英语翻译
Ilikedtheprospectofthinkingaboutlandnotintermsofbuildinglotsbutacres.Whatbroughtmetothewoodswasgenerational.MywifeandIwerepartoftheback-to-the-landmovementoftheSixtiesandSeventies,thelittletideofpeoplewhowantedtoreturntoacountrysidetheyhadneverexperienced.Whatbroughtmetothewoodswasromanticism.Iwantedtofeelelementalsublimity,thefullforceofthestarsandrainandwind.Whatbroughtmetothewoodswaspragmatism.Iwantedtolearnhowtotakecareofmyself.WhatbroughtmetothewoodswasmybeinganurbanJewwhowasreadytoleavebehindthevestigesofassimilatedreligionandculturethathadbeenbequeathedtome.Iwasn’tashamedofit.Icraved,however,somethingdifferentfromthelargelyasphaltlandscapeIgrewupin.Whatbroughtmetothewoodswasthelongingtobewithwordsinanundistractedplace.“Woods”and“words”werealmostidentical.
Whenwelookforonethreadofmotive,weare,inalllikelihood,deceivingourselves.
Welivedforovertwenty-threeyearsonforty-eightwoodedacresthatwepurchasedfromanoldMainerwhohadboughtuplandintheThirtieslikepostagestampsandsoldoffaparceleverynowandthenwhenheneededsomemoney.Welivedoffthegrid—noconventionalpower,noelectriclines,nolightswitches,faucets,orspigots,notoasterorhairdryer,noflushtoilet,nofurnace,andnomonthlybillfromCentralMainePower.Oftenwhenwetoldpeoplehowwelived,theyaskedusforthrightlyhowwecouldlivethatway.Whatwaswithus?Frequentlytheyassumedthatwewereideologuesofsomesort,thatwewerelivingwithoutelectricitytomakeapointaboutthedryrotofWesterncivilization.PerhapswewerelatterdayLudditesordevoteesofRousseauorThoreau.Wemustbeofthecompanyofthesanctimonious,thosewholivetojudgeothers.
IIneverblamedpeopleformakingsuchassumptions.Anythingoutoftheordinarytendstobetakenpersonally.Thefactwasthatwehadsituatedourhouseafewhundredfeetbeyondwhatthepowercompanyconsideredareasonabledistancetoputintheirpoles.Beyondthatdistance,acustomerhadtosignacontractandpayabunchofmoneyupfront.
