沃爾特·惠特曼/Walter Whitman
It is not only true that most people entirely misunderstand Freedom,but I sometimes think I have not yet met one person who rightly understa nds it.The whole Universe is absolute Law.To the degraded or undevelop ed-and even to too many others-the thought of freedom is a thought of escaping from law-which,of course,is impossible.More precious than a ll worldly riches is Freedom-freedom from the painful constipation and poor narrowness of ecclesiasticism-freedom in manners,habiliments,fur niture,from the silliness and tyranny of local fashions-entire freedom from party rings and mere conventions in Politics-and better than all,a general freedom of oneself from the tyrannic domination of vices,habi ts,appetites,under which nearly every man of us,(often the greatest b rawler for freedom) is enslaved.
Can we attain such enfranchisement-the true Democracy,and the heig ht of it?While we are from birth to death the subjects of irresistible law,enclosing every movement and minute,we yet escape,by a paradox,i nto true free will.Strange as it may seem,we only attain to freedom by a knowledge of,and implicit obedience to Law.Great-unspeakably great-is the Will!The free Soul of man!At its greatest,understanding and obeying the laws,it can then,and then only,maintain true liberty.For there is to the highest,that law as absolute as any-more absolute than any-the Law of Liberty.The shallow,as intimated,consider liberty a r elease from all law,from every constraint.The wise see in it,on the c ontrary,the potent law of Laws,namely,the fusion and combination of t he conscious will,or partial individual law,with those universal,eter nal,unconscious ones,which run through all Time,pervade history,prov e immortality,give moral purpose to the entire objective world,and the last dignity to human life.
大部分人不僅徹底曲解了“自由”的含義，更可怕的是，我有時覺得還沒有見過一個能恰當了解“自由”的人。整個宇宙是一個亙古不變的法則。對於墮落和愚昧無知的人，甚至芸芸眾生來說，自由就是避開法律，而這肯定是不能實現的。比世俗的所有財富更珍貴的是自由，自由意味著從教會神學的痛苦禁閉和悲觀的狹隘中脫離出來；自由意味著在禮儀、服飾、家具上的隨心所欲；自由意味著從地方流行的愚蠢和束縛中脫離出來；自由意味著徹徹底底從黨派小圈子和政治運作的舊例中脫離出來；其中最為重要的是，當我們每個人差不多都（我們常常大聲叫喊著要自由）受控於罪惡、惡習、欲望時，自由意味著自我從奴役的嚴酷壓迫中徹底脫離出來。
我們可以獲得這樣的自由嗎？自由是真正的民主，高度的民主。從出生到死亡，這無法阻擋的法則都在束縛著我們，束縛著我們的一舉一動、分分秒秒。可是，說起來有些矛盾，我們卻一直想方設法要擺脫擁有真正的自由意誌。奇怪的是，唯有學習法則並默默地服從法則，我們才能獲得自由。意誌是偉大的！人類自由的靈魂是偉大的！偉大得無法形容。當意誌力達到完美，理解並服從法則，那時候，僅僅是那時候，人們才能獲得真正的自由。這是因為自由的法則無比高尚，同其他法則一樣絕對，不，比其他法則還要絕對。膚淺的人認為自由意味著從一切法則的約束中脫離出來。而智者則截然相反，他們從中意識到了威力無窮的眾法之法，它是有意識的意誌力、局部的個人準則與通用的、持久的、沒有意識的法則的融合。而這種法則經曆了所有時代，寫進了整個曆史，被證明是恒久不變的。這種法則為整個客觀世界指明了道德方向，為人類的生活保證了最後的尊嚴。
1.The____Universe is absolute Law.____the degraded or und eveloped--and even to too many others--the thought of freedom is a thoug ht of escaping from____—which,of course,is impossible.
2.Can we attain____enfranchisement--the true Democracy,and t he height of it?While we are from____to death the subjects of ir resistible law,enclosing every movement and minute,we yet escape,by a paradox,into____free will.
3.____its greatest,understanding and obeying the laws,it can____,and then only,maintain true liberty.
1.整個宇宙是一個亙古不變的法則。
2.奇怪的是，唯有學習法則並默默地服從法則，我們才能獲得自由。
3.這種法則為整個客觀世界指明了道德方向，為人類的生活保證了最後的尊嚴。
1.It is not only true that most people entirely misunderstand Freed om,but I sometimes think I have not yet met one person who rightly unde rstands it.
not only...but：不但……而且……
2....we only attain to freedom by a knowledge of,and implicit obed ience to law.
attain to：達到（理想的狀態）；獲得；使屬於