One of the pleasantest things in the world is going a journey;but I like to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a room; but outof doors, nature is company enough for me. I am then neverless alone than when alone.
“The fields his study, nature was his book.”
I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. When I am in the country, I wish tovegetate like the country. I am not for criticising hedgerows and black cattle. I go out of town inorder to forget the town and all that it is in it. There are those who for this purpose go to watering-places, and carry the metropolis with them. I like more elbow-room, and fewer incumbrances. Ilike solitude, when I give myself up to it, for the sake of solitude; nor do I ask for
“—a friend in my retreat,
Whom I may whisper solitude is sweet.”
The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases. We go ajourney chiefly to be free of all impediments and of all inconveniences; to leave ourselves behind,much more to get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing-space to muse on indifferentmatters, where Contemplation.
"May plume her feathers and let grow her wings,
that in the various bustle of resort
Were all too ruffled, and sometimes impair’d,”
that I absent myself from the town for a while, without feeling at a loss the moment I am left bymyself. Instead of a friend in a post-chaise or in a Tilbury, to exchange good things with and varythe same stale topics over again, for once let me have a truce with impertinence. Give me theclear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet, a winding road before me, and athree hours’ march to dinner — and then to thinking! It is hard if I cannot start some game onthese lone heaths. I laugh, I run, I leap, I sing for joy.
世上最惬意的事情之一便是出游;而我一向性喜孤往。居室内时我还喜欢交往;但是一旦到了户外，自然这个侣伴对我已是足够。那时我身虽孤独而绝不孤独。
田野是书斋，自然供卷轴。
我真不懂，一个人一边散步而又一边谈话会有什么妙处。如果我去了乡间，那我就要安安静静地住在那里，像草木一般地不声不响。我的职务并非是去评论绿篱与黑牛。我走出城市恰恰是为了忘掉城市，以及那里的一切。有些人也曾为了这个目的而去了湖畔水滨，但却把整座城市也都携带了去。我要的是宽绰余裕，而不是拖累障碍。我性耽幽寂，而当我很委身这样做时，我此外并无它求;我并不希冀。
隐居之中，得一友人
相与窃议孤独之乐，亦殊韵事。
须知出游之妙处，端在自由，纯粹的自由，以便思想、感觉、行动，一称一意。我们之所以出游，主要在于摆脱一切之障碍，一切之不便，在于置自我于脑后，更在于甩掉他人。正是因为我渴望稍有余暇来默想种种非切身的问题，而这时思想也
势将丰其羽毛，奋其翮翼，
而以前出没栖息之所却
未免备受局蹙，甚至损害，
我才向城市辞别一个时期，而一旦悠然一身，我也从无若有所失之感。这时既没有与马车上的友人相互絮叨佳肴美味之烦——往往这同一陈旧题目可以变着样地喋喋不休，我乃能暂免简慢冒失之举。这时但愿我能够：头上有蔚蓝之青天，脚下有碧绿的草地，前面一条幽径，曲曲折折，以及赶上三个小时的路程前去进餐，等等——然后便是去驰骋遐想!我一定能够在那寂静的草原上尽情玩乐。我一定会在那里笑、跑、跳、唱，满心欢喜。