梭羅思想中的儒家意識

Thoreau and Confucius in Walden

10.7042/JYDXTSXB.201211.0001

劉月珠(Yueh-Chu Liu)；涂成吉(Chen-Chi Tu)

孔子 ； 論語 ； 簡約生活 ； 自我教化 ； 安貧樂道 ； 大同世界 ； Confucius ； The Four Books ； The Analects of Confucius ； Da Tong World ； Life of Simplicity ； Sel-Educated

嘉義大學通識學報

10期（2012 / 11 / 01）

1 - 19

繁體中文

美國文學家亨利大衛梭羅（Henry D. Thoreau, 1817～1861）一直是國人最感親切與熟悉之外國作家，主要是他廣為人知的代表作《湖濱散記》（Walden）充滿了濃厚的中國風，有著「採菊東籬下」的天人悠然與「帝力於我何有哉」的無為境界。直覺上，梭羅理念與道家思想，呈現相似；矛盾是，文句考證上，《湖濱散記》卻不見梭羅引用中國道家任何章句，倒是不斷借重孔子之《四書》話語，彰顯兩者共同之「安貧」與「道德」的思想；孔、梭生活上，也及早提出了現代之「休閒」概念；最明顯莫過後半生，梭羅效法孔夫子「經世致用」的理想，亦有熱衷政治改革的相同人生際遇。孔子一生心志為識者乃「志於道，據於德，依於仁，遊於藝。」當坊間絕大專注以梭羅傾近中國道家與禪的研究中，本文將就梭羅與儒家思想的聯結作一探討。本文將以最根本方式，即就梭羅作品中，具體所引《四書》內容，從文學、生活、政治與休閒方面，印證梭羅與孔子「道，德，仁，藝」四大德行的共通性，分析他一生在文學與政治構想與中國儒家思想的相連關係。

Thoreau is the most influential American writer in history whose thoughts originate from in great part the traditional Chinese wisdom. Spontaneously, we are apt to associate specifically those metaphysical elements of Thoreau's thoughts like communion to nature, ecstasy, individualism, civil disobedience and pursuit of a ”no tangible” government with Chinese Taoist values. However, it's empirically found a Confucian mind is deeply rooted in Thoreau's thoughts if we compare Thoreau with Confucius in traits like philosophy, personality, political ideals. It is evident, above all, a number of Thoreau's English translation of excerpts from the Four Books instead of Taoism are read in ”Walden”. The purpose of this paper is to take an insight into Thoreau's thoughts that derive from Confucius. It will be illustrated in Thoreau's concurring with Confucius in four areas, who dedicated to: simplicity, morality, political compassion and a leisure-life of art. Both men embrace simplicity and virtue. On a Confucian ”voluntary poverty” philosophy, Thoreau engaged in an experiment to scale down his needs and expenditure while pursued a simple life on individual conscience and morality. In political application, it is the traditional Chinese Confucian utopian idea of ”Da Tong world” which Thoreau reflects this commonwealth utopia in Walden. At last, Thoreau and Confucius were great music lovers, who knew the beauty of leisure. Moreover, Thoreau believed a music from the silent nature deeply touched a human heart.

1. Babbitt, Irving, Rousseau and Romanticism , Boston and New York, 1919.
2. (1985)。四書集註。台北:世界書局。
3. Canby, Henry Seidel , Thoreau, Boston: Houghton Mifflin,1939.
4. Bailey, Thomad A.,Kennedy, David M.(1983).The American Pageant.Lexington, Massachusetts:D.C. Heath Company.
5. Bayum, Nina(ed.)(1995).American Literature.New York:W.W. Norton & Company.
6. Brinkley, Alan(1999).American History.Boston:McGraw-Hill.
7. Glick, Wendell(1998).The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau-The Higher Law.N. J.:Princeton University Press.
8. Harding, Walter(1965).The Days of Thoreau: A Biography.New York:AlfreA. Knopf.
9. Harding, Walter Roy(1980).The New Thoreau Handbook.New York:New York University Press.
10. Harmon, Smith(1999).My friend, my friend : the story of Thoreau relationship with Emerson.Amherst:University of Massachusetts Press.
11. Jacques、鄭明萱譯(2007)。從黎明到衰頹─五百年來的西方文化生活。台北:貓頭鷹出版社。
12. Jones, Samuel Arthur(ed.)(1982).Thoreau Amongst Friends and Philistines, and Other Thoreauviana.Ohio:Ohio University Press.
13. Knott, John Ray(2002).Imagining Wild America.Ann Arbor:University of Michigan.
14. Krutch, Joseph Wood(1974).Henry David Thoreau.New York:Sloane.
15. Kuehn, Manfred(2005)。康德：一個哲學家的傳記。台北:商周出版社。
16. Metlzer, Milton(1963).Thoreau: People, Principles, and Politics.New York:Hill and Wang.
17. Metzger, Charles R.(1961).Thoreau and Whitman: A Study of Their Esthetics.Seattle:University of Washington Press.
18. Myerson, Joel(2000).Transcendentalism: A Reader.New York:Oxford University Press.
19. Myerson, Joel(1992).Emerson and Thoreau: The Contemporary Reviews.New York:Cambridge University Press.
20. Myerson, Joel(ed.)(1999).Henry David Thoreau.UK:Cambridge University Press.
21. Myerson, Joel(ed.)(1995).The Cambridge Companion to Henry David Thoreau.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
22. Schneider, Richard J.(1996).Approaches to Teaching Thoreau's Walden and Other Works.New York:The Modern Language Association of America.
23. Thomas, Owen(ed.).Walden and Civil Disobedience: Authoritative Texts Background Reviews and Essays in Criticism.New York:W.W. Norton & Company.
24. 朱立民(2000)。美國文學一六○七～一八六○。臺北:書林。
25. 呂健忠、李奭學(2006)。近代西洋文學～新古典主義迄現代。台北:書林。
26. 周伯乃(1982)。近代西洋文藝新潮。台北:文開。
27. 袁行霈編(1995)。歷代名篇鑒賞。台北:五南。