हरिवंश

AFTER A STILL winter night I awoke with the impression that some question had been put to me, which I had been endeavoring in vain to answer in my sleep, as what — how — when — where? But there was dawning Nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene and satisfied face, and no question on her lips. I awoke to an answered question, to Nature and daylight. The snow lying deep on the earth dotted with young pines, and the very slope of the hill on which my house is placed, seemed to say, Forward! Nature puts no question and answers none which we mortals ask. She has long ago taken her resolution. "O Prince, our eyes contemplate with admiration and transmit to the soul the wonderful and varied spectacle of this universe. The night veils without doubt a part of this glorious creation; but day comes to reveal to us this great work, which extends from earth even into the plains of the ether.



噢，王子。我們的眼睛在讚嘆，在靜觀，把這宇宙奇妙多變的景象傳達於靈魂。夜幕固然把造物的光輝部份掩遮，但白晝轉瞬來臨，揭示這偉大的作品，其廣大甚至從此土延伸至蒼穹。

已故的孟祥森（筆名孟東籬）在上個世紀末翻譯此段引文時，因為沒有網路，以他的博學多聞，仍註明此段引文出處不明。但我卻輕易的找到出自 《Harivansa》（訶利世系，或譯為哈利家譜）, 是印度二大史詩之一《摩訶婆羅多》的一個續章。《訶利世系》與《摩訶婆羅多》在實際內容上沒有什麼聯繫，但關於黑天的一些最主要的故事都是保存在此續章中。之前買的《湖濱書簡》，Letters to a Spiritual Seeker，梭羅亦有在給朋友的信中（1849/11/20）引用此史詩：

（那些學習瑜伽的人，從婆羅門那裡得到了努力的成果，）可擺脱一切枷鎖，像鳥在空中飛翔那樣的自由自在。
瑜伽者在沉思中，就能對造化有所貢獻；他能吸入神奇的香味，聽到美妙的事物。神體穿過他卻不傷害他，而與大自然吻合，使一切對他都恰到好處。他的一舉一動都鼓舞了大自然。

Free in this world, as the birds in the air, disengaged from every kind of chain.

Thus the Yogin, absorbed in contemplation, contributes for his part to creation : he breathes a divine perfume, he hears wonderful things . Divine forms traverse him without tearing him, and united to the nature which is proper to him, he goes, he acts, as animating original matter.

此書信集的編者在註釋提到梭羅於1849年9月11日自哈佛大學圖書館借出這套自梵文翻成法文的《Harivansa》，兩個月後，在給朋友的信中摘譯成英文。而1851年5月在修改《湖濱散記》而重讀此套書的同時，也在他的日記中記載了這兩段。因此可以推斷首揭引文應在此時加入《冬天的池》；梭羅說：正如其他的傳道者，寫完了我要講的，一段時日之後，我會再加進汲取自中國和印度經典的文字。

Like some other preachers, I have added my texts - derived from the Chinese and Hindoo scriptures – long after my discourse was written .

帝寶豪宅

Most men appear never to have considered what a house is, and are actually though needlessly poor all their lives because they think that they must have such a one as their neighbors have. As if one were to wear any sort of coat which the tailor might cut out for him, or, gradually leaving off palm-leaf hat or cap of woodchuck skin, complain of hard times because he could not afford to buy him a crown! It is possible to invent a house still more convenient and luxurious than we have, which yet all would admit that man could not afford to pay for. Shall we always study to obtain more of these things, and not sometimes to be content with less? Shall the respectable citizen thus gravely teach, by precept and example, the necessity of the young man's providing a certain number of superfluous glow-shoes, and umbrellas, and empty guest chambers for empty guests, before he dies? Why should not our furniture be as simple as the Arab's or the Indian's? When I think of the benefactors of the race, whom we have apotheosized as messengers from heaven, bearers of divine gifts to man, I do not see in my mind any retinue at their heels, any carload of fashionable furniture. Or what if I were to allow — would it not be a singular allowance? — that our furniture should be more complex than the Arab's, in proportion as we are morally and intellectually his superiors! At present our houses are cluttered and defiled with it, and a good housewife would sweep out the greater part into the dust hole, and not leave her morning's work undone. Morning work! By the blushes of Aurora and the music of Memnon, what should be man's morning work in this world? I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all undusted still, and threw them out the window in disgust. How, then, could I have a furnished house? I would rather sit in the open air, for no dust gathers on the grass, unless where man has broken ground.



日本三大隨筆之一的《徒然草》提到：

能持身簡樸，袪除奢欲，不務財富，不求世間名利的，方稱賢慧。自古富而賢者，為數極少。

許由身無長物，有人見他捧水而飲，乃贈以葫蘆。時或繫之樹上，風吹作響，許由頓覺厭煩，遂棄而不用，復以手掬水。真可謂清涼之心也！孫晨冬天沒有棉被，僅備乾草一束，夜來舖草而臥，醒來便將之收起。唐土之人，以此等人為高士，載之書冊以傳世；若生於日本，必湮沒無聞。


讀李永熾先生《從風土與場所看台灣族群》一文，說到台灣雖有獨特的風土，卻被來來往往的人刻意的漠視。我們只有過客，剝削者，外來政權，而沒有自己主體的台灣。因為風土與場所的不同，會產生不同的文化，所以許由及孫晨此等人物不為日本人所喜歡。而在美國，則有梭羅。

梭羅因為桌上的三塊石頭必須每天擦拭，而沒有時間擦拭內心的塵埃，頓生厭背之心，將之丟棄。較之必須每天清掃的帝寶豪宅內的高級沙發，他寧願選擇坐在露天的草地上。

梭羅說，我們是不是應該偶爾學著滿足於現況，而不是整天想著如何去獲得那些奢侈品，去告訴我們年輕的一代，在你們死之前，務必要擁有鉑金包，名錶，跑車，豪宅，否則你們就白活了？我們的監察院長在嘲笑大學生打工的不智時，只有人責怪他不懂民間疾苦，卻沒有人告訴他，求學問並不是為了將來可以賺更多的錢而已！難道將來在台灣的史冊上，就只會有王永慶，郭台銘這些人？如果是這樣，即便台灣建構成為完全屬於台灣人民的國家，也不會被其他世界的人所尊重的。