A Dog of a taciturn disposition1 said to his Tail:
“Whenever I am angry, you rise and bristle2; when I am pleased, you wag; when I am alarmed, you tuck yourself in out of danger. You are too mercurial3 — you disclose all my emotions. My notion is that tails are given to conceal4 thought. It is my dearest ambition to be as impassive as the Sphinx.”
“My friend, you must recognise the laws and limitations of your being,” replied the Tail, with flexions appropriate to the sentiments uttered, “and try to be great some other way. The Sphinx has one hundred and fifty qualifications for impassiveness which you lack.”
“What are they?” the Dog asked.
“One hundred and forty-nine tons of sand on her tail.”
“And —?”
“A stone tail.”
1 disposition | |
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 bristle | |
v.(毛发)直立,气势汹汹,发怒;n.硬毛发 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 mercurial | |
adj.善变的,活泼的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 conceal | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |