瓦尔登湖：经济篇26

　　Yes， I did eat $8.74， all told； but I should not thus unblushingly publish my guilt， if I did not know that most of my readers were equally guilty with myself， and that their deeds would look no better in print.  The next year I sometimes caught a mess of fish for my dinner， and once I went so far as to slaughter a woodchuck which ravaged my bean-field ―― effect his transmigration， as a Tartar would say ―― and devour him， partly for experiment's sake；but though it afforded me a momentary enjoyment， notwithstanding a musky flavor， I saw that the longest use would not make that a good practice， however it might seem to have your woodchucks ready dressed by the village butcher. Clothing and some incidental expenses within the same dates，though little can be inferred from this item， amounted to

　　$ 8.40-3/4

　　Oil and some household utensils ……  2.00

　　So that all the pecuniary outgoes， excepting for washing and mending， which for the most part were done out of the house， and their bills have not yet been received ―― and these are all and more than all the ways by which money necessarily goes out in this part of the world ―― were

　　House …… $ 28.12+ Farm one year …… 14.72+ Food eight months ……  8.74 Clothing， etc.， eight months ……  8.40-3/4 Oil， etc.， eight months ……  2.00

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　　In all …… $ 61.99-3/4

　　I address myself now to those of my readers who have a living to get.  And to meet this I have for farm produce sold

　　$ 23.44 Earned by day-labor ……  13.34

                                            -------

　　In all …… $ 36.78，

　　which subtracted from the sum of the outgoes leaves a balance of $25.21 3/4 on the one side ―― this being very nearly the means with which I started， and the measure of expenses to be incurred ―― and on the other， beside the leisure and independence and health thus secured， a comfortable house for me as long as I choose to occupy it.

　　These statistics， however accidental and therefore uninstructive they may appear， as they have a certain completeness， have a certain value also.  Nothing was given me of which I have not rendered some account.  It appears from the above estimate， that my food alone cost me in money about twenty-seven cents a week.  It was， for nearly two years after this， rye and Indian meal without yeast，potatoes， rice， a very little salt pork， molasses， and salt； and my drink， water.  It was fit that I should live on rice， mainly， who love so well the philosophy of India.  To meet the objections of some inveterate cavillers， I may as well state， that if I dined out occasionally， as I always had done， and I trust shall have opportunities to do again， it was frequently to the detriment of my domestic arrangements.  But the dining out， being， as I have stated，a constant element， does not in the least affect a comparative statement like this.

　　I learned from my two years' experience that it would cost incredibly little trouble to obtain one's necessary food， even in this latitude； that a man may use as simple a diet as the animals，and yet retain health and strength.  I have made a satisfactory dinner， satisfactory on several accounts， simply off a dish of purslane （Portulaca oleracea） which I gathered in my cornfield，boiled and salted.  I give the Latin on account of the savoriness of the trivial name.  And pray what more can a reasonable man desire，in peaceful times， in ordinary noons， than a sufficient number of ears of green sweet corn boiled， with the addition of salt？  Even the little variety which I used was a yielding to the demands of appetite， and not of health.  Yet men have come to such a pass that they frequently starve， not for want of necessaries， but for want of luxuries； and I know a good woman who thinks that her son lost his life because he took to drinking water only.

　　是的，我的确总共吃掉了八元七角四分；可是，如果我不知道我的读者之中，大多数人是跟我有同样罪过的，他们的清单恐怕公开印出来，还不如我的好呢，那我是不会这样不害臊地公开我的罪过的。第二年，有时我捕鱼吃，有一次我还杀了一条蹂躏我的蚕豆田的土拨鼠，――它颇像鞑靼人所说的在执行它的灵魂转世――我吃了它，一半也是试验性质；虽然有股近乎麝香的香味，它还是暂时给了我一番享受，不过我知道长期享受这口福是没有好处的，即使你请村中名厨给你烹调土拨鼠也不行。

　　同一时间之内，衣服及其他零用，项目虽然不多，却也有：八。四０七五元油及其他家庭用具……二。００元除开洗衣和补衣，那倒多半是拿到外面去的，但账单还没有开来，――这一些是世界上这个部分必需花的全部的钱，或者超出了必需花的范围――所有全部的支出是：房子……二八。一二五元农场的一年开支……一四。七二五元八个月的食物……八。七四元八个月的衣服等……八。四０七五元八个月的油等……二。００元共计……六一。九九七五元现在我是向那些要谋生的读者说话的。为了支付这一笔开销，我卖出了农场的产品，计二三。四四元日工挣到的……一三。三四元共计……三六。七八元从开销上减去此数，差额二十五元二角一分又四分之三，――恰恰是我开始时所有的资金，原先就预备负担支出的，这是一方面，――而另一方面呢，除了我这样得到的闲暇、独立和康健，我还有一座安乐的房屋，我爱住多久，就住多久。

　　这些统计资料，虽然很琐碎，似乎没有什么用处，但因相当完备，也就有了某种价值。再没有什么我没有记上账簿的了。从上面列的表看来，仅仅是食物一项，每星期要花掉我两角七分。食物，在后来的将近两年之内，总是黑麦和不发酵的印第安玉米粉，土豆，米，少量的腌肉，糖浆和盐；而我的饮料，则是水。对我这样爱好印度哲学的人，用米作为主要的食粮是合适的。为了对付一些习惯于吹毛求疵的人的反对，我还不如说一说，如果我有时跑到外面去吃饭，我以前是这样做的，相信将来还是有机会要到外面去吃饭的，那我这样做是会损害我家里的经济安排的。我已经说了，到外面吃饭是经常的事，对于这样的比较的说法，是一点不发生影响的。

　　我从两年的经验中知道，甚至在这个纬度上，要得到一个人所必需的食粮也极少麻烦，少到不可信的地步；而且一个人可以像动物一样的吃简单的食物，仍然保持康健和膂力。我曾经从玉米田里采了一些马齿苋（学名Portulaca oleracea）煮熟加盐，吃了一餐，这一餐饭在好些方面使我心满意足。我把它的拉丁文的学名写下是因为它的俗名不很好。请说说看，在和平的年代，在日常的中午时分，除了吃一些甜的嫩玉米，加上盐煮，一个讲究理性的人还能希望什么更多的食物呢？就是我稍稍变换花样，也只是为了换换口味，并不是为了健康的缘故。然而人们常常挨饿，不是因为缺少必需品，而是因为缺少了奢侈品；我还认识一个良善的女人，她以为她的儿子送了命是因为他只喝清水。

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