My neighbors tell me of their adventures with famous gentlemen and ladies, what notabilities they met at the dinner-table；but I am no more interested in such tilings than in the contents of the Daily Times.

 

我的邻居向我所讲述的他的奇遇，都是和那些知名的绅士淑女有关的，如他们在宴会桌上遇到了哪些里要人物。但是我对这些事情根本没有兴趣，这如同《每日时报》的内容一样乏味，

The interest and the conversation are about costume and mannefs chiefly, but a goose is a goose still, dress it as you will.

主要围绕服饰打扮和礼节举止是兴趣和谈话的主题。但是任你怎么去刻意装扮，呆头鹅总归是呆头鹅。

They tell me of California and Texas, of England and the Indies, of the Hon.

他们向我不厌其烦地讲起加利福尼亚和得克萨斯，英格兰和东西印度群岛，

Mr—of Georgia or of Massachusetts, all transient and fleeting phenomena, till I am ready to leap from their courtyard like the Mameluke bey.

来自佐治亚或马萨诸塞的尊敬的某某先生一全是瞬间即逝、不能长存的事情，我终于无法忍受，差 点要像马穆鲁克大人一样从他们的庭院中偷偷溜走。

 

I delight to come to my bearings—not walk in procession with pomp and parade, in a conspicuous place, but to walk even with the Builder of the universe, if I may—not to live in this restless, nervous, bustling, trivial Nineteenth Century, but stand or sit thoughtfully while it goes by.

 

我喜欢处在我自己的世界——不愿招人耳目地走在盛大的 游行庆祝队伍中，而想与宇宙的创造者平等地一起同行，假如可以的话，我不想生在这个轻浮急躁、神经兮兮、熙熙攘攘、举止随便的19世纪，而想伴着19世纪一天天地流逝，或立或坐，思考着。

What are men celebrating?

人们在庆祝什么呢?

They are all on a committee of arrangements, and hourly expect a speech from somebody.

他们都成了某个筹备委员会成员，时刻期待着某个大人物的演说。

God is only the president of the day, and Webster is his orator.

上帝不过是今天的轮值主席，而书伯斯持才是他的演说家。

I love to weigh, to settle, to gravitate toward that which most strongly and rightfully attracts me，not hang by the beam of the scale and try to weigh less—not suppose a case, but take the case that is；to travel the only, path I can, and that on which no power can resist me.

对于那些强烈地、正确地让我感兴趣的事物，我喜爱估量它们的重量，解决它们，让它们吸引-决不想放在秤杆上，尝试减轻重量—不妄加推测任何事情，而是完全根据其实际情况来解决；在那条我能走的 必经之路上继续前行。在这条路上，我可以战胜任何力量。

It affords me no satisfaction to commence to spring an arch before I have got a solid foundation.

在拥有坚实稳固的基础之前，就开始着手建造起一座拱门，我不会因为这样的行为，感到丝毫满足。