Or it might be that Ellery Channing came up the avenue to ioin me in a fishing excursion on the river．Strange and happy times were those when we cast aside all irksome forms and strait．1aced habitudes。and delivered ourselves up to the free air．to live like the Indians or any less conventional
aceduring one bright semicircle of the sun．Rowing our boat
against the current。between wide meadows，we turned aside
into the Assabeth．A more lovely stream than this．for a mile
above itS iunction with the Concord，has never flowed on
earth．—nowhere,indeed，except to lave the interior regions of a poet’s imagination．It is sheltered from the
breeze by woods and hillside；SO that elsewhere there might
be a hurricane，and here scarcely a ripple across the shaded
water。The current lingers along SO gently that the mere force of the boatman’s will seems sufficient tO propel his craft against it．It comes flowing softly through the midmost privacy and deepest heart of a wood which whispers it to be quiet；while the stream whispers back again from its sedgy borders．as if river and wood were hushing one another to sleep．Yes；the river sleeps along itS course and dreams of the sky and of the clustering foliage．amid which fall showers of broken unlight，imparting specks of vivid cheerfulness，in contrast with the quiet depth of the prevailing tint．
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——黄任，资深翻译专家，上海外国语大学教授
或许有人说，散文在今天似已不再属于我们文学修养的中心部分：显然它已被排挤在这中心的圈外，甚至圈外之外。今天的年轻人往往有他们自己的一套“独立文化”，而且对行的重视更胜于言。现代社会生活节奏加快，眼球更容易被有趣的电视节目或是多彩的网络世界所吸引，读散文的人少了很多。可是，只要我们对生活的热情存在，这些文字就将流传下去。
——东风西风读者
我们毫不掩饰对这本书深深的喜爱，我们毫不掩饰对这本书倾注的感情，我们毫不吝啬给予这本书最高的评价，我们毫不犹豫地推荐您带走她……
——新月编辑