文學作品里的寵物

文/萊妮塔·馬賽厄斯 譯/羅懷宇

文學作品里的寵物

文/萊妮塔·馬賽厄斯 譯/羅懷宇

For all the pet lovers who are also avid readers， here is a list of where you can fi nd pets in books.

1. Dogs

Argos from The Odyssey

The epitome of faithfulness， Argos is one of the fi rst dogs to have appeared in Western literature. He was the only one to recognize Odysseus when he returned to his home in disguise， after a long gap of twenty years. Upon seeing his master after so long， old Argos put his ears down and wagged his tail， dying shortly after. Seeing his old friend’s loyalty brought tears in to eyes of Odysseus.

Toto from The Wizard of Oz

The little black dog of Dorothy Gale， Toto is the famous character of the books under the title “the Wizard of Oz”. He accompanied Dorothy on her adventures to Oz and other lands.He does not talk in many of the books unlike his other animal counterparts.Later it is revealed that he is capable of speaking but he only chooses not to.

2. Cats

Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

Possibly one of the most annoying yet amusing cats of all times， the Cheshire cat is known for his mischievous grin. He often engages Alice in interesting and baffling conversations. He possesses the ability to appear and disappear at will， thus escaping from punishment and danger quite a few times.

The Cat in the Hat

The cat in the hat is a peculiar cat who enters the home of Sally and her brother while their mother is away. He dresses up and talks like a human being.He fi rst proposes to play games with the children， making a mess in their house in the process. But just as their mother is about to return， he also manages to clean up the whole house， thus saving the kids from getting into trouble.

3. Horses

Black Beauty

A must read for all horse lovers，Black Beauty is the story of a horse from his childhood to his old age. Here，the horse himself narrates his story and speaks of his memories. He has to face many hardships and also cruelty at the hands of others. But he overcomes it all and teaches everybody lessons of kindness， sympathy， etc.

Houyhnhnm from Gulliver’s Travels

Houyhnhnm are a race of very intelligent and rational talking horses，with whom Gulliver comes into contact.They are calm and never do wrong things.All of them agree on the rightness of things and so there is never a difference of opinion amongst them. However， these horses are devoid of emotions like love and affection. But they do take interest in the well-being of all.

4. Rabbits

Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh

He is often the self-appointed leader of the lot and can get bossy at times.He makes plans but they do not usually go the way he intends them to， as he misses some important points. He also likes to organize things. He is loyal to his friends but take some time to warm up to outsiders.

Peter Rabbit from The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit who wears a jacket and shoes.He lives with his close family members in a rabbit hole. He once goes to his neighbor’s garden and eats a lot of vegetables. As a punishment， his neighbor takes away his jacket and shoes. Later on， Peter once again sneaks into his neighbor’s garden to take back his clothes which now adorn the scarecrow there.

5. Birds

The Ugly Duckling

This is perhaps the most famous story about a bird， which is told to children right from the time when they are small.The story speaks of a little duckling who is ridiculed by everyone for his looks. He moves from place to place but nobody accepts him. Finally when he matures， he turns into a beautiful swan and then is loved by all.

Fawkes from Harry Potter

Fawkes is the name of a mythical creature， called Phoenix， in the Harry Potter series. He was extremely loyal to his master， Dumbledore. He also helped Harry many of the times that he was in danger and also healed him once， with his tear. Fawkes was highly intelligent and understood his master and he was also capable of knowing when his help was needed.

Most of you might be familiar with many of the pet characters above for they have appeared in famous works of literature. Some of these works have also been made into movies， cartoons or series. But the adaptation of the book is not always perfect on screen. Therefore，it is suggested that you read the books fi rst. Happy reading! ■

我們為所有既喜愛寵物又熱愛閱讀的讀者列出了以下包含寵物的文學作品。

1. 狗

《奧德賽》里的阿爾戈斯

阿爾戈斯象征著忠誠，是西方文學中最早出現的狗狗之一。當闊別20年的奧德修斯喬裝改扮回到家中，只有阿爾戈斯還認得他。看到離家那么久的主人，老狗阿爾戈斯垂下耳朵，使勁搖著尾巴，不久后便死去了。老朋友的忠誠讓奧德修斯熱淚盈眶。

《綠野仙蹤》里的托托

托托是《綠野仙蹤》系列作品中的著名角色，它是主人公桃樂絲（又譯多蘿茜）養的小黑狗，跟隨桃樂絲在奧茲國和其他國度歷險。不同于其他動物，托托在很多作品中都不說話。后來我們才知道，原來托托也是能講話的，它只是選擇了不輕易開口。

2. 貓

《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》里的柴郡貓

以咧嘴壞笑聞名的柴郡貓可能是文學史上最煩人卻又叫人忍俊不禁的貓咪之一。它和愛麗絲的對話往往有趣而又費解。它具有隨意現身和消失的能力，所以能多次逃脫懲罰和險境。

《戴帽子的貓》

戴帽子的貓是一只挺稀奇的貓。它穿成人樣，說著人話，趁著賽麗的媽媽出門，只有她和哥哥單獨在家時，拜訪了他們。一開始，它建議和孩子們玩游戲，玩著玩著，就把他們家弄得一團糟。但就在媽媽快回來的時候，它能夠打掃干凈整個屋子，為小伙伴們省去了一場麻煩。

3. 馬

《黑駿馬》

《黑駿馬》是所有愛馬者的必讀書，講述的是一匹馬從童年到老年的故事。在書中，馬兒自己就是故事的敘述者，它回憶著自己往事。它的一生歷經了許多苦難，也曾被人殘暴對待。但它最終戰勝了一切，教給我們善良、同情等。

《格列佛游記》里的慧骃

慧骃（又譯胡伊納姆）是格列佛遇到的一個富有智慧和理性、會說人話的馬種。它們生性沉穩，從不犯錯。所有的慧骃都對是非正誤持有共識，所以它們之間永遠不會意見不一。然而，這些馬卻也沒有情感，沒有愛。但它們真的是以為所有人謀利為己任。

4. 兔

《小熊維尼》里的瑞比

它常常是群體中自封的領袖，有時還可能變得蠻橫。它萬事喜歡計劃，但由于不得要領，往往事與愿違。它也喜歡凡事井井有條。它對朋友忠誠，但對外來者則需要一點適應的時間。

《彼得兔的故事》里的彼得兔

彼得兔是一只擬人化的兔子，它穿著夾克和鞋子，與家人生活在一個兔子洞里。一次，它跑到鄰居的園子里，偷吃了很多蔬菜。鄰居發現后，拿走它的夾克和鞋子，以示懲戒。后來，彼得兔再次溜進鄰居的園子想拿回自己的衣物，卻發現它們已被穿在了稻草人身上。

5. 鳥

《丑小鴨》

這或許是最家喻戶曉的一個關于鳥的故事，孩子們很小的時候就聽過。故事的主角是一只因為相貌被所有人嘲笑的小鴨子。它不斷更換棲息地，卻沒人接受它。終于，它長大了，變成了一只美麗的天鵝，從此所有人都喜歡它了。

《哈利·波特》中的?？怂?/p>

?？怂故恰豆げㄌ亍废盗行≌f中一種神奇動物（即鳳凰）的名字。它對主人鄧布利多極為忠誠。它在哈利遇險時多次幫助過他，有一次還用自己的眼淚為哈利療傷。?？怂箵碛懈叨鹊闹腔郏斫庾约旱闹魅耍€能知道主人什么時候需要自己幫助。

大多數人可能對上面這些在文學名著中出現的寵物角色耳熟能詳。其中一些作品已被改編成電影、動畫片或連續劇。但是，改編后搬上熒屏的作品并非總是盡善盡美。所以，建議大家從閱讀書籍開始。閱讀愉快！ □

（譯者單位：北京化工大學）

Pets in Literature

By Lenita Mathias