亨利·大衛·梭羅/ Henry David Thoreau
亨利·大衛·梭羅（1817—1862），散文家、超驗主義哲學家。出生於美國以超驗主義中心著稱的康科德，並在那兒度過了大半生。梭羅畢生以超驗主義作為自己的生活準則，並將之發揮到極致；他一生未娶，曾隱居瓦爾登湖兩年有餘，過著與世隔絕的生活，並在湖邊的木屋裏寫下了著名的《瓦爾登湖》一書。本文即選自此書。
Ace in the Hole
Understand these new words before you read this article.
1. congenial [k?n'd?i:nj?l] adj. 意氣相投的，性格相似的，一致的
2. sufficient [s?'fi??nt] adj. 足夠的，充分的
3. profane [pr??'fein] v. 褻瀆，玷汙
4. etiquette ['eti,ket] n. 禮節，禮儀，規矩
5. sorrel ['s?:r?l] n. 栗色，栗色毛的動物
This is a delicious evening, when the whole body is one sense, and imbibes delight through every pore. I go and come with a strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself. As I walk along the stony shore of the pond in my shirt-sleeves, though it is cool as well as cloudy and windy, and I see nothing special to attract me, all the elements are unusually congenial to me. The bullfrogs trump to usher in the night, and the note of the whippoorwill is borne on the rippling wind from over the water. Sympathy with the fluttering alder and poplar leaves almost takes away my breath; yet, like the lake, my serenity is rippled but not ruffled. These small waves raised by the evening wind are as remote from storm as the smooth reflecting surface. Though it is now dark, the wind still blows and roars in the wood, the waves still dash, and some creatures lull the rest with their notes. The repose is never complete. The wildest animals do not repose, but seek their prey now; the fox, and skunk, and rabbit, now roam the fields and woods without fear. They are Nature’s watchmen—links which connect the days of animated life.