黑貓 The Black Cat
埃德加·愛倫·坡/Edgar Allen Poe
埃德加·愛倫·坡（Edgar Allen Poe，1809—1849），美國浪漫主義文學大師，19世紀美國最著名、最具代表性的作家之一，在短篇小說的發展曆史中占有突出的地位。愛倫·坡的短篇小說大致分為三類：恐怖故事、謀殺疑案和科學難解之謎。他開創了偵探小說的先河，被稱為“偵探小說之父”。本文被公認為他最完美的短篇小說之一，也是世界最佳短篇小說之一，充分體現了他關於短篇小說的理論和風格特征。
For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not-and very surely do I not dream. But tomorrow I die, and today I would unburthen my soul. My immediate purpose is to place before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events. In their consequences, these events have terrifed-have tortured-have destroyed me. Yet I will not attempt to expound them. To me, they have presented little but Horror-to many they will seem less terrible than baroque. Hereafter, perhaps, some intellect may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place-some intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own, which will perceive, in the circumstances I detail with awe, nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects.
From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions. I was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets. With these I spent most of my time, and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them. This peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and in my manhood, I derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure. To those who have cherished an affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I need hardly be at the trouble of explaining the nature or the intensity of the gratifcation thus derivable. There is something in the unselfsh and self-sacrifcing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fdelity of mere Man.