青春的旋律Civil Disobedience

2020年12月23日发(作者：孙仲逸)
Civil Disobedience

Henry David Thoreau
I heartily accept the motto, “That government is best which governs least”; and I should like
have some complicated machinery or other, and hear its din, to satisfy that idea of government
which they have. Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose
on themselves, for their own advantage. It is excellent, we must all allow; yet this government
to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which
also I believe: “That government is best which governs not at all”; and when men are prepared
for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an
expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.
The objections which have brought against a standing army, and they are many and mighty, and
deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army
is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which
the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before
the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few
individuals using the standing government as their tool; for in the outset, the people would not
have consented to this measure.
This American government---what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to
transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the
vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will. It is a sort of
wooden gun to the people themselves; and, if ever they should use it in earnest as a real one
against each other, it will surely split, but it is not the less necessary for this; for the people must
never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with country free. It does not settle the
West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that has
been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not
sometimes got in its way. For government is an expedient by which men would fain succeed in
letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most
let alone by it. Trade and commerce, if they were not made of India rubber, would never manage
to bounce over the obstacles which legislators are continually putting in their way; and, if one
were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions, and not partly by their intentions,
they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put
obstructions on the railroads.
But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no government
men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make
known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward
obtaining it---

论公民的不服从 亨利·大卫·梭罗著
梭罗毕业于哈佛大学，终生在波士顿附近的康科德镇从事教书与写作，并在爱默森影响下加入< br>超验主义者俱乐部，成为美国文化启蒙运动的重要代表。
１８４５年，梭罗开始在康科 德镇外的瓦尔登湖畔离群索居达两年之久，为的是“有目的地生
活，仅仅面对生活的要素”。梭罗不仅是 位崇尚自然、追求超灵理想的哲人，他还具有强烈的民主意识
与个人独立精神。１８４６年一个夏日傍晚 ，他由林中小屋返回镇上取一双修补的皮靴，路遇警官，要
他交纳三年未付的人头税。梭罗拒绝以税款援 助正在进行的美墨战争及与其有关的蓄奴势力。他因此坐
了一夜牢房（他的姨母赶来代交了税款，并阻止 了他同政府的对抗）。
出狱后，梭罗将自己的政治观点写成论文，先在康科德夜校向公众宣读 ，继而刊登在波士顿一
家杂志上，题名《论公民的不服从》。未曾料及，该文绵延百年，传遍世界，影响 了英国工党、印度独
立斗争、丹麦反法西斯团体、美国的女权与黑人运动，甚至俄国的托尔斯泰伯爵。后 者赞扬梭罗对公民
权益的坚持推动了西方政治思想对异议的重视与宽容，因为梭罗“不仅相信自己的道理 ，还亲身加以实
践”。
参考译文
我衷心地接受这句箴言：“最好的政府是管理得最 少的政府。”而且我希望能看到这句话被快速
自动地实践。当它被付诸实践之后，最后就等于这个我也同 样相信的判断：“最好的政府是根本就不管
理的政府。”而当人们做好了这样的准备时，这就会成为他们 将要拥有的那种政府。政府最多也就只是
一种权宜之计，但多数政府有时往往并不能有所助益。对于一支 人数众多、队伍庞大、应该获胜的常备
军队的反对最后也可能发展成为对长期政府的反对。常备军队只是 长期政府的一个武器而已。政府本身
也只是人民选来执行自己意愿的方式，但在人民通过它有所作为之前 ，它也一样很容易被歪曲或滥用。
见证了现在的这场墨西哥战争，就是少数几个人利用长期政府作为自己 的工具的结果；因为在最初的时
候，人民就不会同意采取这个行动。
这个美国政府---它不 过是一种传统，尽管其历史还不久，但却竭力使自己原封不动地届届相传，
可是每届却都丧失掉一些自身 的诚实和正直。它并不具有一个活着的人的生命力和力量，因为一个人就
能使它屈从于自己的意志。它就 是一种对着人民自己的木枪，而如果他们真心地想把它作为一支真枪来
彼此对抗的话，它就必然会碎裂。 但它并不因此就损失任何必要性，因为人们必须要有这种或其他种类
的复杂机器，并且听到它的喧嚣轰鸣 ，才能满足他们关于政府的想法。于是，政府的存在表明，为了人
民的利益，可以成功地利用、欺骗人民 ，甚至可以使人民利用、欺骗自己。这非常好，我们所有的人都
必须同意，然而这个政府自己却从未增长 任何进取心，却加快了它出轨的速度。它没有使这个国家保持
自由；它没有平息西部；它没有教育；所有 的成就都是美国人民固有的品质取得的，而且如果不是政府
有时候妨碍他们的话，他们本来还可以取得更 多的成就。因为政府是一种权宜之计，通过它人们会很乐
意不打扰彼此，而且，正如我们所说过的，当它 最能有所助益的时候，它最不干扰那些被管理的人。贸
易和商业如果不是由印第安劫匪组成的话，它们就 永远也不会成功越过立法者不断为它们设置的障碍；
而且，如果谁要是完全根据这些立法者的行为结果来 判断他们，而没有部分地考虑他们的意图的话，他
们就应该和那些在路上摆路障的匪徒归为一类，并一同 受到惩罚。
但是，以一个公民的身份客观来说，我不像那些自称是无政府主义的人，我要求的不是立即 取消
政府，而是拥有一个更好的政府。让每个人都说出什么样的政府能够赢得他的尊敬，那将成为获得那 种
政府的第一步------