一八四五~ 七年， 美國文學詩人亨利大衛梭羅（ Henry David Thoreau,1817~1862），為驗證「超越主義（transcendental-ism）」文學，擇居華爾騰(Walden)湖畔，展開他為期兩年兩個月，與自然交遊，追求一個人身、心、靈之「簡約生活」（Life of Simplicity）。梭羅反社會與崇尚孤處（solitude）的生活實驗，除要求個人物質的簡單，相對地，他亦要求個人「感情之簡約」，期待創造一個著重精神溝通的「超越式（transcending）」人際觀，這也是當大部人沉醉梭羅恬淡、清新之自然天地，輕撫心靈，追求一個屬於自己的生活美學時，卻少有人注意，梭羅人間感情之實驗，卻是坎坷有如「孤鳥」的一生，大異他作品之恬淡浪漫。
綜觀梭羅流水一生的感情及人際，的確有令人探索的興趣與誘惑。首先，引人直接好奇者，梭羅兩年餘，幾乎完全離群與世隔絕的日子，是如何作到與孤獨相處？對有如「孤鳥」般的梭羅，他的內心世界為何？梭羅終生未娶，愛情際遇的諱莫如深；期間與文壇摯友愛默生（Ralph Waldo Emerson）由親如家人以至形同陌路的決裂；乃至人生最後階段，竟崇拜恐怖、血腥之廢奴人士約翰布朗（John Brown）為師，都在在令人有著不解與錯愕，是研究梭羅文學與政治者，不可避免的篇章，而探索梭羅獨特「超越式」人際觀，是如何看待親情、友情與愛情，自是研究與解開這些答案之關鍵。

Henry D. Thoreau (1817~1862) experimented a “transcendentalist” life between 1845 and 1847 beside Walden Pond. In his “own little world”, Thoreau lived alone in the cabin a “Life of Simplicity” to fulfill a sort of Utopian days - “not how much we get, but how less to be satisfied.” While Thoreau develops a subtle solitude from the society, he also cultivates a spiritual type of “transcending “ human relations.
This paper will take an insight into Thoreau’s particular “transcending” viewpoints on his friendship and love as well as his judgment on maintenance of these relationships. It is well known that Thoreau’s independent life is in a high degree characterized by his alienation from the society. However, that life also requires strictly a “emotional simplicity”. It is exactly exemplified in how Thoreau’s dealing with his intellectual contemporaries and close friends whose human interaction influences his individual life, such as his breaking with Ralph Emerson and Ellery Channing, his being Platonic love with Mrs. Lidian Emerson and his unexpected worship to horrified John Brown , that will be probed for a deeper understanding of Thoreau’s inner world.
This paper will focus on Walden and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers with reference to Thoreau’s other writings, such as, Journal, Thoreau by R. Emerson, Slavery in Massachusetts, Civil Disobedience ,etc., which truly reflect Thoreau’s inner world on his friends and love.