Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog
纽芬兰犬墓志铭
When some proud son of man returns to earth,
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth,
The sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rest below:
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been:
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth—
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth:
While Man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive Heaven.
当人类的骄子重回泥土,
没得过什么荣誉,但天生高贵,
雕刻家的艺术穷尽悲伤的典礼,
坟墓的图章记录着是谁在这里安眠;
当一切完工,墓地成了,
不是它过去的样子,而是它过去应该变成的样子。
可怜的狗,人类最忠实的伙伴,
第一个打招呼,第一个打头阵;
忠诚的心依然在主人那里,
只为他一人干活,战斗,生活,呼吸;
死得很卑微,它的价值无人知晓,
它在世间的灵魂被天堂拒之门外;
而人类——愚蠢的虫蚁!只希望被宽恕,
宣告自己才是天堂的唯一占有者。
Oh Man! thou feeble tenant of an hour,
Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power,
Who knows thee well must quit thee with disgust,
Degraded mass of animated dust!
Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat,
Thy smiles hypocrisy, thy words deceit!
By nature vile, ennobled but by name,
Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye! who perchance behold this simple urn,
Pass on—it honours none you wish to mourn:
To mark a friend's remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one, —and here he lies.
哦,人类!你这短命虚弱的寄居者,
被权力腐蚀,卑微的奴隶,
了解你的人一定会唾弃你,
像尘土一样堕落的东西!
你们的爱是欲望,你们的友谊是欺骗,
你们的笑容是伪善,你们的话语是欺骗!
你本性粗俗,名字让你变得高贵,
每个畜牲都会让你感到脸红。
看见这个荒凉的坟堆,请你走得远远的——
你要凭吊的与此无关;
这个竖起的墓碑纪念一个朋友的尸骸;
今生我唯一的朋友——在此安息。