ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Billy Collins: Two poems about what dogs think (probably)

比利·科林斯: 兩首小詩探討狗狗的思維(輪廓)

Filmed:
1,748,151 views

當一條狗望著我們的時候,它在想些什麼?詩人比利·科林斯神遊了兩個截然不同的內心世界。短小精悍,耐人尋味,適合午間小寐時朗誦,然後開始一場奇異的白日夢。
- Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
I don't know if you've noticed注意到,
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不知各位是否留意到,
00:14
but there's been a spate氾濫 of books圖書
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最近陸續上架了
00:16
that have come out lately最近
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一些新書,
00:17
contemplating考慮 or speculating投機
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作者嘗試對狗的認知和情感生活
00:20
on the cognition認識 and emotional情緒化 life of dogs小狗.
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進行解讀。狗是否思考“狗”生?
00:24
Do they think, do they feel and, if so, how?
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是否也有七情六欲?
00:27
So this afternoon下午, in my limited有限 time,
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今天下午,我想借此機會,
00:29
I wanted to take the guesswork猜測 out of a lot of that
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不揣淺陋,對它們的內心世界大膽猜測。
00:31
by introducing引入 you to two dogs小狗,
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我會談到兩條狗,
00:34
both of whom have taken採取 the command命令 "speak說話"
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牠們借我之口,娓娓而談,
00:39
quite相當 literally按照字面.
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款吐心曲。
00:43
The first dog is the first to go,
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先來聽聽第一條狗,
00:46
and he is contemplating考慮 an aspect方面
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它試圖對自己與主人的關係,
00:50
of his relationship關係 to his owner所有者,
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做一個剖析。我給這段獨白
00:52
and the title標題 is "A Dog on His Master."
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加了一個標題——《人狗奇戀》。
00:57
"As young年輕 as I look,
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“這一刻,我雖然年輕、矯健,
00:59
I am growing生長 older舊的 faster更快 than he.
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但是,時光的鼓點如此密集、急促,
01:02
Seven to one is the ratio, they tend趨向 to say.
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七比一,
正是我與他走向各自終點的速度。
01:06
Whatever隨你 the number, I will pass通過 him one day
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終有一天,我會走在前頭。
01:09
and take the lead,
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01:11
the way I do on our walks散步 in the woods樹木,
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回想林中漫步的歡洽,
01:14
and if this ever manages管理 to cross交叉 his mind心神,
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如果有一天他會想起,
01:18
it would be the sweetest甜蜜 shadow陰影
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願那雪地和草坪上的嬉戲,
01:20
I have ever cast on snow or grass."
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成為彼此珍藏一生的心跡。”
01:25
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
01:28
Thank you.
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謝謝。
01:31
And our next下一個 dog
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第二條狗,仙逝多年,
01:34
speaks說話 in something called the revenant亡靈,
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像一個歸來的亡魂,對它昔日的主人
01:37
which哪一個 means手段 a spirit精神 that comes back
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訴說陰陽兩隔、歲月更替
01:39
to visit訪問 you.
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都無法化解的恩怨。
01:43
"I am the dog you put to sleep睡覺,
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“我就是那條被你注射致死的狗,
01:47
as you like to call the needle of oblivion遺忘,
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你說那一針會讓我忘卻此生的恩仇。
01:50
come back to tell you this simple簡單 thing:
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我回來告訴你一件事:
01:53
I never liked喜歡 you."
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我從來沒有喜歡過你。”
01:55
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:57
"When I licked your face面對,
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“每次舔你臉龐時,
01:59
I thought of biting尖刻 off your nose鼻子.
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真想一口咬下你的鼻子。
02:02
When I watched看著 you toweling毛巾 yourself你自己 dry,
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每次看你用毛巾擦身,
02:05
I wanted to leap飛躍 and unman令人愁悶 you with a snap.
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真想猛撲上去,了斷你的命根。
02:09
I resented不滿 the way you moved移動,
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我厭惡你的粗鄙與笨拙,
02:11
your lack缺乏 of animal動物 grace恩典,
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全無我們動物的敏捷與優雅。
02:13
the way you would sit in a chair椅子 to eat,
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你習慣坐在椅子上吃東西,
02:16
a napkin餐巾 on your lap膝部, a knife in your hand.
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腿上鋪著餐巾,雙手舉著刀叉。
02:20
I would have run away
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我早想棄你而去,
02:22
but I was too weak,
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無奈年老體衰,只能寄人籬下。
02:23
a trick you taught me
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還記得當年,
02:25
while I was learning學習 to sit and heel腳跟
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你訓練我端坐、跟隨,
02:28
and, greatest最大 of insults侮辱,
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我被迫遭受奇恥大辱——
02:30
shake hands without a hand.
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你教我與人握手,你明知道我只有爪!
02:34
I admit承認 the sight視力 of the leash皮帶 would excite激發 me,
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我承認,那條皮帶讓我興奮不已,
02:38
but only because it meant意味著 I was about to smell things
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因為你會牽著我,去聞一些奇怪的東西,
02:41
you had never touched感動.
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而你自己小心翼翼,唯恐避之不及。
02:46
You do not want to believe this,
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說來你不會相信,
02:47
but I have no reason原因 to lie謊言:
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但我無意隱瞞:
02:50
I hated the car汽車, hated the rubber橡膠 toys玩具,
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我恨你的車,討厭車裏的橡膠玩具,
02:54
disliked不喜歡的 your friends朋友, and worse更差, your relatives親戚們.
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憎惡你的狐朋‘豬’友,詛咒你的遠親近鄰。
02:59
The jingling of my tags標籤 drove開車 me mad.
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那叮噹響的項圈讓我抓狂,
03:03
You always scratched劃傷 me in the wrong錯誤 place地點."
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還有,你連撓癢都撓不到地方。”
03:06
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:08
"All I ever wanted from you was food餐飲 and water
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添衣加被,讓我吃飽喝足,
03:11
in my bowls.
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這就是你為我做的的全部。
03:13
While you slept, I watched看著 you breathe呼吸
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還記得那時,常聽著你的鼾聲,
03:15
as the moon月亮 rose玫瑰 in the sky天空.
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凝望屋外一輪圓月徐徐升起。
03:17
It took all of my strength強度
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我一聲不吭,
03:19
not to raise提高 my head and howl.
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壓抑自己:不要張望,不要悲泣。
03:22
Now, I am free自由 of the collar,
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現在,我永獲自由,
03:24
free自由 of the yellow黃色 raincoat雨衣,
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沒有禁錮我的項圈,沒有惡俗的黃雨披,
03:27
monogrammed會標 sweater毛線衣,
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沒有繡著我名字的汗背心,
03:29
the absurdity荒謬 of your lawn草坪,
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也沒有草地上的荒誕不經。
03:32
and that is all you need to know about this place地點,
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這些,就是我要和你講的一切,
03:35
except what you already已經 supposed應該
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關於家,關於詩歌中的狗,
03:38
and are glad高興 it did not happen發生 sooner,
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關於散文裏的貓和其他動物。
03:40
that everyone大家 here can read and write,
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也許,你認為這些稀鬆平常,
03:43
the dogs小狗 in poetry詩歌,
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這裏每一個人都能和你分享。
03:47
the cats and all the others其他
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但這就是我特意回來
03:50
in prose散文."
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的用意所在。
03:52
Thank you.
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謝謝。
03:54
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by FBC Global
Reviewed by Helen Chang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Billy Collins - Poet
A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight -- and a sense of being "hospitable."

Why you should listen

Accessibility is not a word often associated with great poetry. Yet Billy Collins has managed to create a legacy from what he calls being poetically “hospitable.” Preferring lyrical simplicity to abstruse intellectualism, Collins combines humility and depth of perception, undercutting light and digestible topics with dark and at times biting humor.

While Collins approaches his work with a healthy sense of self-deprecation, calling his poems “domestic” and “middle class,” John Taylor has said of Collins: “Rarely has anyone written poems that appear so transparent on the surface yet become so ambiguous, thought-provoking, or simply wise once the reader has peered into the depths.”

In 2001 he was named U.S. Poet Laureate, a title he kept until 2003. Collins lives in Somers, New York, and is an English professor at City University of New York, where he has taught for more than 40 years.

Credits for the animations in this talk:

"Budapest," "Forgetfulness" and "Some Days" -- animation by Julian Grey/Head Gear

"The Country" -- animation by Brady Baltezor/Radium

"The Dead" -- animation by Juan Delcan/Spontaneous
 

More profile about the speaker
Billy Collins | Speaker | TED.com