介绍:
Walden [ˈwɔldən] (Issue 199)
16. The Pond in Winter(7)
[10] Of five coves, three, or all which had been sounded, were observed to have a bar quite across their mouths and deeper water within, so that the bay tended to be an expansion of water within the land not only horizontally but vertically, and to form a basin[ˈbeɪsn] or independent pond, the direction of the two capes showing the course of the bar. Every harbor on the sea-coast, also, has its bar at its entrance. In proportion as the mouth of the cove was wider compared with its length, the water over the bar was deeper compared with that in the basin. Given, then, the length and breadth of the cove, and the character of the surrounding shore, and you have almost elements enough to make out a formula for all cases.
[11] In order to see how nearly I could guess, with this experience, at the deepest point in a pond, by observing the outlines of a surface and the character of its shores alone, I made a plan of White Pond, which contains about forty-one acres, and, like this, has no island in it, nor any visible inlet or outlet; and as the line of greatest breadth fell very near the line of least breadth, where two opposite capes approached each other and two opposite bays receded, I ventured to mark a point a short distance from the latter line, but still on the line of greatest length, as the deepest. The deepest part was found to be within one hundred feet of this, still farther in the direction to which I had inclined[ɪnˈklaɪnd], and was only one foot deeper, namely, sixty feet. Of course, a stream running through, or an island in the pond, would make the problem much more complicated[ˈkɒmplɪˌkeɪtɪd].
[12] If we knew all the laws of Nature, we should need only one fact, or the description of one actual phenomenon, to infer all the particular results at that point. Now we know only a few laws, and our result is vitiated['vɪʃieɪtid], not, of course, by any confusion[kən'fjuːʒən] or irregularity in Nature, but by our ignorance[ˈɪgnərəns] of essential elements in the calculation. Our notions of law and harmony are commonly confined to those instances which we detect; but the harmony which results from a far greater number of seemingly conflicting, but really concurring, laws, which we have not detected, is still more wonderful. The particular laws are as our points of view, as, to the traveller, a mountain outline varies[ˈveərɪz] with every step, and it has an infinite number of profiles, though absolutely but one form. Even when cleft or bored through it is not comprehended in its entireness.
在测过的五个或所有湾子里，有三个据观察有拦坝就横在他们嘴里拦着较深的水，于是湾子就力图成为深入陆地的扩展的水，无论是从水平面还是垂直面，去形成一个盆或独立湖，两个地岬的方向正显示了坝的线路。在海岸的每一个港口，也在入口有它的坝。比起长度，湾口的阔度总是相应地比例更宽，那坝周围的水也相应地按比例比盆里的水更深。那么只要湾子的长宽已经给定，加上其周围岸的特征，你也就拥有了足够造出任何情况下，适用的一个公式的几乎所有元素。
为了看看我这一经验能推测到多么接近那湖中最深的一个点，通过单单观察一个表面的轮廓和湖岸的特性，我对白湖做了个计划，他大约是四十一英亩，也和瓦尔登湖一样，湖中没有小岛，也没有明显的入水口和出水口；而且当最宽线下跌到非常接近最小宽度，那里两个相对的岬角相互接近而两个相对的水湾退却，我试着从后一条线最短的距离标了一个点，但仍然是在最大长度线上，如同在最深度线上一样。最深的部分被发现就在这百英尺以里，比我倾向的方向更远，也就深度超了一英尺，即六十英尺。当然了，一道溪经过，或湖中的一个岛屿，将会让问题变得更加复杂。
如果我们知道了大自然的所有法则，我们将仅需要一个事实，或一个实际现象的描述，去从那一点出发推断所有特殊的结果。现在我们仅知道有数的几条法则，而我们的结果是无效的，当然了，不是因为大自然本身的任何混乱和无序，而是由于我们对计算中基本元素的无知。我们关于法则和和谐的观念通常是局限于我们探知的那些实例；但是那来自于一个更远仿佛是自相矛盾的和谐的更大数，那才是本质的一致而且仍然是更加奇妙，那些法则，我们还没有探知。那特殊的法则就如同我们的观点，像对于一个旅人，每登山一步，山的轮廓线都在变，它有着无穷尽的剖面，虽然绝对形式只有一个。即便是劈开或钻透它也无法领会它的完整。
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