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A Tribute to the Dog

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.

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 absolute, 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.

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 the 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 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 his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness faithful and true even to death.

参考翻译:

这是对狗的致敬

在这个世界上，一个人最好的朋友也有可能背叛他而成为他的敌人。他满怀爱意抚养长大的儿女可能不知感恩。那些我们最近最亲的人，我们信任他们，把自己的幸福和名声都托付于他们，他们都有可能会舍弃忠诚而背叛我们。

一个人所拥有的金钱可能会丢失，金钱也许会在他最需要的时候从他身边飞走。一个人的名望更会仅仅因为某一次考虑不周的行为而瞬间丧喪失殆尽。当我们功成名就时，一些人卑躬屈膝极力讨好;当失败的阴云笼罩在我们的头顶时，那些人又可能会最先对我们落井下石。在这个自私的世界上，对于一个人来说，惟一绝对无私的朋友，惟一永不背弃的朋友，惟一从不忘恩负义的朋友，就是他的狗。

不管主人是贫穷或富贵，病弱或健康，狗都会守护在主人的身旁。即使是在寒风凛冽，大雪纷飞之时，它都愿意躺在冰凉坚硬的地面上，仅仅为了能靠近主人。哪怕主人没有任何食物喂养它，它仍会舔主人的手，为他抚平在这个冷酷的世界上受到的创伤。它忠诚地守卫着熟睡的主人，俨然这位穷主人就是一位王子。

当主人所有的朋友都掉头而去,他却义无反顾。当主人家财四散，名誉扫地，他对主人的忠诚热爱仍宛如日升日落，亘古不变。假若因命运的捉弄，主人被世人抛拋弃、无家可归时,忠心耿耿的狗也总是形影不离，对抗敌人，保护主人免遭危险，除此之外别无他求。当人生的舞台最后一场戏落幕，死神将主人抱在怀中，尸体埋葬在冰冷的地下时，纵使所有的朋友都各奔前程，而这只高贵的狗却会独自守卫在墓旁。它埋头于两个爪子之间，眼睛里虽然充满哀伤，却仍机警地守护着，即使阴阳相隔，仍然忠贞不渝。