The Painted Veil

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

Image Credit: Giacomo Balla

An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog

by Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)

GOOD people all, of every sort,

Give ear unto my song;

And if you find it wondrous short,

It cannot hold you long.

 

In Islington there was a man,

Of whom the world might say

That still a godly race he ran,

Whene’er he went to pray.

 

A kind and gentle heart he had,

To comfort friends and foes;

The naked every day he clad,

When he put on his clothes.

 

And in that town a dog was found,

As many dogs there be,

Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound,

And curs of low degree.

 

The dog and man at first were friends;

But when a pique began,

The dog, to gain some private ends,

Went mad, and bit the man.

 

Around from all the neighboring streets,

The wondering neighbors ran,

And swore the dog had lost his wits

To bite so good a man.

 

The wound it seemed both sore and sad

To every Christian eye;

And while they swore the dog was mad

They swore the man would die.

 

But soon a wonder came to light,

That showed the rogues they lied;

The man recovered of the bite,

The dog it was that died.

最有趣的地方反倒是序言：主角本來命名為Lane，但當時香港有這個姓氏的外籍人士，於是改為Fane；後來又遭抗議故事中提及搞外遇的殖民地高級官員有誹謗之嫌，於是索性連香港也刪掉，變為另一個城市，已印好發售的書本也不得不回收。