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BillyCollins_2014-_两首诗—有关狗狗思维的猜想（大概）_
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| I don't know if you've noticed, but there's been a spate of books that have come out lately contemplating or speculating on the cognition and emotional life of dogs. |
近来陆续 出版了很多新书 是关于猜测和解读 狗的认知和情绪的。 |
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spate:n.洪水;一阵;大雨;突然迸发; contemplating:v.考虑;思量;考虑接受;深思熟虑;沉思;(contemplate的现在分词) speculating:v.推测;猜测;推断;投机;(speculate的现在分词) cognition:n.认识;知识;认识能力; emotional:adj.情绪的;易激动的;感动人的;
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| Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how? |
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| So this afternoon, in my limited time, |
那么今天下午,在有限的时间里 |
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limited:adj.有限的; n.高级快车; v.限制; (limit的过去分词和过去式)
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| I wanted to take the guesswork out of a lot of that by introducing you to two dogs, both of whom have taken the command speak quite literally . |
我想通过介绍你们认识两条狗 来做与其有关的一些猜想。 这两条狗都真正懂得“说话” 的意思。 |
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guesswork:n.猜测;臆测;凭猜测所作之工作; literally:adv.按字面:字面上:确实地:
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| The first dog is the first to go, and he is contemplating an aspect of his relationship to his owner, and the title is A Dog on His Master. |
让第一条狗先来吧, 他想要对他和主人的关系 做一个分析, 标题是“狗与主人。” |
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aspect:n.方面;层面;外观;方位;
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| As young as I look, |
“我看起来很年轻, |
| I am growing older faster than he. |
但我比他更容易变老。 |
| Seven to one is the ratio , they tend to say. |
比率是七比一,他们这样说到。 |
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ratio:n.比率;比例;v.用比例方式表达;求出…的比值;使…成比例;
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| Whatever the number, I will pass him one day and take the lead, the way I do on our walks in the woods, and if this ever manages to cross his mind, it would be the sweetest shadow |
无论是什么数字,总有一天我会超越他 成为主导, 就像我们在林间散步那样, 如果这个念头会在他脑中出现 它会是我在雪地或草地上 |
| I have ever cast on snow or grass. |
投下的最甜蜜的影子。 |
| (Applause) |
（掌声） |
| Thank you. |
谢谢你们。 |
| And our next dog speaks in something called the revenant, which means a spirit that comes back to visit you. |
下一只狗 说的事情叫做亡灵, 意思是一个亡魂 回来探望你。 |
| I am the dog you put to sleep, as you like to call the needle of oblivion , come back to tell you this simple thing: |
“我是被你送进沉睡的狗, 而你喜欢把它叫做遗忘之针, 我回来是为了告诉你这个简单的事实: |
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needle:n.针;针头;指针;缝针;v.穿过;刺激;拿针缝;拿针穿; oblivion:n.遗忘;湮没;赦免;
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| I never liked you. |
我从来都没有喜欢过你。“ |
| (Laughter) |
（笑声） |
| When I licked your face, |
“当我舔着你的脸, |
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licked:v.舔,舔吃;舔着喝;掠过;(火舌)舔食;(lick的过去分词和过去式)
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| I thought of biting off your nose. |
我想咬掉你的鼻子。 |
| When I watched you toweling yourself dry, |
当我看见你用毛巾擦干身子, |
| I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap . |
我想在瞬间扑过去阉割你。 |
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leap:n.跳越;跳跃;跳高;骤变;v.跳;跳跃;跳越;猛冲; unman:vt.使失去男子气质;使怯懦;阉割; snap:v.断裂;移到某位置;厉声说;n.啪嗒声;(尤指抢拍的)照片;adj.仓促的;
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| I resented the way you moved, your lack of animal grace , the way you would sit in a chair to eat, a napkin on your lap, a knife in your hand. |
我讨厌你走动的样子, 因为你缺乏动物的优美, 你坐在椅子上吃东西的模样, 膝上盖着餐巾,手里握着餐刀。 |
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resented:v.愤恨;感到气愤;愤愤不平;(resent的过去分词和过去式) grace:n.优雅;恩惠;魅力;慈悲;v.使优美; napkin:n.餐巾;餐巾纸;尿布;
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| I would have run away but I was too weak, a trick you taught me while I was learning to sit and heel and, greatest of insults , shake hands without a hand. |
我宁愿跑开 但我实在太软弱, 你教会我一个诡计 当我学着坐和蹲的时候, 最大的侮辱, 是没有手却要握手。 |
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heel:n.脚后跟;足跟;卑鄙的家伙;v.给(鞋等)修理后跟;倾侧;倾斜 insults:v.侮辱;辱骂(insult的第三人称单数);n.无礼;损害(insult的复数);
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| I admit the sight of the leash would excite me, but only because it meant I was about to smell things you had never touched. |
我承认看见皮带会让我兴奋 但这只因为它意味着我可以去嗅闻 你从未触及的东西。 |
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leash:n.皮带;束缚;v.束缚;用皮带绑住; was about to:眼看就要;即将;正要;行将;
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| You do not want to believe this, but I have no reason to lie: |
你不会相信 但我没有理由撒谎: |
| I hated the car, hated the rubber toys, disliked your friends, and worse, your relatives . |
我讨厌汽车,讨厌橡皮玩具, 不喜欢你的朋友,更不喜欢你的亲眷 |
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rubber:n.橡胶;橡皮;v.涂橡胶于…; relatives:n.亲戚;亲属;同类事物;(relative的复数)
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| The jingling of my tags drove me mad. |
玎玲响的标签促使我发狂。 |
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jingling:adj.发叮当声的;叮当响的;n.叮当声;v.发出叮当声;押韵(jingle的ing形式); tags:n.标签; v.附加;
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| You always scratched me in the wrong place . |
而你,为我搔痒总是挠错位置。“ |
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scratched:adj.受抓损的;有刮痕;v.抓;搔;(scratch的过去式及过去分词) in the wrong place:不合适的地方;
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| (Laughter) |
（笑声） |
| All I ever wanted from you was food and water in my bowls. |
“我只想从你那里得到食物和水 放进我的碗里。 |
| While you slept, I watched you breathe as the moon rose in the sky. |
当你睡觉,我看着 你的呼吸随着月亮升起 |
| It took all of my strength not to raise my head and howl. |
它带走了我所有的力气 而不能抬起头对着月亮狂吠。 |
| Now, I am free of the collar , free of the yellow raincoat , monogrammed sweater, the absurdity of your lawn , and that is all you need to know about this place, except what you already supposed and are glad it did not happen sooner, that everyone here can read and write, the dogs in poetry , the cats and all the others in prose . |
现在,我不再有项圈, 也没有黄色的雨衣, 和绣着名字的外套 你的草坪有多荒谬 就是你所需要知道的这个地方的一切 除了你那些假想的 庆幸它没有早点儿发生 这儿的每一个都能读和写, 狗陶醉在诗歌中, 猫的和其它的动物 则潜心于散文。“ |
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collar:n.衣领;领子;箍;(动物,尤指狗的)颈圈;v.抓住;捉住;揪住;逮住; raincoat:雨衣, monogrammed:adj.有交织字母的;有花押字的; absurdity:n.荒谬;谬论;荒谬的言行; lawn:n.草地;草坪; supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式) poetry:n.诗;诗意,诗情;诗歌艺术; prose:n.散文;v.用散文写;译成散文;平淡无趣地写;
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| Thank you. |
谢谢你们 |
| (Applause) |
（鼓掌） |