瓦尔登湖两句翻译斟酌
第一句：
We should feed and clothe him gratuitously sometimes, and recruit him with our cordials,before we judge of him.这里后半句有些译本翻译成“我们应该用滋补品帮助他们恢复体力”。我个人理解是：cordials是形容词名词化，是词汇学中的转类法，理解为真诚或诚挚，而recruit字典中确实有恢复体力的意思，但是这里不符合上下文，应该是第一个意思招募，征兵，招生演化过来的劝服，开导的意思。所以这句话应该是我们应该真诚地开导他们，意思是人家不一定像我梭罗和少数人一样看透了物质对精神的束缚，要开导他们，不要随意下评论和判断，一棍子把人家打死，所以他下文说The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.
再一句：
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.所有瓦尔登湖译本统统把后句翻译为：你从绝望的城市走到绝望的村庄，以水貂和麝鼠的勇敢来安慰自己。实在让人费解！翻译出问题大部分是词的问题，而词的问题大部分又是一词多义导致的，这里的bravery不是勇敢的意思，而是另一个生僻的意思，华丽或华丽的衣服，比如She came to the party in all the bravery of her new dress. 也可以说in her bravery.所以翻译为：大多数人日复一日地过着绝望的生活而浑然不觉。所谓的听天由命不过是彻底的绝望。带着这种绝望的心境，从城市你来到乡村，锦帽貂裘，穿着华丽，唯此可聊以自慰。
梭罗这段核心含义 就是人们表面忙忙碌碌，物质生活丰富，实际上内在精神世界是空虚而绝望，不知所谓~ 有点像狄更斯说的This was the best of times .This was the worst of times.
