史上最著名的演說之一: 狗讚

〔編者按〕１８６９年１０月２８日美國密蘇里州小鎮沃倫斯堡發生了一件事，引發了一場曠日持久的官司。一位槍手射殺了鄰居一條無辜的獵犬老鼓。這位鄰居一氣之下把這位槍手告上法庭。雙方都僱用了著名的律師對薄公堂，官司持續一年，一直打到密蘇里最高法院。鄰居僱用的律師之一，也是後來的美國參議員喬治•韋斯特曾誓言，「不贏此官司，將向全密蘇里州的狗謝罪。」 　韋斯特果然不負眾望，在法庭上慷慨陳詞，最終贏得了這場官司。韋斯特１８７０年９月２３日在法庭上的結案呈詞，最終以「狗讚」 之名傳世，成為史上最著名的演說之一。幸運的是，這篇演說的第一部分被保留下來。今天人們只要來到沃倫斯堡法院前，就能看到老鼓的雕像和刻在座基上的這篇膾炙人口的演說。

下面就是這篇演說第一部分的中文譯文：

狗讚

配審團的先生們：

一個人在世上最好的朋友會和他反目，成為他的敵人。他悉心養育的兒女會不忠不孝。那些和我們最親近的人，那些我們以幸福和美名信賴的人會背叛信義。一個人擁有的金錢會失去，也許就在他最需要的時候不翼而飛。一個人的名譽會由於瞬間的不當之舉而喪失殆盡。那些當我們功成名就時跪拜向我們致敬的人也許是第一個在失敗的陰雲籠罩我們時對我們投石下井。在這個自私的世界裡，一個人能有的最無私的，從不拋棄他，從不知恩不報，從不背信棄義的朋友是他的狗。

無論富有或貧窮，無論健康或是患病，一個人的狗總佇立在主人身旁。如果能和主人在一起，它願意睡在冰冷的地上，任憑寒風凜冽，朔雪飄零。它願意親吻沒有食物奉送的手；它願意舔撫艱難人世帶來的創痕。它守衛著窮主人安睡如同守衛王子。當所有的朋友離去，它留駐。當財富不翼而飛，當名譽毀之殆盡，它仍然熱愛著主人，如日當空，亙古不變。如果在命運驅使下，主人被世人拋棄，眾叛親離，無家可歸，忠誠的狗僅僅要求能陪伴主人，守衛他免遭危險，去和他的敵人搏鬥。

當最後的時刻來臨，死神擁抱著主人，他的驅體掩埋在冰冷的黃土之下，任憑所有的朋友風流雲散，就在墓地旁你可以看見那高尚的狗，它的頭伏在兩爪之間，雙眼神情悲傷，卻警覺注視著，忠誠至死。（卡拉譯）

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 he 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 an 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.