ e.g. children's books which include gratuitous violence 包
含无谓暴力内容的儿童书籍
○ gratuitously /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəsli/ adv. 无正当理由地，无偿地，
无端地
○ e.g. There is no point in gratuitously antagonizing people.
没有必要无故与人为敌。
cordial /ˈkɔːdiəl/ n.（烈性的）甜酒
○ (old-fashioned) a strong sweet alcoholic drink
○ e.g. an after-dinner cordial 餐后酒
bloom /bluːm/ n. 水果和叶子上的一层粉霜
○ a delicate powdery coating on some fruits and leaves
resignation /ˌrezɪɡˈneɪʃn/ n. 顺从，听任
○ patient willingness to accept a difficult or unpleasant
situation that you cannot change
○ e.g. They accepted their defeat with resignation. 他们无可
奈何地承认失败。
mink /mɪŋk/ n. 水貂；水貂皮
○ a small animal with soft brown fur, or the very valuable fur
of this animal which is used to make coats, hats, etc.
○ e.g. a mink coat 一件貂皮大衣
muskrat /ˈmʌskræt/ n. 麝鼠（北美洲半水栖鼠，有麝香味，
毛皮可作商品）
○ a North American water animal that has a strong smell and
is hunted for its fur
conceal /kənˈsiːl/ v. 隐藏，隐瞒，掩盖
○ to hide sb./sth.
○ e.g. The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of ○ (= scimitar) a short curved sword with one sharp edge,
plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
deliberately /dɪˈlɪbərətli/ adv. 从容不迫地，不慌不忙地
○ done or said in a slow careful way
○ e.g. He shook his head slowly and deliberately. 他不慌不
忙地慢慢摇着头。
nutshell /ˈnʌtʃel/ n. 坚果的外壳
○ the hard outer part of a nut
perturbation /ˌpɜːtəˈbeɪʃən/ n. 摄动，微扰，扰动，干扰
○ technical a small change in the movement, quality, or
behaviour of something
○ e.g. climatic perturbations 气候的些微变化
whirlpool /ˈwɜːlpuːl/ n.（河水或海水的）旋涡
06
○ a place in a river or the sea where currents of water spin
round very fast
○ e.g. She felt she was being dragged into a whirlpool of
emotion. 她觉得自己被卷入了感情的旋涡。
meridian /məˈrɪdiən/ n. 子午线，经线
○ one of the lines that is drawn from the North Pole to the
South Pole on a map of the world
wedge /wedʒ/ v. 将 … 挤入（或塞进、插入）
○ to put or squeeze sth. tightly into a narrow space, so that it
cannot move easily
○ e.g. The boat was now wedged between the rocks. 船卡在
了岩石之间。
slush /slʌʃ/ n. 半融的雪，雪泥
○ partly melted snow
○ e.g. Children were sliding around in the snow and slush. 孩
子们在尚未化尽的雪地上到处滑行。
alluvion /əˈluːvɪən/ n. 沙洲
○ the wash of the sea or of a river
freshet /ˈfreʃɪt/ n.（大雨或融雪引起的）河水暴涨
○ the sudden overflowing of a river caused by heavy rain or
melting snow
lamp-post /ˈlæmp-pəʊst/ n. 路灯柱，灯杆
○ a tall pole that supports a light over a street or public area
gauge /ɡeɪdʒ/ n. 测量仪器，计量器，量规
○ an instrument for measuring the size or amount of
something
○ e.g. The petrol gauge is still on full. 汽油表显示油箱依然
是满的。
sham /ʃæm/ n. 假象，假情假义，伪善，伪装
○ (disapproving) a situation, feeling, system, etc. that is not
as good or true as it seems to be
○ e.g. The latest crime figures are a complete sham. 最新的
犯罪统计数字完全是捏造的。
glimmer /ˈɡlɪmə(r)/ v. 隐约地闪烁，发出微弱的闪光
○ to shine with a faint unsteady light
○ e.g. The candles glimmered in the corner. 烛光在角落里
忽明忽暗地闪烁。
cimeter /ˈsɪmɪtə(r)/ n.（多为东方人所用的）短弯刀
used especially in Eastern countries
marrow /ˈmærəʊ/ n. 骨髓
○ the soft fatty substance in the hollow centre of bones
○ e.g. a bone marrow transplant 骨髓移植
pebbly /ˈpebli/ adj. 砾石覆盖的
○ covered with pebbles
○ e.g. a pebbly beach 遍布卵石的海滩
snout /snaʊt/ n.（猪等动物的）口鼻部，长鼻子
○ the long nose of some kinds of animals, such as pigs
hereabouts /ˌhɪərəˈbaʊts/ adv.（在这）附近，在这一带
○ somewhere near the place where you are
○ e.g. There must be a pub hereabouts. 这附近肯定有酒吧。
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今日习题

1. 根据英文释义写出文中出现的对应单词

_________: not genuine but created deliberately and made to appear to be true
_________: technical a small change in the movement, quality, or behaviour of something

2. 一词多义

Which of the following underlined words is closest in meaning to the one in the sentence "How many a
poor immortal soul have I met well nigh crushed and smothered under its load, creeping down the road of
life, pushing before it a barn seventy-five feet by forty, its Augean stables never cleansed, and one hundred
acres of land, tillage, mowing, pasture, and wood-lot!"? ____

A. In the immortal words of Henry Ford, ‘If it ain't broke, don't fix it.’
B. She is one of the Hollywood immortals.
C. Why have not we an immortal soul?
D. The players are considered to be the immortals of the game.

3. 翻译：根据给定中文回译英文

那些没有继承产业的人，虽不必受这类继承的牵累，但为了安抚和养育他们几立方英尺的血肉之躯，
也足够辛苦了。

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

习题答案

enough to subdue and cultivate a few cubic feet of flesh.

3. The portionless, who struggle with no such unnecessary inherited encumbrances, find it labor
2. C
1. factitious; perturbation
 Tiger Times 08

背景一点点

亨利 · 戴维 · 梭罗（Henry David Thoreau）

亨利 · 戴维 · 梭罗（1817-1862 年）出生于马萨诸塞州的康科德小镇，是美国哲学家、诗人和作家，
也是自然主义者和超验主义代表人物之一。1837 年，梭罗从哈佛大学毕业后，重新回到了康科
德小镇，在一所私立学校任教，并与当时的美国思想家拉尔夫 · 沃尔多 · 爱默生（Ralph Waldo
Emerson，1803-1882 年）建立了深厚的友谊。虽然梭罗和爱默生常常由于不同的观点而发生争执，
但是两人对彼此产生的影响是深远而持久。1841 年，梭罗辞去了教师的工作，开始写作。他一
生只出版过两本书：《康科德河和梅里马克河上的一周》（A Week on the Concord and Merrimack
Rivers，1849 年）和《瓦尔登湖》（Walden，1854 年），以及许多作为讲座发表的短文。

梭罗一生过着简单而相对平静的生活。除教书外，他还做过铅笔制造、土地勘察等工作。在
爱默生的支持下，梭罗也开始了一些超验主义实践。1845 年，在美国独立日那天，梭罗前往瓦尔
登湖畔的森林，住了两年零两个月。对梭罗来说，这种在郊区生活的 “ 实验 ” 是一次考验。因为
他接近自然，思考着自己生命的最终结局。梭罗将他的存在主义探索视为古希腊哲学意义上的冒险。
因为它的动机是迫切需要找到对现实的反思性理解，从而为智慧的人生提供启迪。按照哲学作为
一种生活方式的观点，这种生活方式 “ 必然是深思熟虑的 ”。因此，梭罗曾写道：“ 我到树林里去，
因为我希望活得有意义，只面对生活的基本事实，看看我是否能学到生活必须教给我的东西；而
不是在我死的时候，发现我没有活过。”

参考资料：Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy；The Guardian

编辑丨雨洁