英语美文：写给忠诚的狗狗们

 A Tribute to the Dog

写给忠诚的狗

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors¹ to their faith.

一个人在世上最好的朋友会和他反目，成为他的敌人。他悉心养育的儿女会不忠不孝。那些和我们最亲近的人，那些我们以幸福和美名信赖的人会背信弃义。

The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone² to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice³ when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

一个人拥有的金钱会失去，也许就在他最需要的时候。一个人的名誉会因瞬间的不当之举而丧失贻尽。那些当我们功成名就时跪拜向我们致敬的人也许是第一个在失败的阴云笼罩我们时对我们投石下井。

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous⁴ is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer.

在这个自私的世界里，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。无论富有或贫穷，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。

He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper⁵ master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains⁶. When riches take wings, and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth⁷, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him, to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies.

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，当名誉毁之贻尽，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。

And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes his master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness⁸, faithful and true even in death.

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，任凭所有的朋友风流云散，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。

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 watchfulness   

警惕，留心； 警觉（性）

参考例句：

• The escort and the universal watchfulness had completely isolated him. 护送和普遍一致的监视曾经使他完全孤立。
• A due watchfulness on the movements of the enemy was maintained. 他们对敌人的行动还是相当警惕的。