The rocks and Woods near Lake Biena are closer to the water, and obviously more wild and romantic than Lake Geneva, but as beautiful as it is. There are not so many fields and vineyards here, and there are fewer cities and houses, but more are quiet places covered by green trees, grasslands and shade in nature. The scenery against each other is everywhere, and the undulating terrain is quite common. There is no avenue for cars on the lakeside, so tourists don't come often. It is a very attractive place for lonely people who like to indulge in the beautiful scenery of nature and meditate in the silent environment except the singing of birds and the roaring of rapids down the mountain. In the middle of this beautiful lake, which is almost circular, there are two small islands. One is inhabited and planted with crops, about half a mile in Fiona Fang; The other one was smaller and deserted, but it was finally destroyed in order to keep digging to repair the place washed away by waves and storms on the big island. The weak meat is always strong food.
There is only one house on the island, but it is very big, attractive and comfortable. Like the whole island, it is also the property of Berne Hospital. There is a tax collector, his family and his servants living in it. He runs a farm with a lot of poultry, a bird pen and several fish ponds there. Although the island is small, the topography and landforms are varied, and there are many places with pleasant scenery, and all kinds of crops can be planted. There are fields, vineyards, Woods, orchards and fertile pastures, covered with shade, overgrown with shrubs, abundant water and fresh; There is a platform along the island with two rows of trees. A beautiful hall is built in the center of the platform. During the grape harvest season, residents near the lakeshore come to gather and dance every Sunday.
I fled to this island after the stone-throwing incident at Mortiere's residence. I feel really relaxed and happy here, life and my temperament are so consistent, so I am determined to spend the rest of my life here. I didn't have any other worries. I was afraid that people wouldn't let me realize my plan. This plan was very inconsistent with someone's plan to send me to England, and I already felt what the latter would do. This kind of premonition bothers me. I really hope that others will use this refuge as a prison to imprison me for life, keep me here for a lifetime, eliminate the possibility and hope of my departure, and prohibit me from any contact with the outside world, so that I know nothing about what is happening in the world, forget its existence, and let others forget my existence.
People only let me stay on this island for two months, but I am willing to stay here for two years, two centuries, and stay in the afterlife without being bored for a moment, even though I am here with only the tax collector, his wife and his servants besides my partner. They are really good people, but that's all, and that's what I need. I regard these two months as the happiest moment in my life. If I can do this all my life, I will be satisfied and will not think about him for a moment.
What kind of happiness is this? What about enjoying such happiness? I want to ask people in this century to guess what kind of life I spent there. The sweet taste of the precious far niente is the most important enjoyment I want to taste. What I did during my stay is completely an interesting activity that a person who is dedicated to leisure life must do.
Some people eagerly hope that I will be isolated from the world like this, draw a picture of the land as a prison, and I can't leave in full view without the help of external forces. I can't contact or communicate with the outside world without the help of people around me. This hope of theirs gave me a hope that I had never had before to spend my life safely; I didn't make any arrangements at the beginning because I thought I had enough time to deal with my life leisurely. I was suddenly sent there, alone and without anything. I called my housekeeper one after another and shipped my books and simple luggage. Fortunately, I didn't open my boxes, but left them in the place where I planned to live my whole life, just like staying in a hotel. Everything was left intact, and I didn't even think about tidying it up. What makes me most happy is that I didn't open the book box, not even a piece of stationery. When I received an unlucky letter and had to pick up a pen, I had to mutter to borrow it from the tax official and return it quickly after use. I hope I don't have to ask next time. I don't have that annoying stationery paper in my room, but it's full of flowers, trees and hay; At that time, for the first time in my life, I became enthusiastic about botany. This hobby was originally developed under the inspiration of Dr. Duvernova, and it immediately became a hobby. I don't want to do any serious work. I just want to do something that suits my heart and even lazy people like to do. I set out to compile the Flora of Saint Pierre Island, and I want to describe all the plants on the island, and I don't miss any of them. The details are detailed enough to take up the rest of my life. I heard that a German once wrote a book about a lemon peel. I really want to write a book about every kind of grass, every kind of moss in the Woods and every kind of clothing on the rocks. I don't want to see any grass or any plant particle not fully described. According to this wonderful plan, after we have breakfast together every morning, I will take a magnifying glass in my hand and carry my Classification of Nature under my arm to inspect an area on the island. For this reason, I divide the whole island into several blocks and prepare to run around each block every season. Every time I observe the structure and tissue of plants and the function of sexual organs in the process of fruiting (its mechanism is completely new to me), I feel ecstatic and fascinated, which is really wonderful. I had no idea about the differences in the characteristics of various plants before. When I verified these characteristics on common species and expected to find more rare species, I was really ecstatic. The bifurcation of two long stamens of Prunella vulgaris, the elasticity of stamens of nettle and wallflower, the bursting of the envelope of Impatiens balsamina and Buxus buxus, and the myriad subtle phenomena in the process of my first observation filled my heart with joy. La Fontaine once asked if anyone had ever read the Book of Habakkuk, and I also want to ask if you have ever seen the horn of Prunella vulgaris. Two or three hours later, I returned home with a full load. If it rains in the afternoon, I won't worry about nothing to amuse myself at home. The rest of the morning, I spent it with the tax official, his wife and Daley to see their workers and crops, and often helped; Bernese people often come to see me. They often see me riding on a big branch with a bag of fruit around my waist. When it is full, I fall down with a rope. The activities in the morning, coupled with the inevitable happy mood, made me eat lunch very well; But when the meal time is too long and the weather is fine, I can't wait long, so I slipped out before the rest of the party ended, jumped into a boat alone, and if the lake was calm, I rowed all the way to the middle of the lake, lying on my back in the boat, my eyes looking up at the sky, drifting in the wind, and sometimes drifting for hours in a row, immersed in messy and sweet reverie without a clear fixed goal. In my mind, such reverie is hundreds of times better than the sweetness I get from the so-called pleasure of life. Sometimes when the sun sets, it tells me that the time has come to set foot on my way home. At that time, I have to paddle hard to get home before dark. Sometimes, I don't rush to the middle of the lake, but row along the verdant shore of the island, where the lake is crystal clear and the shore is shaded, so how can I swim without jumping into the water! But the most common thing is to row from the big island to the small island, where we abandon the boat and land, and spend the whole afternoon, sometimes strolling among young willows, rhamnus, Polygonum hydropiper and various shrubs, and sometimes sitting on the top of a sand dune covered with fine grass, thyme, astragalus and alfalfa. This alfalfa seems to have been sown by someone before, which is especially suitable for feeding rabbits. Rabbits can grow up safely there without fear or spoiling anything. I told the tax official about this idea, and he bought a few from Ne Chastel, with a public mother, his wife and aunt, Dai Laisi and I escorted them to this small island in a mighty way. They began to breed before I left, and if they can withstand the severe winter, they will certainly prosper. The establishment of this small colony is really a festive festival. I proudly led our team and rabbits from the big island to the small island, more proud than the command of Argo; I am also proud to note the fact that the wife of the tax official has always been scared to death of water, and she will feel dizzy when she reaches the water. This time, she boarded the boat I rowed with confidence and was not afraid at all along the way.
When the lake is too rough to sail, I travel around the island in the afternoon, collecting plant specimens everywhere, sometimes sitting in the most pleasant and secluded place to daydream, sometimes sitting on the platform or mound and looking around, enjoying the wonderful and charming scenery of Lake Biena and the surrounding rocks. On one side of the lake, there are undulating hills nearby, and on the other side, there are abundant Yuan Ye, and you can always see the blue mountains in the sky.
At dusk, I came down from the height of the island and happily sat in a hidden place on the beach by the lake; The sound of the waves and the ripples on the surface of the water refresh me, drive away any other agitation in my heart, and immerse my heart in sweet reverie. In this way, the night often falls unconsciously. The lake is in turmoil, and the sound of the waves is incessant. Sometimes, it shakes my ears and eyes, and responds to the surging tide that my reverie is trying to quell, making me feel my existence with great joy, without bothering to think more. From time to time, I think that everything in the world is changeable, and the water surface is providing such an image, but such an idea is not only vague, but also fleeting; The calm and quiet thoughts that gently comforted me immediately wiped out these faint impressions. Without any activities in my heart, it was enough to make me linger, so that I had to make some efforts when I returned to China before I reluctantly set foot on my way home.
After dinner, if it is sunny, we will go for a walk on the platform again and breathe the fresh air by the lake. We rest in the hall, laugh and chat, sing a few songs that are much better than modern delicate music, and then go home and go to bed with satisfaction that the day has not been wasted, hoping that tomorrow will be equally cheerful.
This is how I spent my stay on this island, except for unexpected visitors. Life there is so charming, and the nostalgia in my heart is so strong, cordial and lasting. After 15 years, whenever I think about this lovely place, I am always fascinated.
In this long, weather-beaten life, I have noticed that the period when I enjoyed the most delicious and intense fun was not the one that attracted me and moved me the most when I recalled it. This kind of fanaticism and the brief moment of * * *, no matter how intense it is, can only be a few scattered points in the long river of life. Such moments are so rare and short that they cannot constitute a realm; And the happiness that my heart misses is not some fleeting moments, but a simple and permanent state. There is nothing strong in itself, but the longer it lasts, the more attractive it becomes, and finally it leads people to supreme happiness.
Everything in the world is in constant flow. Nothing keeps a constant and definite form, and our feelings are not only related to external things, but also inevitably flow and change with them. Our feelings are either ahead of us or behind us. They either look back on the past that no longer exists or look forward to the future that we have been looking forward to: there is nothing solid in our feelings that our hearts can rest on. Therefore, there are only fleeting pleasures in the world. As for lasting happiness, I doubt whether this world ever existed. In our strongest joy, there is a rare moment when our hearts can really say to us, "I hope this moment will last forever." When our hearts are uneasy, empty, sometimes suffering, sometimes suffering from loss, how can such a vacillating state of mind be called happiness?
If there is such a state, the mind can find a solid foundation on which it can repose and condense all its strength without looking ahead and backward; Time has no effect on it, and now this moment can last forever, without showing its extension or leaving any traces of replacement; There is neither a sense of want nor a sense of enjoyment in our hearts. We feel neither pain nor joy, neither desire nor fear, but only our own existence. At the same time, this feeling alone is enough to enrich our hearts: only when this state lasts, people in this state can call themselves happy, which is not an incomplete, pitiful and relative happiness that people get from the fun of life, but a full and complete one that will not leave a sense of emptiness in their hearts. This is where I often daydream when I am on the island of Saint Pierre, or lying on a boat drifting with the waves, or sitting on the rough lake Biena, or standing by the flowing stream.
In such a situation, where do we get the pleasure? Not from anything outside, but only from ourselves, only from our own existence; As long as this state continues, we will be as self-sufficient as God. Excluding any other feelings, the feeling of existence itself is a precious feeling of satisfaction and peace. As long as anyone can get rid of the earthly * * * that constantly divides our hearts and disturbs our warm feeling, it will be more valuable and sweet to feel life. However, most people are disturbed by the continuous * * *, and they rarely experience this realm. At the same time, because they have not fully appreciated this realm for only a rare moment, they have only left a vague concept for it, and it is difficult to feel its charm. Under the current order, the growing demand for social life requires them to fulfill their social responsibilities. If they all crave the mellow ecstasy and get tired of social life, it is not even a good thing. However, an unfortunate person who is excluded from human society can no longer do anything beneficial to others or himself, so he can find compensation for the lost happiness in this realm, which fate and no one can take away.
Yes, this kind of compensation is not felt by all people, nor can it be felt under any circumstances. To do this, the heart must be quiet, and there is no * * * to disturb its peace. There must be a mutual contrast between the feelings of the receiver and the surrounding things. It is neither absolute calm nor excessive excitement, but a kind of uniform and gentle movement with neither impulse nor intermission. Without exercise, life is in a state of numbness. If the exercise is uneven or too intense, it will arouse our enthusiasm; If it reminds us of the things around us, it will destroy the charm of daydream, interrupt our inner examination, put us back under the yoke of fate and others, and pay attention to our own suffering. Absolute silence leads to sadness and shows us the image of death. Therefore, it is necessary to ask for help from cheerful imagination, and for those who are endowed with this imagination, it will naturally appear in their minds. That kind of movement that doesn't come from the outside world comes from our own heart. Yes, when a light and sweet thought comes to skim the surface of the mind without stirring its depths, the peace in the heart is not so complete, but it is very gratifying. As long as we have quite such thoughts, we can forget all the pain and only remember ourselves. As long as we can be quiet, such reverie can be carried out anywhere; I often think that if I am in the Bastille, or even in a cell where I can't see anything, I can happily daydream like this.
However, it must be admitted that it is much better and more enjoyable to daydream on a rich and lonely island that is naturally isolated from the rest of the world; There, there are cheerful scenes everywhere, and nothing evokes my bitter memories. Although a handful of residents have not made me happy to get along with them, they are amiable, gentle and considerate. There, I can finally engage in the work that suits my taste all day without any obstacles or concerns, or be in the laziest leisure. For a daydreamer who knows how to immerse himself in pleasant fantasies in the most disappointing things, it is certainly a wonderful opportunity to gallop between fantasies with the help of his senses' feelings about real things. When I came back to reality from a long sweet daydream, I saw that there was a piece of green, flowers and birds around me; Looking into the distance, around the vast and crystal clear water surface is a romantic lakeshore, where I think these lovely scenery are also from my imagination; By the time I gradually regained my self-awareness and my awareness of the things around me, I couldn't even determine the boundary between imagination and reality: both of them also helped me feel how precious the contemplative and lonely life I had during this wonderful stay was. Why doesn't this life reappear now? Why can't I spend the rest of my life on this dear island, never leave, and never see any mainland residents again! Seeing them will remind me of the disasters they have happily imposed on me for many years. They will soon be forgotten forever, but they will certainly not forget me; But what does it matter? Anyway, there is nothing they can do to disturb my peace. I got rid of all kinds of earthly passions formed by complicated social life, and my soul often wandered on this atmosphere, having a cordial conversation with angels in advance, and hoping to enter this ranks soon. I know that people will try their best to avoid returning such a sweet retreat to me. They have long been reluctant to let me stay there. But they can't stop me from flying there every day with the wings of imagination, and reliving the joy of living there for hours on end. I can do one more wonderful thing, that is, I can imagine as much as I want. If I imagine that I am on the island now, can't I also daydream? I can even go one step further, adding some lovely images to the charm of abstract and monotonous reverie to make this reverie more lively. What these images represent when I am ecstatic, even my senses are often unclear; Now the reverie is getting deeper and deeper, and they are drawn more and more clearly. Compared with when I was there, I often live in these images more harmoniously and feel more comfortable now. Unfortunately, with the decline of imagination, these images become more and more difficult to be reflected in the mind, and they can't stay for a long time. Alas! Just when a person begins to get rid of his body, his sight is blocked by his body the most.
(translated by Xu Jizeng)
Notes:
My partner: refers to Darius Le Wasser. Rousseau lived with her since 1745, and did not formally get married until 1768.
My housekeeper: that is, Darius le Wasser.
Dr. Duvernova: A friend Rousseau made when he was in the village of Mortiere. Rousseau added his doctorate as a joke.
Classification of Nature: The most important work of Linnei (1707— 1778), a Swedish naturalist and founder of binomial nomenclature.
La Fontaine: This is Rousseau's fault. La Fontaine once asked if anyone had ever read the Book of Baruch, not the Book of Habakkuk. The former is a volume in the Second Classic (that is, it was controversial in history and was finally included in the canon), and the latter is a volume in the Old Testament.
Command of Argo: In Greek mythology, he led 50 heroes to Corcas by boat to find golden fleece's Jason.
Rousseau lived in Saint Pierre Island in 1765, but died in 1778, only 13 years apart.
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The daydream of a lonely walker can be said to be the most concentrated and prominent display of Rousseau himself and his distinctive features: loving nature, expressing his feelings and advocating himself. And "Walking Five" is the most representative one and the most popular classic chapter. Rousseau's humanistic ideal has been truly and perfectly expressed in a smooth and meaningful description.
Rousseau once wrote in "A New Love for Lois": "Nature doesn't seem to want people to see its true beauty, because people's eyes are too insensitive to the beauty of nature. Even before their eyes, they will read it wrong. Nature avoids the places where people often go. It displays its most touching beauty on the top of the mountain, in the depths of dense forests and on desert islands. " Therefore, although the island of Saint Pierre described by Rousseau in "Walking Five" is called "clod island" where he briefly lived in exile, it is regarded by him as the Garden of Eden where he can feel "real happiness". Rousseau saw the incomparable beauty of this almost isolated island with a close love for nature. "There are not so many fields and vineyards here, and there are fewer cities and houses, but more are quiet places covered by green trees, grasslands and shade in nature. The scenery against each other is everywhere, and the undulating terrain is quite common."
Rousseau, who loves nature, is in this pleasant, quiet and comfortable environment, and his excitement is self-evident. However, in "Walking Five", he didn't spend much ink to describe the natural scenery, but perfectly integrated the beautiful natural scenery with his leisurely pace of life. Whether it is to visit the plant structure on the island, you can look at the abundant Yuan Ye and the blue mountains; Or go boating on the lake and enjoy the shady shore; Or just walking by the lake and breathing fresh air, it is so beautiful. In Rousseau's affectionate memories and descriptions, these seemingly immortal lives make readers intoxicated and yearn for them. For Rousseau, describing these lives is also to show all kinds of feelings aroused by nature in his heart, and to record his meditation, meditation and reverie inspired by nature. During the stroll, Rousseau was in a relaxed state under the comfort of harmonious nature, intoxicated with the vast world, and felt that he was integrated with all things in nature and the whole nature. It is this blend with nature that determines the simplicity, poetic and melodious sense of music in his article style.
Rousseau, who was on the island, was so worried that he forgot all his insults and dislikes, preferring to stay on the island forever. "People only let me stay on this island for two months, but I'm willing to stay here for two years and two centuries, and I won't be bored for a moment until the afterlife ..." Rousseau, who has been weather-beaten all his life, finally realized a simple truth in his later years in a quiet and leisurely life: happiness is not fanaticism and * * *, nor a fleeting moment, but a simple and permanent realm. There is nothing strong in it, only calmness and detachment, which is the highest state of life. Isn't Rousseau's understanding a real revelation to modern people who are struggling for a living? Fame and fortune, debauchery and lust are just carnival moments in life, but they are enthusiastically chased by countless people, while life is numb in this repeated * * *. At this time, reading Rousseau's perception of life and happiness is tantamount to a tonic. Let us find that when these short-lived pleasures pass away, maybe it is plain.
There is no denying that it is not easy for everyone to reach the state that Rousseau said. Rousseau himself admits that this is not felt by everyone, nor can it be felt under any circumstances. To do this, the heart must be quiet. So how can we achieve peace of mind? Rousseau believes that daydreaming is the best way. "It is necessary to ask for help from a cheerful imagination, and for those who are gifted with this imagination, it will naturally appear in their minds. That kind of movement that doesn't come from the outside world comes from our own heart. Yes, when a light and sweet thought comes to skim the surface of the mind without stirring its depths, the peace in the heart is not so complete, but it is very gratifying. As long as we have quite such thoughts, we can forget all the pain and only remember ourselves. As long as we can be quiet, such reverie can be carried out anywhere ... "Therefore, whether in St. Pierre Island or at home, Rousseau can let his thoughts fly and taste the sweetness of reverie.
In reverie, Rousseau can often reach a state: "The mind can find a solid foundation on which it can repose and condense all its strength without looking back and forth;" Time has no effect on it, and now this moment can last forever, without showing its extension or leaving any traces of replacement; There is neither a sense of want nor a sense of enjoyment in our hearts. We feel neither pain nor joy, neither desire nor fear, but only our own existence. At the same time, this feeling alone is enough to enrich our hearts: only when this state lasts, people in this state can call themselves happy, which is not an incomplete, pitiful and relative happiness that people get from the fun of life, but a full and complete one that will not leave a sense of emptiness in their hearts. This kind of state is similar to the Zen state in the East, which does not delight in things or grieve for oneself. From anxiety to tranquility and indifference, this is hard-won for Rousseau, who has been attacked after suffering. The aloof attitude of Lotte know life, the deep emotion of drawing lessons from mistakes, and the noble simplicity and quiet greatness after the hardships and frustrations of life are even more touching.
(Zhang Li)