We went slipping silently along， between the green and fragrant banks， with a sense of pleasure and contentment that grew， and grew， all the time. Sometimes the banks were overhung with thick masses of willows that wholly hid the ground behind； sometimes we had noble hills on one hand， clothed densely with foliage to their tops， and on the other hand open levels blazing with poppies， or clothed in the rich blue of the corn-flower； sometimes we drifted in the shadow of forests， and sometimes along the margin of long stretches of velvety grass， fresh and green and bright， a tireless charm to the eye. And the birds！ —they were everywhere； they swept back and forth across the river constantly， and their jubilant music was never stilled.
It was a deep and satisfying pleasure to see the sun create the new morning， and gradually， patiently， lovingly， clothe it on with splendor after splendor， and glory after glory， till the miracle was complete. How different is this marvel observed from a raft， from what it is when one observes it through the dingy windows of a railway-station in some wretched village while he munches a petrified sandwich and waits for the train.
參考譯文
當旅店老板得知我和我的代理人是藝術家時，我們在他心中的地位就提升了一大截，得知我們正在歐洲徒步旅行後，我們的地位就更高了。
他向我們介紹了海德堡的路線情況，告訴我們最好繞過哪些地方，最好在哪些地方多逗留些時日；對那晚我所使用的物品，他隻收取了低於成本的費用；還為我們準備了一桌豐盛的午餐，並送了很多德國人最喜愛的綠李子。因為我們賞光，他堅決不答應我們步行離開海爾布隆，於是，叫了葛茲·封·貝利欣根的馬車來載我們離開。
我用素描的形式把馬車畫了下來。它算不上是件作品，隻是畫家所謂的“習作”——能夠完整作畫的素材。這幅素描有幾處敗筆，如：馬車的速度與馬的步伐不一致，這是不對的。而且，給馬車讓路的人實在太小了，就是我所說的不符合透視畫法。最上邊的兩條線不是馬背的曲線，而是韁繩；似乎還丟了一隻車輪——當然在完成的畫中，這些敗筆都會被糾正。馬車後麵飛舞的不是旗幟，而是車上的篷簾。畫中還有太陽，不過，我沒有空出足夠的空間。現在，我記不清奔跑的那個人前麵是什麽了，不過我想那可能是堆幹草，或者是個女人。1879年的巴黎畫廊上，這幅習作被展覽出來，但是並沒有獲得任何獎項，因為展覽不為習作設獎。