經典文章：一隻狗的臨終告白

摘錄：我使盡全身最後一絲力氣用尾巴重重地敲了一下桌子，竭力想讓她知道這句“你怎麼可以這樣呢?”並不是對她說的，而是對你說的，我最愛的主人。我一直都在想念你，我會永遠懷念你，永遠等待你。我只希望你生命中的每一個人也可以這麼忠誠地對待你。

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my 1)antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillow 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 2)relent, and roll me over for a belly rub.

當我還是一隻小狗的時候，我的頑皮滑稽每每惹你發笑，爲你帶來歡樂。你把我叫做你的孩子，雖然家裏許多鞋子和靠枕都被我咬得殘缺不全，我依然是你最好的朋友。無論什麼時候我幹了“壞”事，你總會對我搖搖手指說：“你怎麼可以這樣呢?”不過最後你都會原諒我，把我撲倒然後搓我的肚皮。

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of 3)nuzzling you in bed and listening to your 4)confidences and secret dream and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car ride stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dog" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

你非常忙碌，但是我們還是一起努力讓我改掉了亂啃家居物品的壞習慣，雖然所花的時間比預期的要長。我依然記得那些夜晚，我總會跳到你的牀上用鼻子蹭你，傾聽你的知心話和祕密的夢想，那時的我覺得生活簡直是完美無瑕。我們常常去公園散步和追逐，乘車兜風，偶爾停下來買雪糕吃(我只能吃到雪糕筒，因爲你說“吃雪糕對狗狗的身體不好”)。每天我都會在太陽下長時間地打盹，等待着你傍晚回家。

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 disappointment never 5)chided you about bad decision and 6)romped with 7)glee at your homecoming 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.

漸漸地，你把更多時間花在工作和事業上，而花更多時間去找尋你的另一半。而我總會耐心地等你回來，在每一個絕望心碎的日子裏給你安慰，永遠支持你哪怕是你糟透了的決定。每天只要你一踏進家門，我都會歡快地撲向你，迎接你回家。終於，你和她——也就是你現在的妻子——談戀愛了。她並不是一個“愛狗之人”，但我還是歡迎她來到我們家，還努力向她表達我的友好，並聽她的話。因爲你開心，所以我也開心。

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinknes 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 banished to another room, or to a dog 8)crate. 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 leg poked fingers in my eye investigated my ear 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 sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dream and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

後來你們添了幾個小娃娃，我也跟你一樣萬分雀躍。我被他們粉紅的小臉、甜甜的氣息深深地迷住了，我也想像媽媽一樣好好照顧他們。然而你和她卻怕我會弄傷他們，大部分時間都把我關在另一個房間裏，甚至關到籠子裏。唉，我多想好好地愛他們啊，但是我卻成了“愛的囚徒”。隨着孩子們慢慢長大，我也成了他們的好朋友。他們喜歡抓着我的毛搖搖晃晃地站起來，喜歡用指頭戳戳我的眼睛，喜歡研究我的耳朵，也喜歡親吻我的鼻子。我喜歡他們的一切，尤其喜歡他們的撫摸——因爲你現在已經很少觸摸我了——如果有必要的話我會用我的生命去保護他們。我會偷偷地溜到他們的牀上，傾聽他們的憂慮和祕密的夢想，和他們一起等待你的汽車開進家裏的車道。

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 year you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you 9)resented every expenditure 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.

曾幾何時，當人們問起你有沒有養狗的時候，你總是從錢包裏掏出我的照片，向他們講述我的軼事。可是近幾年，你卻只是簡單地回答“有”，隨即就轉換話題。我已經從“你的狗狗”變成“只是一條狗”了，你甚至爲在我身上花 的每一分錢而生氣。現在，你的事業迎來了一個新的機遇，你們要搬到另一個城市去，移居到一幢不許養寵物的公寓裏。終於，你爲“家庭”做出了正確的抉擇，可是曾幾何時我就是你唯一的家人?

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cat of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her". They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers". You had to 10)pry 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 loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life.

坐在你的車裏我充滿了期待，然而我們到達的卻是一家動物收容所。那裏瀰漫着貓兒和狗兒的氣味，還有恐懼和絕望的氣息。你填寫好文件後，對那裏的人說：“我知道你們一定可以爲它找個好歸宿的。”他們聳聳肩，露出爲難的神情。他們很清楚一隻已到中年的狗將要面臨的悲慘命運，縱使它有着各種各樣的證件。你不得不掰開你兒子緊抓着我項圈的手指，而他哭喊着：“不要!爸爸，求你不要讓他們帶走我的狗狗!”我很替他擔心，因爲你剛纔教他的人生課程：什麼是友情、忠誠、愛、責任，還有對所有生命的尊重，是多麼的歪曲錯誤!

You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eye and politely refused to take my collar and leash 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?"

你避開我的目光，最後一次輕輕拍我的頭說再見，並禮貌地拒絕帶走我的項圈及皮帶。我知道你趕時間，而現在我也知道自己的大限將至了。你走後，兩位好心的女士說你可能在幾個月前就知道自己要搬家了，卻從來沒有試過要爲我另找一個好的家庭。她們搖搖頭說：“你怎麼可以這樣呢?”

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed u of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my 11)pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you-that you had changed your mind-that this was all a bad dream…or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppie oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

雖然這裏的人整天忙得團團轉，但只要有時間，他們總會盡量照料我們。在這裏我不愁食物，可是數日以來我已經食不下咽了。剛開始，每當有人經過這牢籠，我都會滿心期待地衝上前去，希望是你來了——以爲你回心轉意來把我接回去——希望這只是一場噩夢……或者至少是有人來關心我，有人願意救我出去。當我意識到我永遠都不可能爭得過那些嬉笑打鬧的小狗時，我退到一個偏遠的角落，靜靜地等待着命運的到來，而他們顯然對自己將要面對的命運還一無所知。

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ear and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a 12)tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the 13)hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

那天傍晚我聽到她向我走來，然後我跟着她輕輕地穿過長廊，走進一間獨立的房間。在這異常安靜的房間裏，她把我放在一張桌子上，揉着我的耳朵叫我不要擔心。我已料到即將發生的事情，而我的心爲此猛烈地跳動着，可是同時也浮現出一種解脫的感覺。愛的囚徒所剩的時日已經不多了，但是本性使然，我更加關心卻是她。我能感覺到她肩上的擔子十分沉重，就像我能感知到你的每種心情一樣。她溫柔地爲我的前腿綁上止血帶，此時她的淚珠滑下了臉頰。我溫柔地舐她的手，猶如許多年前我在你悲傷的時候安慰你一樣。然後，她熟練地把注射器插入我的靜脈裏。隨着一陣刺痛，一股冷流走遍我的全身。我昏昏沉沉地躺下了，看着她親切的眼睛，我喃喃地說：“你怎麼可以這樣呢?”

Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself-a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place.

也許是她聽懂了我的話，她對我說：“真是對不起。”她擁着我，急忙向我解釋說這是她的工作，她要保證把我帶到一個更好的地方，一個充滿愛和光明，跟塵世完全不同的世界，在那裏我不會再受冷落，遭欺凌，被遺棄，也不需再自謀生存……

And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a 14)thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

我使盡全身最後一絲力氣用尾巴重重地敲了一下桌子，竭力想讓她知道這句“你怎麼可以這樣呢?”並不是對她說的，而是對你說的，我最愛的主人。我一直都在想念你，我會永遠懷念你，永遠等待你。我只希望你生命中的每一個人也可以這麼忠誠地對待你。