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.
Ne znam jeste primijetili da brdo knjiga izdanih u zadnje vrijeme razmatra ili nagađa o mentalnom i emocionalnom životu pasa. Razmišljaju li, osjećaju li, i ako da, kako? Tako sam ovo poslijepodne, u kratkom vremenu, htio prestati o tome nagađati predstavljajući vam dva psa, koja su oba shvatila zapovijed "govori" sasvim doslovno.
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."
Kreće prvi pas koji razmišlja o aspektu svog odnosa sa svojim vlasnikom, a naslov je "Pas o Svom Gospodaru."
"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."
"Koliko god izgledao mlado, starim brže od njega. Sedam naprama jedan je omjer, kažu. Koji god bio broj, preći ću ga jednog dana i stati na čelo, kao što to činim tijekom naših šetnji kroz šumu, i ako mu to ikada uspije proći kroz glavu, bila bi to najslađa sjenka koju sam ikada bacio na snijeg ili travu."
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
Thank you.
Hvala.
And our next dog speaks in something called the revenant, which means a spirit that comes back to visit you.
Naš sljedeći pas obraća se u obliku duha koji se vraća posjetiti vas.
"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."
"Ja sam pas kojeg si uspavao, kako voliš nazivati iglu zaborava, vrativši se da ti samo kažem ovo: nikada mi se nisi sviđao." (Smijeh) "Kada sam ti lizao lice, razmišljao sam o tome da ti odgrizem nos. Dok sam te promatrao kako se brišeš ručnikom, želio sam skočiti i uškopiti te jednim ugrizom. Zamjerao sam ti kako se krećeš, tvoj nedostatak životinjske otmjenosti, način na koji bi sjeo na stolicu da objeduješ, ubrus na tvom krilu, nož u ruci. Bio bih pobjegao no bio sam preslab, trik koji si me naučio dok sam učio sjesti i biti uz nogu i, najveća od svih uvreda, rukovati se bez ruke. Priznajem da bi me prizor uzice ushitio, ali samo zato što je to značilo da ću uskoro omirisati stvari koje ti nikada nisi dodirnuo. Ne želiš to vjerovati, no nemam razloga lagati: mrzio sam auto, mrzio gumene igračke, nisu mi se sviđali tvoji prijatelji, a još manje tvoji rođaci. Izluđivalo me zveckanje mojih privjesaka. Uvijek si me češkao na pogrešnim mjestima." (Smijeh) "Sve što sam ikada htio od tebe bila je hrana i voda u mojim zdjelicama. Dok si spavao, promatrao sam te kako dišeš dok se mjesec dizao na nebu. Trebala mi je sva snaga da ne podignem glavu i zatulim. Sada sam slobodan od ogrlice, slobodan od žute kabanice, džempera s monogramom, apsurda tvog travnjaka, i to je sve što trebaš znati o ovome mjestu, osim onoga što si već pretpostavio i što ti je drago da se nije ranije dogodilo, da svatko ovdje može čitati i pisati, psi u poeziji, mačke i svi ostali u prozi."
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)