经典英语美文阅读带中文翻译(3)
经典英语美文阅读(三)
狗的颂歌
Gentlemen of the jury, the best friend a man has inthis world may turn against him and become hisenemy. His son or daughter that he has reared withloving care may prove ungrateful.
Those who are nearest and dearest to us, thosewhom we trust with our happiness and our goodname, may become traitors to their faith. The moneythat a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him perhaps when heneeds it most. A man’sreputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action.
The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may bethe first tothrow the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.
The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one thatnever deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.
Gentlemen of the jury, a man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health andin sickness.He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drivesfiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. Heguards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.
When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls topieces,he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, thefaithful dog asksno higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard againstdanger,to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes themaster in its embrace and his body is laid away inthe cold ground, no matter if all other friendspursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between hispaws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness,faithful and true, evento death.
陪审团诸君：世上亲如手足的挚友可能会疏远叛离，反目成仇。含辛茹苦的父母面临的也许是儿女的忘恩负义。
有些人备受我们尊敬和爱戴，有些人是我们幸福之所依，声誉之所系;即便如此，他们也会背信弃义。人的钱财会失去，而且可能在急需之时偏偏散失殆尽。人的名誉也会因为一时的考虑不周而荡然无存。
当胜利与我们同行时，有些人往往向我们俯伏下跪,称颂致敬;但是当风云突变，失败的黑云压顶之时，最先落并下石的或许就是他们。
在这个私欲横流的世界上，一个人可能拥有的绝对无私的朋友乃是他的狗。它从不抛弃主人，永不忘恩负义，也永不心怀鬼胎。
陪审团诸君：无论在主人富裕之曰还是贫困之时，也无论主人健康无恙还是病入裔肓，守卫在他身边的始终是他的狗。
只要它能够貼近于主人，它就宁愿蜷伏于冰冷的地面，任寒风刺骨，冰雪袭身。它愿意亲吻主人的手，即便主人并未施与食物。它会舔舐主人在与这个粗暴的世界奋战中留下的伤口和痛处。它守候着睡梦中的赤贫如洗的主人就如同守候着君主王侯一般。
当所有的朋友都弃主人而去，唯有它仍留守在主人身旁。即使主人倾家荡产、身败名裂，它依然爱心如常宛若曰行中天。
一旦主人遭遇不幸被众人抛弃而举目无亲之时，忠贞不渝的狗别无他求，唯以伴随主人抵御危险和抗击敌人为荣。待到主人大限临近，最终被死神擭入怀抱，尸入凉冢，长眠黄泉，任凭其他朋友各奔东西，趴在主人墓旁的仍是这只高尚的狗。它的头伏于双爪之间，瞀觉地圆睁着抑郁的双眼，尽诚尽职，死而后已。
