Meanwhile my beans， the length of whose rows， added together，was seven miles already planted， were impatient to be hoed， for the earliest had grown considerably before the latest were in the ground； indeed they were not easily to be put off.  What was the meaning of this so steady and self-respecting， this small Herculean labor， I knew not.  I came to love my rows， my beans， though so many more than I wanted.  They attached me to the earth， and so I got strength like Antaeus.  But why should I raise them？  Only Heaven knows.  This was my curious labor all summer ―― to make this portion of the earth's surface， which had yielded only cinquefoil，blackberries， johnswort， and the like， before， sweet wild fruits and pleasant flowers， produce instead this pulse.  What shall I learn of beans or beans of me？  I cherish them， I hoe them， early and late I have an eye to them； and this is my day's work.  It is a fine broad leaf to look on.  My auxiliaries are the dews and rains which water this dry soil， and what fertility is in the soil itself， which for the most part is lean and effete.  My enemies are worms， cool days，and most of all woodchucks.  The last have nibbled for me a quarter of an acre clean.  But what right had I to oust johnswort and the rest， and break up their ancient herb garden？  Soon， however， the remaining beans will be too tough for them， and go forward to meet new foes.

　　When I was four years old， as I well remember， I was brought from Boston to this my native town， through these very woods and this field， to the pond.  It is one of the oldest scenes stamped on my memory.  And now to-night my flute has waked the echoes over that very water.  The pines still stand here older than I； or， if some have fallen， I have cooked my supper with their stumps， and a new growth is rising all around， preparing another aspect for new infant eyes.  Almost the same johnswort springs from the same perennial root in this pasture， and even I have at length helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams， and one of the results of my presence and influence is seen in these bean leaves， corn blades， and potato vines.

　　I planted about two acres and a half of upland； and as it was only about fifteen years since the land was cleared， and I myself had got out two or three cords of stumps， I did not give it any manure； but in the course of the summer it appeared by the arrowheads which I turned up in hoeing， that an extinct nation had anciently dwelt here and planted corn and beans ere white men came to clear the land， and so， to some extent， had exhausted the soil for this very crop.

　　這時我的豆子，已經種好了的一行一行地加起來，長度總有七英里了吧，急待鋤草松土，因為最后一批還沒播種下去，最先一批已經長得很不錯了；真是不容再拖延的了。

　　這一樁赫拉克勒斯的小小勞役，干得這樣賣力，這樣自尊，到底有什么意思呢，我還不知道。我愛上了我的一行行的豆子，雖然它們已經超出我的需要很多了。它們使我愛上了我的土地，因此我得到了力量，像安泰一樣?？墒俏覟槭裁匆N豆呢？只有天曉得。

　　整個夏天，我都這樣奇妙地勞動著――在大地表皮的這一塊上，以前只長洋莓，狗尾草，黑莓之類，以及甜蜜的野果子和好看的花朵，而現在卻讓它來生長豆子了。我從豆子能學到什么，豆于從我身上又能學到什么呢？我珍愛它們，我為它們松土鋤草，從早到晚照管它們；這算是我一天的工作。闊大的葉子真好看。我的助手是滋潤這干燥泥土的露水和雨點。而泥土本身又含有何等的肥料，雖說其中有大部分土地是貧瘠和枯竭的。蟲子，寒冷的日子，尤其土撥鼠則是我的敵人。土撥鼠吃光了我一英畝地的四分之一?？墒俏矣钟惺裁礄嗬纬肺膊葜惖闹参铮瑲乃鼈冏怨乓詠淼陌俨輬@呢？好在剩下的豆子立刻就會長得十分茁壯，可以去對付一些新的敵人了。

　　我記得很清楚，我四歲的時候，從波士頓遷移到我這個家鄉來，曾經經過這座森林和這片土地，還到過湖邊。這是銘刻在我記憶中的往日最早的景象之一。今夜，我的笛聲又喚醒了這同一湖水的回聲。松樹還站在那里，年齡比我大；或者，有的已被砍伐了，我用它們的根來煮飯，新的松樹已在四周生長，給新一代人的眼睛以別一番的展望。就從這牧場上的同一根多年老根上又長出了幾乎是同樣的狗尾草，甚至我后來都還給我幾時夢境中神話般的風景添上一襲新裝，要知道我重返這里之后所發生的影響，請瞧這些豆子的葉子，玉米的尖葉以及土豆藤。我大約種了兩英畝半的岡地；這片地大約十五年前還被砍伐過一次，我挖出了兩三“考德”的樹根來，我沒有施肥；在這個夏天的那些日子里，我鋤地時還翻起了一些箭頭來，看來從前，在白人來砍伐之前，就有一個已經消失了的古代民族曾在這里住過，還種過玉米和豆子吧，所以，在一定程度上，他們已經耗盡了地力，有過收獲了。

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