Near the end of March, 1845, I borrowed an axe and went down to the woods by Walden Pond, nearest to where I intended to build my house, and began to cut down some tall, arrowy white pines, still in their youth, for timber. It is difficult to begin without borrowing, but perhaps it is the most generous course thus to permit your fellow-men to have an interest in your enterprise. The owner of the axe, as he released his hold on it, said that it was the apple of his eye; but I returned it sharper than I received it. It was a pleasant hillside where I worked, covered with pine woods, through which I looked out on the pond, and a small open field in the woods where pines and hickories were springing up. The ice in the pond was not yet dissolved, though there were some open spaces, and it was all dark-colored and saturated with water. There were some slight flurries of snow during the days that I worked there; but for the most part when I came out on to the railroad, on my way home, its yellow sand-heap stretched away gleaming in the hazy atmosphere, and the rails shone in the spring sun, and I heard the lark and pewee and other birds already come to commence another year with us. They were pleasant spring days, in which the winter of man's discontent was thawing as well as the earth, and the life that had lain torpid began to stretch itself. One day, when my axe had come off and I had cut a green hickory for a wedge, driving it with a stone, and had placed the whole to soak in a pond-hole in order to swell the wood, I saw a striped snake run into the water, and he lay on the bottom, apparently without inconvenience, as long as I stayed there, or more than a quarter of an hour; perhaps because he had not yet fairly come out of the torpid state. It appeared to me that for a like reason men remain in their present low and primitive condition; but if they should feel the influence of the spring of springs arousing them, they would of necessity rise to a higher and more ethereal life. I had previously seen the snakes in frosty mornings in my path with portions of their bodies still numb and inflexible, waiting for the sun to thaw them. On the 1st of April it rained and melted the ice, and in the early part of the day, which was very foggy, I heard a stray goose groping about over the pond and cackling as if lost, or like the spirit of the fog.

（徐迟译） 一八四五年三月尾，我借来一柄斧头，走到瓦尔登湖边的森林里，到达我预备造房子的地方，就开始砍伐一些箭矢似的，高耸入云而还年幼的白松来做我的建筑材料。开始时要不东借西借，总是很难的，但这也许还是唯一的妙法，让你的朋友们对你的事业发生兴趣。斧头的主人，在他出手借给我的时候，说它是 他掌中的珍珠 ；可是我归还他时，斧头是愈加锋利了。我工作的地点是一个怡悦的 山侧 ，满山松树，穿过松林我望见了湖水， 还望见林中一块小小空地 ，小松树和山核桃树丛生着。湖水凝结成冰，没有完全融化，只化了几处地方，全是黝黑的颜色，而且渗透着水。我在那里工作的几天之内，还飘过几阵小雪：但当我回家去的途中，出来走到铁道上的时候，在大部分的地方，它那黄沙地一直延伸过去，闪烁在蒙蒙的大气中，而铁轨也在春天的阳光下发光了，我听到云雀、小 鹟 和别的鸟雀都到了，来和我们一块儿开始过这新的一年。那是愉快的春日，人们感到难过的冬天正跟冻土一样地消溶，而蛰居的生命开始舒伸了。有一天，我的斧头柄掉了，我伐下一段青青的山核桃木来做成一个楔子，用一块石头敲紧了它，就把整个斧头浸在湖水中，好让那木楔子涨大一些，这时我看到一条赤链蛇窜入水中，显然 毫不觉得不方便 ，它躺在湖水底，何止一刻钟，竟跟我在那儿的时间一样长久；也许它还没有从蛰伏的状态中完全苏醒过来。照我看，人类之还残留在目前的原始的低级状态中，也是同样的原因；可是人类如果感到 万物之春 的影响把他们唤醒了起来，他们必然要上升到更高级、更升华的生命中去。以前，我在降霜的清晨看到过路上一些蛇，它们的身子还有一部分麻木不灵活，还在等待太阳出来唤醒它们。四月一日下了雨，冰溶了，这天的大半个早晨是雾蒙蒙的，我听到一只失群的孤鹅摸索在湖上，迷途似的哀鸣着，像是雾的精灵一样。

总的说来，这一段叙事，翻译起来就容易多了，而且出错也少。

1 、 Arrowy 一词指像箭一样的，可指箭一样迅速的，也可指像箭那样形状的，笔直的，这里应该是后者。徐译“ 箭矢似的，高耸入云 ”是可以的，其中“ 高耸入云”是翻译前面的“ tall ”一词。戴译“ 如箭杆般高耸的 ”就不妥了，箭杆能有多高？

2 、 cut down some tall, arrowy white pines, still in their youth, for timber 就是伐树作木材，戴译中“ 正好……派上用场 ”是原文中没有的。

3 、 the apple of his eye 徐译“ 他掌中的珍珠 ”不如戴译“ 他的掌上明珠 ”。 Hillside 徐译作“山侧”也不如戴译“山坡”好。

4 、 It was a pleasant hillside where I worked, covered with pine woods, through which I looked out on the pond, and a small open field in the woods where pines and hickories were springing up. 从结构上看，“ and a small open field in the woods ”是与前面的“ pine woods ”相并列的，并不是“看”的宾语。如果我们把中间的插入部分“ through which I looked out on the pond, ”去掉，结构就清楚了。这么说来，译为“还（可以）望见”就不对了。

5 、 without inconvenience 徐译“ 毫不觉得不方便 ”，连用两个“不”，非常别扭。

6 、 the spring of springs 徐译“万物之春”感觉不妥。戴译“春中之春”译出了英语的重复之趣。意义的双关，如果有的话，就没有译出。春天到来，万物复苏，那是“春天的活力”。

    （ 戴欢译 ） 1845 年 3 月末，我借来一柄斧子，去到瓦尔登湖畔的森林中，到了准备建造自己小屋的地方近处，就开始砍伐 如箭杆般高耸的 白松树，它们还是些幼松， 正好当作木材派上用场 。创业伊始，不东挪西借总是有些困难的，但这也不失为一个最好的捷径，使你的友邻对你的事业发生兴趣。斧子的主人，当他 出手相借 时，叮嘱我说这是他的掌上明珠；不过我归还他时，斧子可是比借用时锋利多了。

      我干活的地方是在一个令人愉悦的山坡之上。透过松林我可以望见湖水， 还可以望见林间的一小块空地 ，小松树和山胡桃树正现出勃勃生机。湖水凝成的冰面，还没完全消融，仅有几处已融化开了，色泽黝黑，渗出湖水，我在那里大干的几天之内，还飘过几次小雪；但当我从林中走向铁路，走向归家的途中时，路上的大部分地方，黄沙丘不断地延伸开去，在朦胧的雾气中熠熠闪烁；而铁轨也在春色的艳阳中发出亮光。而且，我听到云雀和其他的鸟雀在林间鸣唱欢聚，来与我们一起开始度过新的一年，这是令人舒心的春日。郁闷的冬日正与冰土一样消融，冬眠的生命也开始舒展了。

      一天，我的斧柄脱落了，我就砍了一节葱绿的山核桃木削成了一个楔子，用石头将它敲紧，再把整个斧子浸在湖水中，以便木楔涨大一些。这时我眼见一条花蛇窜入湖水中，它躺在湖底，显得悠闲自在，竟跟我呆在湖边的时间一样久，远不止一刻钟，或许是它还尚未从冬眠的状况中苏醒过来的缘由吧。我由此想到，人类之所以还停留在现今的低级而原始的状况中，也是出于冬眠的原因吧。然而，倘若人类感受到 春中之春 的轻拂而被唤醒，他们必定会跃升到更高级、更灵妙的人生中去的。

我在霜天的清晨，曾经在途中看见一些蛇，它们的 蛇 身还有一部分仍旧麻木而僵硬，正等待着阳光来唤醒。 4 月 1 日下起了雨，冰雪融化了，这天的清晨被浓浓的雾气笼罩着，我倾听到一只离群的孤雁在湖上摸索着，像迷途一般哀鸣着，宛如雾的精灵。