Ralph Waldo Emerson
from Nature, published as part of Nature; Addresses and Lectures
Not less excellent, except for our less susceptibility in the afternoon, was the 孟春黄昏,日落未已,美妙醉人,然则不奈后晌之困倦。
charm, last evening, of a January sunset. The western clouds divided and
西云漫卷,粉鳞片片,幻化万千,温软之至,溢于言表;
subdivided themselves into pink flakes modulated with tints of unspeakable softness; and the air had so much life and sweetness, that it was a pain to 亦有六合之气,生机盎然,淡然甜美,闭门不出,实乃平生之大憾。
come within doors. What was it that nature would say? Was there no meaning 然天地四时将欲道之何?磨坊之后,山谷静谧,其美其幻,虽则先人(荷翁、莎
in the live repose of the valley behind the mill, and which Homer or 翁)亦未能言尽,然其几无兴意乎?
Shakspeare could not reform for me in words? The leafless trees become 遥遥东际,天地合一,万物肃杀,花木凋零,霜雪残存,然仍有枯枝跃然暮光之
spires of flame in the sunset, with the blue east for their back-ground, and the中,晦明变化,如跃动之火苗,又如无声之乐章。
stars of the dead calices of flowers, and every withered stem and stubble rimed with frost, contribute something to the mute music.
The inhabitants of cities suppose that the country landscape is pleasant only 芸芸众生,久居樊笼,只道乡间隽秀乃一时之景也。
half the year. I please myself with the graces of the winter scenery, and believe而吾独钟爱冬景之清丽,欣喜于冬日之冷寂,亦无异于夏日之温热。
that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer. To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same 有心之人,宇内四时,于其皆美。乡野之秀丽,时刻流转,皆可谓空前绝后。
field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again. The heavens change every moment, and reflect their碧落天穹,变幻无穷,天地相映,盛衰枯荣。
glory or gloom on the plains beneath. The state of the crop in the surrounding 有四方之稼穑,周时变换,推陈而出新。
farms alters the expression of the earth from week to week. The succession of native plants in the pastures and roadsides, which makes the silent clock by 又有乡土之草木,路边牧场,遍及眼界,若天地之钟晷,报无言之时令;明察秋
which time tells the summer hours, will make even the divisions of the day 毫者,亦能于此窥及朝夕之交替。
sensible to a keen observer. The tribes of birds and insects, like the plants 正如草木之知时,鸟径虫迹,繁华再起。此即为万物皆能得委于四时。
punctual to their time, follow each other, and the year has room for all. By water-courses, the variety is greater. In July, the blue pontederia or 冰川融逝,溪水浅流,生气尽显。即如七月仲夏,流水清浅,蓝草密布,成群黄
pickerel-weed blooms in large beds in the shallow parts of our pleasant river, and swarms with yellow butterflies in continual motion. Art cannot rival this 蝶,翩翩起舞。紫金交映,壮丽浮华,仿若画中。
pomp of purple and gold. Indeed the river is a perpetual gala, and boasts each 是为一曲清流,四时不息,繁华无尽,若佳节之盛况,又如每月之新装。
month a new ornament.
But this beauty of Nature which is seen and felt as beauty, is the least part. The 然则此类自然之美,可感可触,实乃最为平凡之美。日月晦明,晨露未晞,霁虹
shows of day, the dewy morning, the rainbow, mountains, orchards in 当空,远山横卧,花开满园,星辰闪耀,月光皎洁,疏影横斜,凡此种种,皆为
blossom, stars, moonlight, shadows in still water, and the like, if too eagerly 美中之极。倘趋之过甚,则易为做作之辞,美景如幻,吾辈却为之讥讽。
hunted, become shows merely, and mock us with their unreality. Go out of the house to see the moon, and 't is mere tinsel; it will not please as when its light今可轻踱出户,共赏婵娟,其仅为俗丽,岂会欣于照亮征途?
shines upon your necessary journey. The beauty that shimmers in the yellow 金秋十月,午后闲时,美景熠熠,孰能缚之焉?
afternoons of October, who ever could clutch it? Go forth to find it, and it is gone: 't is only a mirage as you look from the windows of diligence. 然奋起追踪,亦会消逝;仅余旅途之间,海市蜃楼之幻灭。