新版自考英语(二)课文及翻译A Tribute to the Dog

Unit 3 Text B

A Tribute to the Dog

狗的赞歌

The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom 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 traitors to their faith.

一个人在世上最好的朋友可能背叛他，变成他的敌人。他精心养育的儿女可能会忘恩负义。那些和我们最亲近的人，那些我们信任，将自己的幸福和名誉托付给他们的人也许会背信弃义。

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 prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely, unselfish friend a man may have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

一个人拥有的钱财可能会失去。在他最需要的时刻，钱可能会不翼而飞。一个人的名誉会在他做出一个欠考虑的行为时而成为陪葬品．那些在我们春风得意时逢迎拍马，就算下跪也成可以的人，却有可能在我们遭遇不测时，第一时间落井下石。在这个自私自利的世界里，一个人可能有这样一个绝对无私，决不抛弃自己，决不会忘恩负义的朋友，那就是自己的狗了。

A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the sores and wounds that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

一个人无论是富贵还是贫穷，健壮还是病弱，他的狗都会待在他的身旁．哪怕冬日风雪肆虐，只要能待在主人的身旁，狗也会睡在冰冷的地板上。狗会亲吻主人那双没有食物给它的双手，会舔主人身上与这残忍的世界抗争时留下的伤口。狗守护着睡着了的贫穷主人，仿佛他是一个王子．

When all other friends desert, he remains. 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 forth, 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. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes its master in its embrace and the 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 watchfulness faithful and true even in death.

当主人所有的朋友都弃之而去时，它却留下来。当主人的财富，名誉一去不复返时，它的爱始终如一，犹如太阳在空中永恒不变的轨迹。如果主人遭世人遗弃，举目无亲，无家可归时，忠诚的狗除了陪伴在主人左右，保护他不受伤害之外别无他求。当最后一刻终于来到，死神将主人拥入了怀抱，他的身体被丢弃在冰冷的土地里，不管他的朋友们是否都各自离去，在他的墓地旁总能看到他忠诚的狗，它的头伏在两爪之间，眼睛透露出无比的悲哀但却睁的