第8章 美丽人生(2)

    In the five years I’ve been walking this patch of earth，and I‘ve covered some ground but barely scratched the surface.I can tell a red spruce from a white，name a handful of mosses and lichens，recognize sarsaparilla when I see it，identify most of the birds and many of their songs.You’d think this would be enough.But knowing a name of a song or the shape of a leaf is only the beginning，a first，tentative step toward intimacy.Falling in love with the world is like falling in love with a person.Before you know it，you‘re in deep.

    五年里，我的足迹遍布丛林，但对它的了解还很肤浅。我能分清红、白云杉：知道一些青苔和石耳的名字；认识撒尔沙；分辨得出大多数鸟儿及其鸣唱声。或许你觉得这已经足够，但识别一个名字、一声鸟啼抑或是一片树叶，只是亲近自然、探索自然的第一步。爱上这里犹如爱上一个人，不知不觉已深陷其中。

    But how often are we told，”Hurry up！”or“Don’t touch！”What will happen if we slow down？What‘s the harm in touching，if we’re gentle？How are we supposed to know！anything，if not with our hands？How are we supposed to connect？How can we tenderly caress on another if we‘ve not had the chance to cradle a seedling or hold a tadpole or pick ripe raspberries，even as we’re scratched by thorns？How can we see the sacredness in every face if we don‘t have the chance to recognize it in our surroundings？Terry Tempest Williams writes，“Our lack of intimacy with each other is in direct proportion to our lack of intimacy with the land.We have taken our love inside and abandoned the wild.”

    人们总说“快”或是“别碰它”，假如我们放慢匆匆的脚步，那会怎样呢？轻轻地触碰自然界的生命，又会有什么害处呢？如果不亲身体验，怎能增长知识？又如何能亲近自然呢？如果没抱起过幼苗，捧起过蝌蚪，摘过熟透的山莓，甚至未曾被荆棘划破过，怎会善待他人呢？如果没有认识自然的机会，那又如何学会敬重呢？泰瑞．特普斯特．威连姆斯曾写道：“人和自然的不和谐直接导致人际关系的淡漠。人们只顾爱怜自身，却遗失了世界。”

    A truck rumbles along the main road through the village，not a quarter mile away.Twenty minutes have passed since the sparrow called.As I turn back toward home，I look up just in time to see a snowshoe hare dash into the undergrowth.I wish I’d been awake enough to see him before he spotted me.

    “Zeeeee-up！”a Northern Parula calls from a tamarack，and I find him with my binoculars.He is a beautiful warbler，blue-gray-green on top and yellow below with a tinge of rust across his chest.When he finds a mate，they‘ll we... -->>
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