瓦爾登湖：經(jīng)濟篇21

　　True， there are architects so called in this country， and I have heard of one at least possessed with the idea of making architectural ornaments have a core of truth， a necessity， and hence a beauty， as if it were a revelation to him.  All very well perhaps from his point of view， but only a little better than the common dilettantism.  A sentimental reformer in architecture， he began at the cornice， not at the foundation.  It was only how to put a core of truth within the ornaments， that every sugarplum， in fact， might have an almond or caraway seed in it ―― though I hold that almonds are most wholesome without the sugar ―― and not how the inhabitant，the indweller， might build truly within and without， and let the ornaments take care of themselves.  What reasonable man ever supposed that ornaments were something outward and in the skin merely ―― that the tortoise got his spotted shell， or the shell-fish its mother-o'-pearl tints， by such a contract as the inhabitants of Broadway their Trinity Church？  But a man has no more to do with the style of architecture of his house than a tortoise with that of its shell： nor need the soldier be so idle as to try to paint the precise color of his virtue on his standard.  The enemy will find it out.  He may turn pale when the trial comes.  This man seemed to me to lean over the cornice， and timidly whisper his half truth to the rude occupants who really knew it better than he.  What of architectural beauty I now see， I know has gradually grown from within outward， out of the necessities and character of the indweller， who is the only builder ―― out of some unconscious truthfulness， and nobleness， without ever a thought for the appearance and whatever additional beauty of this kind is destined to be produced will be preceded by a like unconscious beauty of life.  The most interesting dwellings in this country， as the painter knows， are the most unpretending， humble log huts and cottages of the poor commonly； it is the life of the inhabitants whose shells they are， and not any peculiarity in their surfaces merely， which makes them picturesque； and equally interesting will be the citizen's suburban box， when his life shall be as simple and as agreeable to the imagination， and there is as little straining after effect in the style of his dwelling.  A great proportion of architectural ornaments are literally hollow， and a September gale would strip them off， like borrowed plumes， without injury to the substantials.  They can do without architecture who have no olives nor wines in the cellar.  What if an equal ado were made about the ornaments of style in literature， and the architects of our bibles spent as much time about their cornices as the architects of our churches do？  So are made the belles-lettres and the beaux-arts and their professors.  Much it concerns a man， forsooth， how a few sticks are slanted over him or under him， and what colors are daubed upon his box.  It would signify somewhat， if， in any earnest sense，he slanted them and daubed it； but the spirit having departed out of the tenant， it is of a piece with constructing his own coffin ―― the architecture of the grave ―― and "carpenter" is but another name for "coffin-maker."  One man says， in his despair or indifference to life， take up a handful of the earth at your feet， and paint your house that color.  Is he thinking of his last and narrow house？

　　Toss up a copper for it as well.  What an abundance of leisure be must have！  Why do you take up a handful of dirt？  Better paint your house your own complexion； let it turn pale or blush for you.  An enterprise to improve the style of cottage architecture！  When you have got my ornaments ready， I will wear them.

　　Before winter I built a chimney， and shingled the sides of my house， which were already impervious to rain， with imperfect and sappy shingles made of the first slice of the log， whose edges I was obliged to straighten with a plane.

　　真的，在這個國家里面有一種人叫做建筑師，至少我聽說過一個建筑師有一種想法要使建筑上的裝飾具有一種真理之核心，一種必要性，因此有一種美，好像這是神靈給他的啟示。從他的觀點來說，是很好的羅，實際他比普通愛好美術的外行人只高明一點兒。一個建筑學上感情用事的改革家，他不從基礎，卻從飛檐人手。僅在裝飾中放一個真理之核心，像糖拌梅子里面嵌進一粒杏仁或者一粒葛縷子，――我總覺得吃杏仁，不用糖更有益于健康，――他不想想居民，即住在房屋里面的人，可以把房屋建筑得里里外外都很好，而不去管什么裝飾。哪個講理性的人會認為裝飾只是表面的，僅屬于皮膚上的東西，――認為烏龜獲得斑紋的甲殼，貝類獲得珠母的光澤，就像百老匯的居民獲得三一教堂似的要簽訂什么合同呢？一個人跟他自己的房屋建筑的風格無關，就跟烏龜跟它的甲殼無關一樣：當兵的不必那么無聊，把自己的勇氣的確切的顏色畫在旗幟上。

　　敵人會知道的。到了緊要關頭上，他就要臉色發(fā)青了。在我看來，這位建筑師仿佛俯身在飛檐上，羞澀地向那粗魯?shù)淖羲秸Z著他的似是而非的真理，實際上住戶比他還知道得更多。我現(xiàn)在所看到的建筑學的美，我了解它是從內(nèi)部向外面漸漸地生長出來的，是從那住在里面的人的需要和他的性格中生長出來的，住在里面的人是唯一的建筑師，――美來自他的不知不覺的真實感和崇高心靈，至于外表他一點兒沒有想到；這樣的美如果必然產(chǎn)生的話，那他先已不知不覺地有了生命之美。在我們這國土上，畫家們都知道，最有趣味的住宅一般是窮困的平民們的那些毫無虛飾的、卑微的木屋和農(nóng)舍；使房屋顯得別致的，不是僅僅在外表上有的哪種特性，而是外殼似的房屋里面的居民生活；同樣有趣味的，要算市民們那些郊外的箱形的木屋，他們的生活將是簡單的，恰如想象的一樣，他們的住宅就沒有一點叫人傷腦筋的風格。建筑上的大多數(shù)裝飾確實是空空洞洞的，一陣九月的風可以把它們吹掉，好比吹落借來的羽毛一樣，絲毫無損于實際。并不要在地窖中窖藏橄欖和美酒的人，沒有建筑學也可以過得去。如果在文學作品中，也這樣多事地追求裝飾風，如果我們的《圣經(jīng)》的建筑師，也像教堂的建筑師這樣花很多的時間在飛檐上，結果會怎樣呢？那些純文學、那些藝術學和它們的教授們就是如此矯揉造作的。當然，人很關心這幾根木棍子是斜放在他上面呢，還是放在下面，他的箱子應該涂上什么顏色。這里頭是很有一點意思的，如果認真他說，他把它們斜放了，箱子徐上顏色了；可是在精神已經(jīng)離開了軀殼的情況下，那它跟建造他自己的棺材就屬于同一性質(zhì)了――說的是墳墓的建筑學，――而“木匠”只不過是“做棺材的人”的另一個名稱罷了。有一個人說，你在失望中，或者對人生采取漠然態(tài)度時，抓起腳下的一把泥土來，就用這顏色來粉刷你的房子吧。他想到了他那臨終的狹長的房子了嗎？拋一個銅幣來抉擇一下好了。他一定有非常多的閑暇！為什么你要抓起一把泥土來呢？還是用你自己的皮膚顏色來粉刷你的房屋好得多；讓它顏色蒼白或者為你羞紅好了。一個改進村屋建筑風格的創(chuàng)造！等到你找出了我的裝飾來，我一定采用它們。

　　進冬以前，我造了一個煙囪，在屋側釘上一些薄片，因為那里已經(jīng)不能擋雨，那些薄片是木頭上砍下來的，不很完善的很蒼翠的木片，我卻不得不用刨子刨平它們的兩旁。

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