A Tribute To The Dog(zz)

A Tribute To The Dog
By George Graham Vest

Gentlemen of the jury: 
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 traitors to their faith. 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 that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous 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 be 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 encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards 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 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 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 watchfulness, faithful and true even in death.

本文是一篇法庭辩护词，作者George Graham Vest(1830-1904) 是美国密苏里州的一个议员，是当时杰出的演讲家和辩论家。本篇是他早年从事法律工作时在法庭上所作，其时他为一位因狗被杀而起诉的人做辩护。辩护时，Vest 没有要求任何证词，只是凭借其辩论就赢得了官司。他辩词的撼人之处在于：拿出人类兽性的一面与狗人性的一面作对比，引起法官们对狗的感激和同情，以及对杀狗人的强烈憎恶。这不仅仅是一篇辩护词，也是一篇优秀的讲演稿，更是对人性的呼唤……  在这个世界上，一个人的好友可能和他作对，变成敌人；他用慈爱培养起来的儿女也可能变得不忠不肖，那些用全部幸福和名誉所痴信的人，都可能会舍弃忠诚而叛逆。一个人所拥有的金钱可能在最需要的时候它却插翅飞走；一个人的声誉可能断送在考虑欠周的一瞬间。那些一贯在我们成功时屈膝奉承的人，很可能就是当失败的阴云笼罩在我们头上时，投掷第一块阴险恶毒之石的人。 在这个自私的世界上，一个人惟一不自私的朋友，惟一不抛弃他的朋友，惟一不忘恩负义的朋友，就是他的狗。 不管主人是贫困或富贵，健康或病弱，狗都会守在主人的身旁。只要能靠近主人，不管地面冰凉坚硬，寒风凛冽，大雪纷飞，他都回全然不顾地躺在主人身边。哪怕主人无食喂养，它仍会舔主人的手和主人手上因抵御这个冷酷的世界而受到创伤。纵然主人是乞丐，它也像守护王子一样伴随着他。当他所有的朋友都掉头而去，它却义无返顾。当财富消失，声誉扫地时，它对主人的爱依然如天空运行不息的太阳一样永恒不变。假若因命运的捉弄，它的主人变成了一个无家可归的流浪者，这只忠诚的狗也会依然陪伴主人，有难同当，对抗敌人，此外毫无奢求。当万物共同的结局来临，死神夺去了主人的生命，尸体埋葬在寒冷的地下时，纵使所有的亲友都各奔前程，而这只高贵的狗却会独自守卫在墓旁。它仰首于两足之间，眼睛里虽然充满悲伤，却仍机警地守护着这份感情，忠贞不渝，直到死去。