The morning， which is the most memorable season of the day， is the awakening hour. Then there is least somnolence in us； and for an hour， at least， some part of us awakes which slumbers all the rest of the day and night. Little is to be expected of that day， if it can be called a day， to which we are not awakened by our Genius， but by the mechanical nudgings of some servitor， are not awakened by our own newly-acquired force and aspirations from within， accompanied by the undulations of celestial music， instead of factory bells， and a fragrance filling the air-to a higher life than we fell asleep from； and thus the darkness bear its fruit， and prove itself to be good， no less than the light. That man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier， more sacred， and auroral hour than he has yet profaned， has despaired of life， and is pursuing a descending and darkening way.

We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake， not by mechanical aids， but by an infinite expectation of the dawn， which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor. It is something to be able to paint a particular picture， or to carve a statue， and so to make a few objects beautiful； but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look， which morally we can do. To affect the quality of the day， that is the highest of arts. Every man is tasked to make his life， even in its details， worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour. If we refused， or rather used up， such paltry information as we get， the oracles would distinctly inform us how this might be done.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately， to front only the essential facts of life， and see if I could not learn what it had to teach， and not， when I came to die， discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life， living is so dear； nor did I wish to practise resignation， unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life， to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life， to cut a broad swath and shave close， to drive life into a corner， and reduce it to its lowest terms， and， if it proved to be mean， why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it， and publish its meanness to the world； or if it were sublime， to know it by experience， and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.

黎明啊，一天之中最值得紀(jì)念的時節(jié)，是覺醒的時辰。那時候，我們的昏沉欲睡的感覺是最少的了；至少可有一小時之久，整日夜昏昏沉沉的官能大都要清醒起來。但是，如果我們并不是被我們自己的稟賦所喚醒，而是被仆人機械地輕輕推醒的；如果并不是由我們內(nèi)心的新生力量和內(nèi)心的渴望來喚醒，既沒有那空中的芬香，也沒有回蕩的天籟般的音樂，而是由工廠的汽笛聲喚醒的我們，——如果我們醒來時，并沒有比睡前有了更崇高的生命，那么這樣的白天，即便能稱之為白天，也不會有什么希望可言；這樣黑暗便竊取了它的果實，證明它自己的功能并不下于白晝。一個人如果不能相信每一天都有一個比他褻讀過的更早、更神圣的曙光時辰，他一定是已經(jīng)對于生命失望的了，正在摸索著一條降入黑暗去的道路。

我們必須學(xué)會再次蘇醒，更須學(xué)會保持清醒而不再昏睡，但不能用機械的方法，而應(yīng)寄托無窮的期望于黎明，這樣在最沉的沉睡中，黎明也不會拋棄我們。人類無疑是有能力來有意識地提高他自己的生命的，我沒有看到過比這更使人振奮的事實了。能畫出某一張畫，雕刻出某一個肖像，美化某幾個對象，是很了不起的；但更加榮耀的事是使我們能從中發(fā)現(xiàn)能夠塑造或畫出作品的那種氛圍與媒介，而且能使我們正當(dāng)?shù)赜兴鶠?。能影響?dāng)代的本質(zhì)的，是最高的藝術(shù)。每人都應(yīng)該把最崇高的和最緊急時刻內(nèi)他所想到的做到，使他的生命配得上他所想的，哪怕是在細小的地方也配得上。如果我們拒絕了，或者說虛耗了我們得到的這一點微不足道的思想，神示自會清清楚楚地把如何做到這一點告訴我們的。

我到林中去，因為我希望謹慎地生活，只面對生活的基本事實，看看我是否學(xué)得到生活要教給我的東西，免得到了臨死的時候，才發(fā)現(xiàn)我根本就沒有真正活過。我不希望度過非生活的生活，生活是這樣的可愛；我卻也不愿意去修行過隱逸的生活，除非是萬不得已。我要生活得深深地把生命的精髓都汲取到，要生活得穩(wěn)穩(wěn)當(dāng)當(dāng)，生活得像斯巴達人一樣，以便根除一切非生活的東西，劃出一塊刈割的面積來，細細地刈割或修剪，把生活壓縮到一個角隅里去，把它縮小到最低的條件中，如果它被證明是卑微的，那么就把那真正的卑微全部認識到，并把它的卑微之處公布于世界；或者，如果它是崇高的，就用切身的經(jīng)歷來體會它，在我下一次遠游時，也可以作出一個真實的報道。