ThePleasureofWalking
佚名/Anonymous
Walkinggivesusbackoursenses.Wesee,hear,smelltheworldaswenevercanwhenweride.Nomatterwhatvehicle,itisthevehiclethatismoving,notourselves.Wearetrappedinsideitsfixedenvironment,andoncewehavetakeninitssensoryaspects—mainlyintermsofcomfortordiscomfort—weturnoffourperceptionsandeithergotosleeporopenamagazineandbegindozinginandout.
Butwhenwewalk,theenvironmentchangeseverymomentandoursensesarecontinuouslybeingalert.Aroundeachcomerofacityblock,aroundeachbendinacountryroad,thereissomethingnewtogreettheeyes,theears,thenose.Eventhesamewalk,theonewemaytakeeveryday,isneverthesamefromonedaytoanother,fromoneweekandseasontoanother.
Thisistruenotonlyinthecountry,buteverywhereelse.InNewYorkCity,agroupofexecutiveswhomeeteveryweekdaymorningwalkfromtheirhomestotheiroffices.Theirwaytakesthemthroughquietstreetsofoldbrownstones,oneoftheoldestneighborhoodsinthecity,thenupandovertheBrooklynBridgewithitscathedralarchessupportingtheweb-likedraperyofcables,thendownintothetightskyscrapercanyonsofthefinancialdistrict.
Ontheirdailyroutetheysee,hear,smellthecityinallitsseasonalchanges,underbrightandcloudyskies.Onlythemostinclementweatherstopsthem—suitablydressed,theycanwalkwithpleasureinspringrains,autumndrizzles,thesunlightofasummermorningorasoftwintersnowfall.Theriverwatersrollbybelowtheirfeet,sullenorsparkling.Tugboatschugpast,shovingandhaulingtheirvariouslyladenbarges;onashroudedmorning,foghornshootandmoan.ThefamousskylineoflowerManhattanrisesbeforethem,glitteringinthesun,afloatinmist,againstabackdropofskynevertwicethesame.
散步能喚醒我們的感官。散步時對這個世界的所見所聞所感,是乘車時所不曾有的。不管你搭乘什麼交通工具,運動的是車,而不是我們自身。我們受車內特定環境所限,一旦適應了這種環境——主要側重於是否舒適——就失去了自己的知覺,或睡覺或翻開雜誌昏沉沉地打盹。
當我們散步時,周圍的環境每時每刻都發生著變化,我們的感知也隨之不斷地轉換。在城市街區的每一個拐角和鄉村道路的每一個拐彎處,總有某種新鮮事物吸引我們的眼球和我們的聽覺與嗅覺。即使我們每天走的是同一條人行路,每天也都會有所不同,每一周、每一季也會有所變化。
不僅是在鄉村,其他各地也都如此。在紐約,有一群行政人員每天早上相遇,他們都是從家步行到辦公室,途經古舊的褐色石頭鋪成的寂靜街道,那是這座城市中最古老的街區之一。然後經過布魯克林大橋,橋孔像大教堂拱頂一樣,支撐著巨纜織成的橋板,然後走進峽谷般的金融區,那裡兩側是巍然屹立的摩天大樓。
他們在每天經過的路上看到、聽到、也聞到了紐約在明朗晴空和陰雲密佈的天空下的四季更迭。只有在天氣極度惡劣、寒冷和狂風暴雨之時,他們才會畏懼前行。他們穿著應季的衣服,歡快地行走在春雨中、綿綿的秋雨中、夏日清晨的陽光下或冬日細軟的飄雪中。河水流經他們腳下,或鬱鬱寡歡,或汩汩流淌。拖船突突地開過,用力地推著或拉著滿載貨物的駁船。在濃霧迷茫的清晨,霧號有時大聲鳴響,有時嗚咽呻吟。久負盛名的曼哈頓島低垂的輪廓在地平線上方的天空升起,在陽光下閃爍,飄浮在霧靄裡,那背景天幕變化萬端,從不曾重複。
1.Wearetrappeditsfixedenvironment,andwehavetakeninitssensoryaspects-mainlyintermsofcomfortdiscomfort—weturnoffourperceptionsandeithergotosleeporamagazineandbegindozinginandout.
2.Eventhesame,theonewemaytakeeveryday,isthesamefromonedaytoanother,fromoneweekandtoanother.
3.themostinclementweatherstopsthem—suitablydressed,theycanwalkwithpleasurespringrains,autumndrizzles,thesunlightofasummermorningasoftwintersnowfall.
1.散步時對這個世界的所見所聞所感,是乘車時所不曾有的。
2.他們在每天經過的路上看到、聽到、也聞到了紐約在明朗晴空和陰雲密佈的天空下的四季更迭。
3.在濃霧迷茫的清晨,霧號有時大聲鳴響,有時嗚咽呻吟。
1oncewehavetakeninitssensoryaspects—mainlyintermsofcomfortordiscomfort
intermsof:依據;按照;在……方面
2weturnoffourperceptionsandeithergotosleeporopenamagazineandbegindozinginandout.
inandout:進進出出;來來去去