瓦爾登湖:村子2

　　One afternoon， near the end of the first summer， when I went to the village to get a shoe from the cobbler's， I was seized and put into jail， because， as I have elsewhere related， I did not pay a tax to， or recognize the authority of， the State which buys and sells men， women， and children， like cattle， at the door of its senate-house.  I had gone down to the woods for other purposes. But， wherever a man goes， men will pursue and paw him with their dirty institutions， and， if they can， constrain him to belong to their desperate odd-fellow society.  It is true， I might have resisted forcibly with more or less effect， might have run "amok" against society； but I preferred that society should run "amok" against me， it being the desperate party.  However， I was released the next day， obtained my mended shoe， and returned to the woods in season to get my dinner of huckleberries on Fair Haven Hill.  I was never molested by any person but those who represented the State.  I had no lock nor bolt but for the desk which held my papers， not even a nail to put over my latch or windows.  I never fastened my door night or day， though I was to be absent several days； not even when the next fall I spent a fortnight in the woods of Maine.  And yet my house was more respected than if it had been surrounded by a file of soldiers.  The tired rambler could rest and warm himself by my fire，the literary amuse himself with the few books on my table， or the curious， by opening my closet door， see what was left of my dinner，and what prospect I had of a supper.  Yet， though many people of every class came this way to the pond， I suffered no serious inconvenience from these sources， and I never missed anything but one small book， a volume of Homer， which perhaps was improperly gilded， and this I trust a soldier of our camp has found by this time.  I am convinced， that if all men were to live as simply as I then did， thieving and robbery would be unknown.  These take place only in communities where some have got more than is sufficient while others have not enough.  The Pope's Homers would soon get properly distributed.

　　"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 ―― I the grass， when the wind passes over it，bends."

　　有一天下午，在我的第一個夏天將要結束的時候，我進村子里去，找鞋匠拿一只鞋子，我被捕了，給關進了監獄里去，因為正如我在另外一篇文章里面說明了的，我拒絕付稅給國家，甚至不承認這個國家的權力，這個國家在議會門口把男人、女人和孩子當牛馬一樣地買賣。我本來是為了別的事到森林中去的。但是，不管一個人走到哪里，人間的骯臟的機關總要跟他到哪里，伸出于來攫取他，如果他們能夠辦到，總要強迫他回到屬于他那共濟會式的社會中。真的，我本可以強悍地抵抗一下，多少可以有點結果的，我本可以瘋狂地反對社會，但是我寧可讓社會瘋狂地來反對我，因為它才是那絕望的一方。然而第二天我被釋放出來了，還是拿到了那只修補過的鞋子，回到林中正好趕上在美港山上大嚼一頓越橘。除了那些代表這國的人物之外，我沒有受到過任何人的騷擾。

　　除了放我的稿件的桌子之外，我沒有用鎖，沒有閂門，在我的窗子上，梢子上，也沒有一只釘子。我日夜都不鎖門，盡管我要出門好幾天；在接下來的那個秋天，我到緬因的林中去住了半個月，我也沒有鎖門。然而我的房屋比周圍駐扎著大兵還要受到尊敬。疲勞的閑游者可以在我的火爐邊休息，并且取暖，我桌上的幾本書可以供文學愛好者來翻閱，或者那些好奇的人，打開了我的櫥門，也可以看我還剩下什么飯菜，更可以知道我晚餐將吃些什么。雖然各個階級都有不少人跑到湖邊來，我卻沒有因此而有多大的不便，我什么也沒有丟，只少了一部小書，那是一卷荷馬，大概因為封面鍍金鍍壞了，我想這是兵營中的一個士兵拿走的。我確實相信，如果所有的人都生活得跟我一樣簡單，愉竊和搶劫便不會發生了。發生這樣的事，原因是社會上有的人得到的多于足夠，而另一些人得到的卻又少于足夠。蒲伯譯的荷馬應該立刻適當地傳播……

　　“Nec bella fuerunt，Faginus astabat dum scyphus ante dapes.”

　　“世人不會戰爭，在所需只是山毛櫸的碗碟時。”“子為政。焉用殺。子欲善。而民善矣。君子之德風。小人之德草。草上之風。必偃。”

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