Mornings with Thoreau

I was reading this morning in Thoreau's Walden, and came upon a passage that I found very lovely. I was reading in German, and decided to look up the lines in English. Here they are:

"Willst du ein Leser sein, ein bloss Lernender--oder ein Sehender? Lies dein Schicksal, sieh, was vor dir liegt, und gehe ruhig deiner Zukunft entgegend." (123)

"Will you be a reader, a student merely, or a seer? Read your fate, see what is before you, and walk on into futurity." (105)

I must admit, the German translation is so much more beautiful. I love Thoreau's view on life. It is refreshing. Look at life, see what is to be seen, and go meet the future with open eyes.

"I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel."