“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. The sun is but a morning star. As I stood over the pond in the woods that day at sunrise, the soft light spread over the still water, creating a magical halo that seemed to embrace the whole scene. The ancient trees around the pond, their trunks gnarled and weathered by time, stood like silent sentinels, witnessing the daily spectacle of nature’s awakening. The mist rose slowly from the water, adding an ethereal touch to the already enchanting view. And I thought to myself, in this simple yet profound moment, I was closer to the true essence of life than I had ever been in the bustling chaos of the city.”

—— Henry David Thoreau《Walden; or, Life in the Woods》

我毅然决然地踏入树林，只因我渴望审慎地对待生活，直面生活最根本的事实，探寻生活究竟能给予我怎样的启示，以免在生命的尽头，惊觉自己从未真正活过。我决然不愿渡过那并非真正生活的日子，毕竟生活是如此弥足珍贵；我亦不愿轻易屈从，除非万不得已。在我眼中，太阳不过是一颗璀璨的晨星罢了。那日，当朝阳冉冉升起，我伫立在树林中的池塘畔，柔和的光线轻柔地洒落在平静如镜的水面上，仿佛营造出一个神奇的光环，仿佛要将整个场景温柔地拥入怀中。池塘四周，那些古树的树干因岁月漫长侵蚀而扭曲风化，宛如沉默的哨兵般静静矗立，见证着大自然每日苏醒的奇妙景观。薄雾缓缓从水面升腾而起，为这已然迷人的景色增添了一抹空灵之韵。我暗自思忖，在这个看似简单却意义深远的时刻，我比身处喧嚣混乱的城市中时更贴近生活的真谛。

—— 亨利・戴维・梭罗《湖滨散记》