Entry the fifty-third

[bethefawn]

NEAR THIS SPOT
ARE DEPOSITED THE REMAINS OF ONE
WHO POSSESSED BEAUTY WITHOUT VANITY
STRENGTH WITHOUT INSOLENCE
COURAGE WITHOUT FEROCITY
AND ALL THE VIRTUES OF MAN WITHOUT HIS VICES
THIS PRAISE WHICH WOULD BE UNMEANING
FLATTERY IF INSCRIBED OVER HUMAN ASHES
IS BUT A JUST TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF
BOATSWAIN, A DOG

Comments

book of creatures

[daregale]

I watched the cat looking at her reflection in the black dishwasher door and wondered, "What does she see?" Dogs have no sense of self-consciousness; if one sees his reflection he thinks it's another dog. (Thus, Aesop's fable.) We humans are supposed to be the only animals with self-consciousness. But, watching the cat, I had to wonder.

In Aristotle class, we discovered that dogs seem to capable of friendship with humans. Pretty impressive. They make animals so fascinating, these puzzlingly human traits.t