PREFACE On Going a Journey

◎ William Hazlitt

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes,but in having new eyes.

～Marcel Proust

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 out of doors,nature is company enough for me.I am then never less alone than when alone.

“The fields was 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 to vegetate like the country.I am not for criticizing hedgerows and black cattle.I go out of town in order 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 encumbrances.I like 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 a journey 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 indifferent matters,where contemplation “May plume her feathers and let grow her wings,that in the various bustle of resort.Were all too ruffled,and sometimes impaired,” that I absent myself from the town for a while,without feeling at a loss the moment I am left by myself.Instead of a friend in a post-chaise or in a Tilbury,to exchange good things with and vary the same stale topics over again,for once let me have a truce with impertinence.Give me the clear blue sky over my head,and the green turf beneath my feet,a winding road before me,and a three hours’ march to dinner—and then to thinking!It is hard if I cannot start some game on these lone heaths.I laugh,I run,I leap,I sing for joy.

真正的探索之旅并不在于尋找新的風(fēng)景，而是要有新的眼光。

——馬賽爾·普魯斯特

旅行是世上最愜意的事情之一，不過(guò)我喜歡獨(dú)自旅行。居于室內(nèi)，我尚喜歡與人交往；然而身處戶外，大自然這個(gè)同伴對(duì)我已是足夠。那時(shí)，我雖然孤獨(dú)，但不寂寞。

“田野是書房，自然是書籍。”

我不清楚一邊散步一邊說(shuō)話的妙處在哪里。身處鄉(xiāng)村時(shí)，我就希望過(guò)著單調(diào)悠閑的生活，正如鄉(xiāng)村給人的感覺(jué)一樣。我不會(huì)對(duì)那一排排的樹(shù)籬和黑色牛群進(jìn)行過(guò)多的評(píng)論。我離開(kāi)城鎮(zhèn)就是為了忘掉城鎮(zhèn)以及城鎮(zhèn)里的一切。然而，還有一些人，他們也是為了這個(gè)目的而去，卻把大堆大堆的行李（整個(gè)城市）一同帶去。對(duì)于我，我要的是更多的寬裕，更少的累贅。我性喜孤僻，當(dāng)我委身這樣做時(shí)，我別無(wú)他求；我也并不強(qiáng)求。

“隱居之中得一友，與之竊語(yǔ)孤獨(dú)之事，悅哉。”

旅行的真諦是自由，完全的自由，讓思考、感受和行動(dòng)合為一體。我們之所以出游，主要在于擺脫一切障礙和一切不便之處；在于放飛自己，更在于擺脫別人。因?yàn)槲蚁胍稽c(diǎn)自由呼吸的余地，冥想無(wú)關(guān)緊要的事，那時(shí)，思想的羽翼勢(shì)將豐滿，從前因常出沒(méi)于喧鬧之地而產(chǎn)生的想法會(huì)備受沖擊，甚至是動(dòng)搖。我辭別城鎮(zhèn)一段時(shí)期，但當(dāng)孑然一身時(shí)，我也毫無(wú)失落感。這時(shí)，無(wú)須坐在馬車上與朋友交談美食——這一陳舊的話題往往變著樣地被討論，這樣也避免了我的冒失之舉。我愿頭頂清澈藍(lán)天，腳踏清新綠草，前方蜿蜒小路，行走三個(gè)小時(shí)前去進(jìn)餐——然后馳騁遐想！那里的生活始終享受，因?yàn)槲視?huì)在寂靜的草地上盡情玩樂(lè)。我大笑著奔跑，跳躍著歡歌，為這一切滿心歡喜。