To go into solitude， a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society. I am not solitary whilst I read and write， though nobody is with me. But if a man would be alone， let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds， will sep-arate between him and what he touches. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design， to give man， in the heavenly bodies， the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities， how great they are！ If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years， how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown！ But every night come out these envoys1 of beauty， and light the universe with their admonishing smile.

独自修行，须远离家门，远离社会。我读书、写作，形单影只，但内心并不孤独。假如一个人渴望独处，不妨仰首眺望星空——那天堂之光会把他跟周围的俗物截然分开。但见天空一片透明，令人遐想不已：天体万道光芒，昭示着上帝无时不在。站在城里的大街上放眼望去——群星璀璨！如果那些星星千年一现，让我们一睹其风采，定会激发我们的信仰、赢得我们的崇拜——人类千秋万代都将把“上帝之城”铭刻在记忆里。更何况那些“美”的使者夜夜出现，嫣然一笑，令宇宙生辉。

The stars awaken a certain reverence， because though always present， they are inaccessible2; but all natural objects make a kindred3 impression， when the mind is open to their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man extort4 her secret， and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection. Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers， the animals， the mountains， reflected the wisdom of his best hour， as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood.

群星令人望而心生敬意——它们抬头可见，却遥不可及。只要我们敞开心扉观赏自然景物，会有同感。从未见大自然露出过猥琐的面容。智者也绝不会着意探寻大自然的奥秘，因为一旦穷尽其风采，很可能会淡化兴趣。在智者的心中，大自然绝非平俗之物。在单纯的童年时代，鲜花、动物及群山曾给他们带来了欢乐，而在他们年富力强时，则是他们智慧的源泉。

When we speak of nature in this manner， we have a distinct5 but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean the integrity6 of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood-cutter， from the tree of the poet. The charming landscape which I saw this morning， is indubitably7 made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field， Locke that， and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate8 all the parts， that is， the poet. This is the best part of these men’s farms， yet to this their warranty-deeds9 give no title10.

如此谈论大自然，我们内心有一种独特的感觉，荡漾着盎然的诗意。这就是我们对丰富多彩的自然景物产生的总体印象。正是这种印象将伐木工伐倒的圆木和诗人歌颂的绿树区别开来。今天早晨看到一道迷人的风景线——无疑那是二三十个农场连成一片构成的风景线。一片地是米勒家的，另一片是洛克家的，而远处的树林归曼宁家所有。但“风景”不归任何人所有。天地交接之处的那些景物没有主人，只有诗人的目光可以将所有的一切融为一体。那些人家的农场最精彩之处就是这些了，然而这并不能写入他们的地契。

To speak truly， few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man， but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood. His intercourse with heaven and earth， becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature， a wild delight runs through the man， in spite of real sorrows. Nature says， —he is my creature， and maugre11 all his impertinent12 griefs， he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone， but every hour and season yields its tribute13 of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind， from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece.

实话说，很少有成年人能欣赏大自然。