一只狗狗对主人的临终告白

　　When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?"-but then you'd relent, and roll me over for a belly¹ rub.

　　当我还是一只小狗的时候，我的顽皮滑稽每每惹来你发笑,为你带来欢乐。你把我叫做你的孩子,虽然家里许多鞋子和一些靠枕都被我咬得残缺不全,我依然是你最好的朋友。无论什么时候我干了“坏”事，你总会对我摇摇手指说：“你怎么可以这样呢？”不过最后你都会原谅我，把我扑倒然后搓我的肚皮。

　　My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect.We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream(I only got the cone² because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

　　你忙碌的时候，百无聊赖的我只好把家里弄得一团糟。我无声的抗议对你总是管用的。每晚睡觉前我都会跳到你的床上，倚着你撒娇，听你细诉自己的梦想和秘密。我们常常到公园散步、追逐，偶尔也会乘车兜兜风。每天午后我都会在斜阳下打盹，准备迎接你回家。这些日子，我确信是我一生中最快乐的时光。

　　Gradually,you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped³ with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell

　　in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person"-still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

　　渐渐地，你把更多的时间花在工作和事业上，并且花更多的时间去找寻你的另一半。而我总会耐心地等你回来，在每一个绝望心碎的日子里给你安慰，从来都不会因为你所做的糟糕决定而责怪你。每天只要你一踏进家门，我都会欢快的扑向你，当你坠入爱河时，我会为你高兴得团团转。她--也就是你现在的妻子，并不是一个“爱狗之人”，但我还是欢迎她来到我们家，还努力向她表达我的友好，并听她的话。因为你开心，所以我也开心。

　　Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished⁴ to another room, or to a dog crate⁵. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked⁶ fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch-because your touch was now so infrequent-and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak⁷ into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

　　后来你们添了小娃娃，我也跟你一样万分雀跃。我被他们精致的面孔、他们的一颦一笑感染了，我真想疼他们一下，好想像爱你般爱你的孩子，然而你和你的妻子却深怕我弄伤他们，整天把我关在门外，甚至把我关到笼子里去。孩子们慢慢长大了，我也成了他们的好朋友。他们喜欢抓着我的毛皮蹒跚地站起来，喜欢用幼小的指头戳我的眼睛，喜欢为我检查耳朵，也喜欢吻我的鼻子。我尤其喜欢他们的抚摸？？因为你已经很少触摸我了。有时候我会跳上他们的床，倚着他们撒娇，细听他们的心事和小秘密，一起等待你回家。

　　There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me.These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject.I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure⁸ on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

　　曾几何时，人们问起你家里有没有宠物时，你总是毫不迟疑地从包里掏出我的照片，向他们娓娓道出我的轶事。可是，近几年有人问起同一个问题，你却只是冷冷地回答“是”，随即就转向别的话题。我已经从“你的狗儿”变成只是“一条狗”了，甚至对我的开支也变得吝啬起来。后来你的仕途来了个新转机，你可能要到另一个城市里工作，移居到一幢不许豢养宠物的公寓去。终于，你为“家庭”作出正确的抉择。可是，你是否还记得，曾几何时我就是你“家庭”的诠释？

　　I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter.It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her". They shrugged⁹ and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged¹⁰ dog, even one with "papers". You had to pry¹¹ your son's fingers loose from my collar, as he screamed "No, Daddy.Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty¹², about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

　　你的车子出发了。我不明真相，还在旅途中充满期待。终于我们抵达的是一家动物收容所。里面传来不只是猫儿和狗儿的气味，还有恐惧、绝望的气味。你边写着文件边对那里的人说“我知道你们一定可以为它找个好归宿的。”看着你，他们耸耸肩，露出一个很难过的神情。对于这里的老犬最终会走的路，他们了如指掌；纵使老犬们身怀着各种各样的证书，又如何？你的儿子紧抓着我的颈圈，哭喊着：“不要！爸爸，求你别让他们带走我的狗儿！”你狠下心去撬开他的小手指，直至他再也触不到我。我担心他，更担心你教给他的人生课：什么是友情、什么是忠诚、什么是爱、什么是责任、什么是……对生命的尊重！

　　You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash¹³ with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

　　你避开我的目光，最后一次轻轻地拍拍我的头说再见，并礼貌的拒绝带走我得项圈及皮带。你走后，那两位好心的女职员说你可能在几个月前就知道要搬家了，却从来没有试过要为我另找一个好的家庭。她们摇摇头说：“你怎么可以这样呢？”

1 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

2 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

3 romped   

v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜

参考例句：

• Children romped on the playground. 孩子们在操场上嬉笑玩闹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• John romped home well ahead of all the other runners. 约翰赛马跑时轻而易举地战胜了所有的选手。 来自辞典例句

4 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

6 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

8 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

9 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

11 pry   

vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起)

参考例句：

• He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
• We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。

12 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

13 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。