I set out one afternoon to go a-fishing to Fair Haven， through the woods， to eke out my scanty fare of vegetables.  My way led through Pleasant Meadow， an adjunct of the Baker Farm， that retreat of which a poet has since sung， beginning，――

　　"Thy entry is a pleasant field，

　　Which some mossy fruit trees yield

　　Partly to a ruddy brook，

　　By gliding musquash undertook，

　　And mercurial trout，

　　Darting about."

　　I thought of living there before I went to Walden.  I "hooked" the apples， leaped the brook， and scared the musquash and the trout.  It was one of those afternoons which seem indefinitely long before one，in which many events may happen， a large portion of our natural life， though it was already half spent when I started.  By the way there came up a shower， which compelled me to stand half an hour under a pine， piling boughs over my head， and wearing my handkerchief for a shed； and when at length I had made one cast over the pickerelweed， standing up to my middle in water， I found myself suddenly in the shadow of a cloud， and the thunder began to rumble with such emphasis that I could do no more than listen to it.  The gods must be proud， thought I， with such forked flashes to rout a poor unarmed fisherman.  So I made haste for shelter to the nearest hut， which stood half a mile from any road， but so much the nearer to the pond， and had long been uninhabited：――

　　"And here a poet builded，

　　In the completed years，

　　For behold a trivial cabin

　　That to destruction steers."

　　So the Muse fables.  But therein， as I found， dwelt now John Field，an Irishman， and his wife， and several children， from the broad-faced boy who assisted his father at his work， and now came running by his side from the bog to escape the rain， to the wrinkled， sibyl-like， cone-headed infant that sat upon its father's knee as in the palaces of nobles， and looked out from its home in the midst of wet and hunger inquisitively upon the stranger， with the privilege of infancy， not knowing but it was the last of a noble line， and the hope and cynosure of the world， instead of John Field's poor starveling brat.  There we sat together under that part of the roof which leaked the least， while it showered and thundered without.  I had sat there many times of old before the ship was built that floated his family to America.  An honest， hard-working，but shiftless man plainly was John Field； and his wife， she too was brave to cook so many successive dinners in the recesses of that lofty stove； with round greasy face and bare breast， still thinking to improve her condition one day； with the never absent mop in one hand， and yet no effects of it visible anywhere.  The chickens，which had also taken shelter here from the rain， stalked about the room like members of the family， too humanized， methought， to roast well.  They stood and looked in my eye or pecked at my shoe significantly.  Meanwhile my host told me his story， how hard he worked "bogging" for a neighboring farmer， turning up a meadow with a spade or bog hoe at the rate of ten dollars an acre and the use of the land with manure for one year， and his little broad-faced son worked cheerfully at his father's side the while， not knowing how poor a bargain the latter had made.  I tried to help him with my experience， telling him that he was one of my nearest neighbors， and that I too， who came a-fishing here， and looked like a loafer， was getting my living like himself； that I lived in a tight， light， and clean house， which hardly cost more than the annual rent of such a ruin as his commonly amounts to； and how， if he chose， he might in a month or two build himself a palace of his own； that I did not use tea， nor coffee， nor butter， nor milk， nor fresh meat， and so did not have to work to get them； again， as I did not work hard， I did not have to eat hard， and it cost me but a trifle for my food； but as he began with tea， and coffee， and butter， and milk， and beef， he had to work hard to pay for them， and when he had worked hard he had to eat hard again to repair the waste of his system ―― and so it was as broad as it was long， indeed it was broader than it was long， for he was discontented and wasted his life into the bargain； and yet he had rated it as a gain in coming to America， that here you could get tea， and coffee， and meat every day.  But the only true America is that country where you are at liberty to pursue such a mode of life as may enable you to do without these， and where the state does not endeavor to compel you to sustain the slavery and war and other superfluous expenses which directly or indirectly result from the use of such things.  For I purposely talked to him as if he were a philosopher， or desired to be one.  I should be glad if all the meadows on the earth were left in a wild state， if that were the consequence of men's beginning to redeem themselves.  A man will not need to study history to find out what is best for his own culture. But alas！ the culture of an Irishman is an enterprise to be undertaken with a sort of moral bog hoe.  I told him， that as he worked so hard at bogging， he required thick boots and stout clothing， which yet were soon soiled and worn out， but I wore light shoes and thin clothing， which cost not half so much， though he might think that I was dressed like a gentleman （which， however， was not the case）， and in an hour or two， without labor， but as a recreation， I could， if I wished， catch as many fish as I should want for two days， or earn enough money to support me a week.  If he and his family would live simply， they might all go a-huckleberrying in the summer for their amusement.  John heaved a sigh at this， and his wife stared with arms a-kimbo， and both appeared to be wondering if they had capital enough to begin such a course with， or arithmetic enough to carry it through.  It was sailing by dead reckoning to them， and they saw not clearly how to make their port so； therefore I suppose they still take life bravely， after their fashion， face to face， giving it tooth and nail， not having skill to split its massive columns with any fine entering wedge， and rout it in detail； ―― thinking to deal with it roughly， as one should handle a thistle.  But they fight at an overwhelming disadvantage ――living， John Field， alas！ without arithmetic， and failing so.

　　有一個下午我穿過森林到美港去鈞魚，以彌補我的蔬菜的不足。我沿路經過了快樂草地，它是和倍克田莊緊相連的，有個詩人曾經歌唱過這僻隱的地方，這樣開頭：“入口是愉快的田野，那里有些生苔的果樹，讓出一泓紅紅的清溪，水邊有閃逃的麝香鼠，還有水銀似的鱒魚啊，游來游去?！?/p>

　　還在我沒有住到瓦爾登之前，我曾想過去那里生活。我曾去“鉤”過蘋果，縱身躍過那道溪，嚇唬過麝香鼠和鱒魚。在那些個顯得漫長、可以發生許多事情的下午中間的一個，當我想到該把大部分時間用于大自然的生活，因而出動之時，這個下午已過去了一半。還在途中呢，就下了陣雨，使我不得不在一棵松樹下躲了半個小時，我在頭頂上面，搭了一些樹枝，再用手帕當我的遮蓋；后來我索性下了水，水深及腰，我在梭魚草上垂下了釣絲，突然發現我自己已在一塊烏云底下，雷霆已開始沉重地擂響，我除了聽他的，沒有別的辦法了。我想，天上的諸神真神氣，要用這些叉形的閃光來迫害我這個可憐的沒有武裝的漁人，我趕緊奔到最近一個茅屋中去躲，那里離開無論哪一條路，都是半英里，它倒是跟湖來得近些，很久以來就沒有人在那里住了：“這里是詩人所建，在他的風燭殘年，看這小小的木屋，也有毀滅的危險。”

　　繆斯女神如此寓言。可是我看到那兒現在住著一個愛爾蘭人，叫約翰。斐爾德，還有他的妻子和好幾個孩子，大孩子有個寬闊的臉龐，已經在幫他父親做工了，這會兒他也從沼澤中奔回家來躲雨，小的嬰孩滿臉皺紋，像先知一樣，有個圓錐形的腦袋，坐在他父親的膝蓋上像坐在貴族的宮廷中，從他那個又潮濕又饑餓的家里好奇地望著陌生人，這自然是一個嬰孩的權利，他卻不知道自己是貴族世家的最后一代，他是世界的希望，世界注目的中心，并不是什么約翰。斐爾德的可憐的、饑餓的小子。我們一起坐在最不漏水的那部分屋頂下，而外面卻是大雨又加大雷，我從前就在這里坐過多少次了，那時載了他們這一家而飄洋過海到美國來的那條船還沒有造好呢。這個約翰。斐爾德顯然是一個老實、勤懇，可是沒有辦法的人；他的妻子呢，她也是有毅力的，一連不斷地在高高的爐子那兒做飯；圓圓的、油膩的臉，露出了胸，還在夢想有一天要過好日子呢，手中從來不放下拖把，可是沒有一處看得到它發生了作用。小雞也躲雨躲進了屋，在屋子里像家人一樣大模大樣地走來走去，跟人類太相似了，我想它們是烤起來也不會好吃的。

　　它們站著，望著我的眼睛，故意來啄我的鞋子。同時，我的主人把他的身世告訴了我，他如何給鄰近一個農夫艱苦地在沼澤上工作，如何用鏟子或沼澤地上用的鋤頭翻一片草地，報酬是每英畝十元，并且利用土地和肥料一年，而他那個個子矮小、有寬闊的臉龐的大孩子就在父親身邊愉快地工作，并不知道他父親接洽的是何等惡劣的交易。我想用我的經驗來幫助他，告訴他我們是近鄰，我呢，是來這兒釣魚的，看外表，好比是一個流浪人，但也跟他一樣，是個自食其力的人；還告訴他我住在一座很小的、光亮的、干凈的屋子里，那造價可并不比他租用這種破房子一年的租費大；如果他愿意的話，他也能夠在一兩個月之內，給他自己造起一座皇宮來；我是不喝茶，不喝咖啡，不吃牛油，不喝牛奶，也不吃鮮肉的，因此我不必為了要得到它們而工作；而因為我不拼命工作，我也就不必拼命吃，所以我的伙食費數目很??；可是因為他一開始就要茶、咖啡、牛油、牛奶和牛肉，他就不得不拼命工作來償付這一筆支出，他越拼命地工作，就越要吃得多，以彌補他身體上的消耗，――結果開支越來越大，而那開支之大確實比那時日之長更加厲害了，因為他不能滿足，一生就這樣消耗在里面了，然而他還認為，到美國來是一件大好事，在這里你每天可以吃到茶，咖啡和肉?？墒悄俏ㄒ坏恼嬲拿绹鴳撌沁@樣的一個國家，你可以自由地過一種生活，沒有這些食物也能過得好，在這個國土上，并不需要強迫你支持奴隸制度，不需要你來供養一場戰爭，也不需要你付一筆間接或直接的因為這一類事情而付的額外費用。我特意這樣跟他說，把他當成一個哲學家，或者當他是希望做一個哲學家的人。我很愿意讓這片草原荒蕪下去，如果是因為人類開始要贖罪，而后才有這樣的結局的。一個人不必去讀了歷史，才明白什么東西對他自己的文化最有益?？墒?，唉！一個愛爾蘭人的文化竟是用一柄沼澤地帶用的鋤頭似的觀念來開發的事業。我告訴他，既然在沼澤上拼命做苦工，他必須有厚靴子和牢固衣服，它們很快就磨損破爛了，我卻只穿薄底鞋和薄衣服，價值還不到他的一半，在他看來我倒是穿得衣冠楚楚，像一個紳士（事實上，卻并不是那樣），而我可以不花什么力氣，像消遣那樣用一兩小時的時間，如果我高興的話，捕捉夠吃一兩天的魚，或者賺下夠我一星期花費的錢。如果他和他的家庭可以簡單地生活，他們可以在夏天，都去揀拾越橘，以此為樂。

　　聽到這話，約翰就長嘆一聲，他的妻子兩手叉腰瞪著我，似乎他們都在考慮，他們有沒有足夠的資金來開始過這樣的生活，或者學到的算術是不是夠他們把這種生活堅持到底。

　　在他們看來，那是依靠測程和推算，也不清楚這樣怎么可以到達他們的港岸；于是我揣想到了，他們還是會勇敢地用他們自己的那個方式來生活，面對生活，竭力奮斗，卻沒法用任何精銳的楔子楔入生活的大柱子，裂開它，細細地雕刻；――他們想到刻苦地對付生活，像人們對付那多刺的薊草一樣?？墒撬麄兪窃诜浅毫拥男蝿菹旅鎽鸲返?，――唉，約翰。斐爾德??！不用算術而生活，你已經一敗涂地了。

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