Tribute to the Dog 向狗致敬

 

 

导言阅读

乔治·格雷厄姆·韦斯特（1830—1904），是美国密苏里州的一个议员，是当时杰出的演讲家和辩论家。本篇是他早年从事法律工作时在法庭上所作，当时他为一位因狗被杀而起诉的人做辩护。辩护时，韦斯特没有要求任何证词，只是凭借其辩论就赢得了官司。他辩词的撼人之处在于：拿出人类兽性的一面与狗人性的一面作对比，引起法官们对狗的感激和同情，以及对杀狗人的强烈憎恶。这不仅仅是一篇辩护词，也是一篇优秀的演讲稿，更是对人性的呼唤。

演讲实录

Gentlemen of the jury :

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His sonor daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful . Those who are nearest anddearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors² totheir faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needsit most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The peoplewho are prone³ to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first tothrow the stone of malice⁴ when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutelyunselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the onethat never proves ungrateful or treacherous⁵ is his dog.

A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He willsleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only hemay be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick thewounds and sores that come in an encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleepof his pauper⁶ master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains⁷. When richestake wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journeythrough the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth⁸ an outcast in the world, friendless andhomeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard himagainst danger, to fight against his enemies.

And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his bodyis laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by thegraveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alertwatchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

参考译文

陪审团的先生们：

人生在世，他最好的朋友也许会和他反目，成为他的敌人。他悉心养育的儿女也许会不忠不孝。那些和我们最亲近的人，那些我们以幸福和美名信赖的人也许会背叛信义。一个人拥有的金钱会失去，也许就在他最需要的时候不翼而飞。一个人的名誉会由于瞬间的不当之举而丧失殆尽。那些当我们功成名就时向我们跪拜致敬的人也许是在失败的阴云笼罩我们时第一个对我们投石下井的人。在这个世界里，一个人能有的最无私的，从不抛弃他，从不知恩不报，从不背信弃义的朋友是他的狗。

无论富贵或贫穷，无论健康或是患病，一个人的狗总佇立在主人身旁。如果能和主人在一起，它愿意睡在冰冷的地上，任凭寒风凛冽，朔雪飘零。它愿意亲吻没有食物奉送的手；它愿意舔抚艰难人世带来的创痕。它守卫着穷主人安睡如同守卫王子。当所有的朋友离去，它留驻。当财富不翼而飞，当名誉毁之殆尽，它仍然热爱着主人，如日当空，亘古不变。如果在命运驱使下，主人被世人抛弃，众叛亲离，无家可归，忠诚的狗仅仅要求能陪伴主人，守卫他免遭危险，去和他的敌人搏斗。

当最后的时刻来临，死神拥抱着主人，他的驱体掩埋在冰冷的黄土之下，任凭所有的朋友各奔东西，就在墓地旁你可以看见那高尚的狗，它的头伏在两爪之间，双眼神情悲伤，却警觉注视着，忠诚至死。

注：1869年10月28日美国密苏里州小镇沃伦斯堡发生了一件事，引发了一场旷日持久的官司。一位枪手射杀了邻居一条无辜的猎犬老鼓。这位邻居一气之下把这位枪手告上法庭。双方都雇用了著名的律师对簿公堂，官司持续一年，一直打到密苏里最高法院。邻居雇用的律师之一，也是后来的美国参议员乔治·韦斯特曾誓言，“不赢此官司，将向全密苏里州的狗谢罪。”韦斯特果然不负众望，在法庭上慷慨陈词，最终赢得了这场官司。韦斯特1870年9月23日在法庭上的结案呈词，最终以“狗赞”之名传世，成为史上最著名的演说之一。今天人们只要来到沃伦斯堡法院前，就能看到老鼓的雕像和刻在座基上的这篇脍炙人口的演说。

Vocabulary Bank

1. jury ［'?u?ri ］n 陪审团

Seven men and five women sat on the jury.

陪审团由七男五女组成。

2. ungrateful ［?n'ɡreitful ］adj (~ to sb. for sth.) 不感激的，忘恩负义的You ungrateful wretch⁹!

你这个忘恩负义的家伙！

3. traitor¹ ［'treit? ］n (~ to sb./sth.) 背叛者，卖国贼He's a traitor to himself.

他背叛了自己的信条。

4. prone ［pr?un ］adj (~ to sth./to do sth.) 有做某事的倾向He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.

别人一不同意他的意见，他就会发脾气。

5. malice ［'m?lis ］n 敌意，恶意

She certainly bears you no malice.

她对你肯定没有恶意。

6. desert ［di'z?:t ］v 离弃，放弃

The village had been hurriedly deserted¹⁰, perhaps because terrorists were in the area.

全村人都匆匆逃走了，或许因为该地区有恐怖分子。

7. prosperity ［pr?s'periti ］n 成功，富足

He wished the young couple a life of happiness and prosperity.

他祝这对年轻人生活幸福，万事如意。

8. lick ［lik ］v 舔（某人/某物）

The cat was licking its fur.

猫在舔自己的毛。

9. encounter ［in'kaunt? ］v 意外遇见，面临

I encountered many difficulties when I first started this job.

我开始做这项工作时，遇到了许多困难。

10. constant ［'k?nst?nt ］adj 坚定的，忠实的He has been her constant companion for the last four months.

过去的四个月中，他一直陪伴着她。

11. privilege ［'privili? ］n 特别给予的好处或待遇Older pupils enjoy special privileges.

岁数较大的学童会受到优待。

12. alert ［?'l?:t ］adj 警觉的，机警的

Although he's over eighty, his mind is still remarkably¹¹ alert.

他虽已年逾八十，但头脑仍十分机敏。

Grammar Master

当prove作“证明是，结果是，事实说明”解时，用作系动词，没有被动语态，常用的句型有：prove+形容词。

例　The handbook proved most useful.

这本手册证明很有用。

例　The medicine proved satisfactory.

结果证明这药疗效令人满意。

prove+名词

例　She proved a very strict teacher.

结果证明她是一位非常严格的老师。

例　His efforts, however, proved a failure.

但他的努力都失败了。

prove+介词短语或副词

例　Perhaps this book will prove of some use to you in your studies.

也许这本书会对你的研究有帮助。

例　The power station was completed and proved up to standard.

这座发电站建成了，质量符合标准。

prove+动词不定式

例　As time went on, Einstein's theory proved to be correct.

随着时间的推移，爱因斯坦的理论证明是正确的。

例　She may prove to be the most suitable person for the job.

她可能是最适合干这项工作的人。

1 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

2 traitors   

卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人

参考例句：

• Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
• Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。

3 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

4 malice   

n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋

参考例句：

• I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks.我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
• There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits.他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。

5 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

6 pauper   

n.贫民，被救济者，穷人

参考例句：

• You lived like a pauper when you had plenty of money.你有大把钱的时候，也活得像个乞丐。
• If you work conscientiously you'll only die a pauper.你按部就班地干，做到老也是穷死。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

10 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

11 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。