爱华网"I wanted to live deep and suck outall the marrow of life, to live sosturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life,to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner,and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean,why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publishits meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it byexperience, and be able to give a true account of it in my nextexcursion."
Henry David Thoreau:Walden,or Life in theWoods(中译名：瓦尔登湖）
高中的时候上过《瓦尔登湖》的一小段节选，草草过去，本来也该忘记了。今天晚上看了一部叫做"Dead PoetsSociety"（死亡诗社）的老电影，片中诗社的那本老"Bible"的扉页上写的就是下面这段《瓦尔登湖》的节选：
I went to the woods because I wished tolive deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, andsee if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I cameto die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live whatwas not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practiseresignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deepand suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily andSpartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut abroad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, andreduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, whythen to get the whole and genuine meanness of it,and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, toknow it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it inmy next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strangeuncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, andhave somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of manhere to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."
HenryDavid Thoreau:Walden,or Life in the Woods
最近上《美国文学选读》的课正好学到美国早期浪漫主义文学的部分，其中有一个以RalphWaldoEmerson为代表的Transcendentalism（超验主义）流派（可能也算不上流派吧）。他们主张通过自己的内心和灵魂去感应上帝（听着就很玄乎）。上维基百科看了半天也没看懂这个Transcendentalism到底主张哪门子哲学。今天读了Thoreau的这一小段（当然还有那部电影啦）终于明白了这个Transcendentalism到底是怎么一回事。还是弄一段译文给大家看看吧！
“我到林中去，因为我希望谨慎地生活，只面对生活的基本事实，看看我是否学得到生活要教育我的东西，免得到了临死的时候，才发现我根本就没有生活过。我不希望度过非生活的生活，生活是那样的可爱；我却也不愿意去修行过隐逸的生活，除非是万不得已。我要生活得深深地把生命的精髓都吸到，要生活得稳稳当当，生活得斯巴达式的，以便根除一切非生活的东西，划出一块刈割的面积来，细细地刈割或修剪，把生活压缩到一个角隅里去，把它缩小到最低的条件中，如果它被证明是卑微的，那么就把那真正的卑微全部认识到，并把它的卑微之处公布于世界；或者，如果它是崇高的，就用切身的经历来体会它，在我下一次远游时，也可以作出一个真实的报道。因为，我看，大多数人还确定不了他们的生活是属于魔鬼的，还是属于上帝的呢，然而又多少有点轻率地下了判断，认为人生的主要目标是“归荣耀于神，并永远从神那里得到喜悦”。”（徐迟译）
其实电影里Caption主张的教育方式本来就是Transcendentalism哲学的一种实践。主张用心灵跳出“框框”来表达，主张一种简单直接的体验而不是繁杂的公式或枯燥的理论，这些本来就是Transcendentalism哲学的一部分啊！当然了,Transcendentalism绝对要强调的是“自我”，失去了“自我”就没有了Transcendentalism，没了一切。
看完了《死亡诗社》后我发现它简直就是一部美国浪漫主义文学作品！里面Caption常说的一句就是"O Captain! myCaptain!".这句来自WaltWhitman为了纪念林肯总统写的一首诗"O Captain! myCaptain!"(高中好像也学过了！）正好WaltWhitman也是浪漫主义时期的作家。（真巧）
大家还是看电影好了！相信看完之后你也会感概一句：“唉！要是我也能遇见一个这么棒的老师就好了！”
