I. Economy -- (1)

ECONOMY

WHEN I WROTE the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.

经济

当我写下以下文字时，我正独自一人生活在我自己建造的小屋里过着自给自足的生活。小屋建在马萨诸塞州康科德郡的一个小树林，临着瓦尔登湖畔，远离尘嚣。我在那儿生活了两年零两个月。现在我已回到都市，再次成为现代文明生活的匆匆过客。

I should not obtrude my affairs so much on the notice of my readers if very particular inquiries had not been made by my townsmen concerning my mode of life, which some would call impertinent, though they do not appear to me at all impertinent, but, considering the circumstances, very natural and pertinent. Some have asked what I got to eat; if I did not feel lonesome; if I was not afraid; and the like. Others have been curious to learn what portion of my income I devoted to charitable purposes; and some, who have large families, how many poor children I maintained. I will therefore ask those of my readers who feel no particular interest in me to pardon me if I undertake to answer some of these questions in this book. In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking. I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my experience. Moreover, I, on my side, require of every writer, first or last, a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men's lives; some such account as he would send to his kindred from a distant land; for if he has lived sincerely, it must have been in a distant land to me. Perhaps these pages are more particularly addressed to poor students. As for the rest of my readers, they will accept such portions as apply to them. I trust that none will stretch the seams in putting on the coat, for it may do good service to him whom it fits.

若非镇上的友人们对我的生活感到好奇而向我发问，我本不应过多描述我自己本身的事务，引起读者朋友的注意，虽然这些问题看似突兀，但考虑到当时的情况，在我看来却是再正常合理不过。有人问我平时吃些什么、是否会觉得孤单、会不会感到害怕等等；另一些人会好奇我有多少收入会用于慈善活动；而那些来自大家庭的人们则会想知道我助养了多少贫困儿童。我在此先向那些对我本人生活并无太大兴趣的读者表示歉意，因为我很可能在本书中对以上问题作答。大多数的书籍往往会省略「我」或第一人称，而本书则有所不同，会更多提及自我。我们往往不会记得叙事总是以第一人称在进行。若我知人如知己，我也就不会对自己过多着墨了。遗憾的是，我阅历浅薄，只能局限于这一话题。此外，于我而言，我认为每个作家都不应仅仅是勾画他所听说的别人的生活，他或早或晚都应用真诚质朴的文字描述自己的生活，就像是写给远方至亲的文字。 在我看来，一个人若生活得诚恳，他一定是生活在遥远的他乡。这些文字可能更适合清寒学子阅读，至于我的其他读者， 也可取适者而用。我相信没有人会削足适履，毕竟只有合适者才可物尽其用。

Walden 瓦尔登湖