本文選自美國作家jim willis的暢銷書《pieces of my heart-----writings inspired by animals and nature》，以自述的形式講述了一只家犬對昔日主人的真情告白。當(dāng)年作者用七千美元以全版廣告的形式在報(bào)紙上刊登了該文章，以一篇文章感動了所有的讀者。

when i was a puppy, i entertained you with my 1)antics and made you laugh. you called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, i became your best friend. whenever i was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "how could you?"-but then you'd 2)relent, and roll me over for a belly rub.
當(dāng)我還是一只小狗的時(shí)候，我的頑皮滑稽每每惹來你發(fā)笑，為你帶來歡樂。你把我叫做你的孩子，雖然家里許多鞋子和一些靠枕都被我咬得殘缺不全，我依然是你最好的朋友。無論什么時(shí)候我干了“壞”事，你總會對我搖搖手指說：“你怎么可以這樣呢？”不過最后你都會原諒我，把我撲倒然后搓我的肚皮。

my housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. i remember those nights of 3)nuzzling you in bed and listening to your 4)confidences and secret dreams, and i believed that life could not be any more perfect. we went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (i only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and i took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
你忙碌的時(shí)候，百無聊賴的我只好把家里弄得一團(tuán)糟。我無聲的抗議對你總是管用的。每晚睡覺前我都會跳到你的床上，倚著你撒嬌，聽你細(xì)訴自己的夢想和秘密。我們常常到公園散步、追逐，偶爾也會乘車兜兜風(fēng)。每天午后我都會在斜陽下打盹，準(zhǔn)備迎接你回家。這些日子，我確信是我一生中最快樂的時(shí)光。

gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. i waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never 5)chided you about bad decisions, and 6)romped with 7)glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. she, now your wife, is not a "dog person"-still i welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. i was happy because you were happy.
漸漸地，你把更多的時(shí)間花在工作和事業(yè)上，并且花更多的時(shí)間去找尋你的另一半。而我總會耐心地等你回來，在每一個(gè)絕望心碎的日子里給你安慰，從來都不會因?yàn)槟闼龅脑愀鉀Q定而責(zé)怪你。每天只要你一踏進(jìn)家門，我都會歡快的撲向你，當(dāng)你墜入愛河時(shí)，我會為你高興得團(tuán)團(tuán)轉(zhuǎn)。她--也就是你現(xiàn)在的妻子，并不是一個(gè)“愛狗之人”，但我還是歡迎她來到我們家，還努力向她表達(dá)我的友好，并聽她的話。因?yàn)槟汩_心，所以我也開心。

then the human babies came along and i shared your excitement. i was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and i wanted to mother them, too. only she and you worried that i might hurt them, and i spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog 8)crate. oh, how i wanted to love them, but i became a "prisoner of love." as they began to grow, i became their friend. they clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. i loved everything about them and their touch-because your touch was now so infrequent-and i would have defended them with my life if need be. i would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
　后來你們添了小娃娃，我也跟你一樣萬分雀躍。我被他們精致的面孔、他們的一顰一笑感染了，我真想疼他們一下，好想像愛你般愛你的孩子，然而你和你的妻子卻深怕我弄傷他們，整天把我關(guān)在門外，甚至把我關(guān)到籠子里去。孩子們慢慢長大了，我也成了他們的好朋友。他們喜歡抓著我的毛皮蹣跚地站起來，喜歡用幼小的指頭戳我的眼睛，喜歡為我檢查耳朵，也喜歡吻我的鼻子。 我尤其喜歡他們的撫摸？？因?yàn)槟阋呀?jīng)很少觸摸我了。有時(shí)候我會跳上他們的床，倚著他們?nèi)鰦桑?xì)聽他們的心事和小秘密，一起等待你回家。

there had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. these past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. i had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you 9)resented every expenditure on my behalf. now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. you've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when i was your only family.
　曾幾何時(shí)，人們問起你家里有沒有寵物時(shí)，你總是毫不遲疑地從包里掏出我的照片，向他們娓娓道出我的軼事。可是，近幾年有人問起同一個(gè)問題，你卻只是冷冷地回答“是”，隨即就轉(zhuǎn)向別的話題。我已經(jīng)從“你的狗兒”變成只是“一條狗”了，甚至對我的開支也變得吝嗇起來。后來你的仕途來了個(gè)新轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)，你可能要到另一個(gè)城市里工作，移居到一幢不許豢養(yǎng)寵物的公寓去。終于，你為“家庭”作出正確的抉擇。可是，你是否還記得，曾幾何時(shí)我就是你“家庭”的詮釋？