評論
打印
A DOG'S TALE
一只狗的自述
by Mark Twain
馬克·吐溫著
CHAPTER I
第一章
My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian. This is what my mother told me, I do not know these nice distinctions myself. To me they are only fine large words meaning nothing. My mother had a fondness for such; she liked to say them, and see other dogs look surprised and envious, as wondering how she got so much education.
我的父親是個“圣伯爾納種”，我的母親是個“柯利種”，可是我是個“長老會教友”。我母親是這樣給我說的。這些微妙的區別我自己并不知道。在我看起來，這些名稱都不過是些派頭十足可是毫無意義的字眼。我母親很愛這一套。她喜歡說這些，還喜歡看看別的狗顯出驚訝和忌妒的神氣，好像在驚訝她為什么受過這么多教育似的。
But, indeed, it was not real education; it was only show: she got the words by listening in the dining-room and drawing-room when there was company, and by going with the children to Sunday-school and listening there; and whenever she heard a large word she said it over to herself many times, and so was able to keep it until there was a dogmatic gathering in the neighborhood, then she would get it off, and surprise and distress them all, from pocket-pup to mastiff, which rewarded her for all her trouble.
可是這其實并不是什么真正的教育，不過是故意賣弄罷了：她是在吃飯的屋子里和會客室里有人談話的時候在旁邊聽，又和孩子們到主日學校去，在那兒聽，才把這些名詞學會的。每逢她聽到了一些深奧的字眼，她就翻來覆去地背好幾遍，所以她能把它們記住，等后來在附近一帶開起講學間的會來，她就把它們搬出來唬人，叫別的狗通通吃一驚，而且不好受，從小狗兒一直到猛狗都讓她唬住了，這就使她沒有枉費那一番心血。
If there was a stranger he was nearly sure to be suspicious, and when he got his breath again he would ask her what it meant. And she always told him. He was never expecting this but thought he would catch her; so when she told him, he was the one that looked ashamed, whereas he had thought it was going to be she.
要是有外人，他差不多一定要懷疑起來，他在大吃一驚、喘過氣來之后，就要問她那是什么意思。她每次都答復人家。這是他決沒有料得到的，原來他以為可以把她難住；所以她給他解釋之后，他反而顯得很難為情，雖然他原來還以為難為情的會是她。
The others were always waiting for this, and glad of it and proud of her, for they knew what was going to happen, because they had had experience.
其他的狗都等著這個結局，而且很高興，很替她得意，因為他們都有過經驗，早知道結局會是怎樣。
When she told the meaning of a big word they were all so taken up with admiration that it never occurred to any dog to doubt if it was the right one; and that was natural, because, for one thing, she answered up so promptly that it seemed like a dictionary speaking, and for another thing, where could they find out whether it was right or not?
她把一串深奧字眼的意思告訴人家的時候，大家都羨慕得要命，隨便哪只狗也不會想到懷疑這個解釋究竟對不對。這也是很自然的，因為第一呢，她回答得非常快，就好像是字典說起話來了似地，還有呢，他們上哪兒去弄得清楚這究竟對不對呀？
For she was the only cultivated dog there was. By and by, when I was older, she brought home the word Unintellectual, one time, and worked it pretty hard all the week at different gatherings, making much unhappiness and despondency; and it was at this time that I noticed that during that week she was asked for the meaning at eight different assemblages, and flashed out a fresh definition every time, which showed me that she had more presence of mind than culture, though I said nothing, of course.
因為有教養的狗就只有她一個，后來我長大一些的時候，有一次她把“缺乏智力”這幾個字記熟了，并且在整整一個星期里的各種集會上拼命地賣弄，使人很難受、很喪氣。就是那一次，我發現在那一個星期之內，她在八個不同的集會上被人問到這幾個字的意思，每次她都沖口而出地說了一個新的解釋，這就使我看出了她與其說是有學問，還不如說是沉得住氣，不過我當然并沒有說什么。
She had one word which she always kept on hand, and ready, like a life-preserver, a kind of emergency word to strap on when she was likely to get washed overboard in a sudden way--that was the word Synonymous.
她有一個名詞經常現成地掛在嘴上，像個救命圈似的，用來應付緊急關頭，有時候猛不提防她有了被沖下船去的危險，她就把它套在身上——那就是“同義詞”這個名詞。
When she happened to fetch out a long word which had had its day weeks before and its prepared meanings gone to her dump-pile, if there was a stranger there of course it knocked him groggy for a couple of minutes, then he would come to, and by that time she would be away down wind on another tack,
and not expecting anything;
當她碰巧搬出幾個星期以前賣弄過的一串深奧的字眼來，可是她把原來準備的解釋忘到九霄云外去了的時候，要是有個生客在場，那當然就要被她弄得頭昏眼花，過一兩分鐘之后才清醒過來，這時候她可是調轉了方向，又順著風往另外一段路程上飄出去了，料不到會有什么問題，
