No sé si us n'heu adonat, però hi ha hagut una sèrie de llibres publicats últimament contemplant o especulant sobre la vida emocional i cognitiva dels gossos. Pensen, senten, i si és així, com? Així que aquesta tarda, en el meu temps limitat, m'agradaria esborrar les suposicions de tot això presentant-vos a dos gossos, els quals s'han près l'ordre de "parlar" bastant literalment.
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. Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how? So this afternoon, in my limited time, 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.
El primer gos és el primer, i contempla un aspecte de la relació amb el seu amo, i el títol és "Un Gos sobre El Seu Amo".
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."
"Tan jove com semblo, envelleixo més ràpid que ell. Set per cada un és l'equivalent, es diu. Sigui quin sigui el nombre, el passaré algun dia i seré el líder, com quan passegem al bosc, i si això mai li passa pel cap, seria la sombra més dolça que mai he donat en neu o prat."
"As young as I look, I am growing older faster than he. Seven to one is the ratio, they tend to say. 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 I have ever cast on snow or grass."
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)
Gràcies.
Thank you.
I el següent gos parla d'una cosa anomenada "revenant", que significa que un esperit torna per visitar-te.
And our next dog speaks in something called the revenant, which means a spirit that comes back to visit you.
"Sóc el gos que vas enviar a dormir, com t'agrada anomenar l'agulla de l'oblit, vinc a dir-te una cosa molt simple: mai em vas agradar." (Rialles) "Quan et llepava la cara, pensava en mossegar-te el nas. Quan et mirava assecant-te amb la tovallola, volia saltar i capar-te d'una revolada. Resentia com et movies, la falta de gràcia animal, la manera com seies a menjar en una cadira, tovalló a la falda, ganivet a la mà. Hauria escapat però era massa dèbil, un truc que em vas ensenyar mentre aprenia a seure i venir i, el més gran dels insults, a donar la mà sense una mà. He d'admetre la visió de la corretja m'excitava, però només perquè sabia que oloraria coses que mai havies tocat. No t'ho vols creure, però no tinc raó per mentir: odiava el cotxe, odiava les joguines de goma, no m'agradaven els teus amics, i pitjor, els teus parents. la dringadissa de les meves plaques m'embogia. Sempre em vas rascar al lloc equivocat." (Rialles) "Tot el que vaig voler de tu era menjar i aigua als meus bols. Mentre dormies, et mirava respirar i la lluna s'enlairava al cel. Vaig haver d'esforçar-me per no enlairar el cap i udolar. Ara, sóc lliure de collar, lliure de l'impermeable groc, el jersei brodat, l'absurditat de la teva gespa, i això és tot el que necessites saber d'aquest lloc, excepte el que ja suposaves i content de que no passés abans, que tothom aquí pot llegir i escriure, els gossos en poesia, els cats i tots els altres en prosa."
"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: I never liked you." (Laughter) "When I licked your face, I thought of biting off your nose. When I watched you toweling yourself dry, I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap. 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. 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. 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. You do not want to believe this, but I have no reason to lie: I hated the car, hated the rubber toys, disliked your friends, and worse, your relatives. The jingling of my tags drove me mad. You always scratched me in the wrong place." (Laughter) "All I ever wanted from you was food and water in my bowls. While you slept, I watched you breathe as the moon rose in the sky. It took all of my strength not to raise my head and howl. 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."
Gràcies.
Thank you.
(Aplaudiments)
(Applause)