“唯有普啤最给力”
读完以后印象最深刻的就是中间关于诗歌的部分了。当芬恩吟诵关于斯威尼的叙事诗，沙纳汉打断插入了一大段关于“人民大众的诗人（a poet of the people, 页110）”、“开路诗人（the poet of the Pick, 页114）”詹姆·凯西（Jem Casey）的议论，并朗诵了他“无人匹敌”的一首诗—— "The Workmans Friend" 《劳动者之友》。诗的主题是喝波特普啤，每一小节的结尾都会重复：“A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN”，“唯有普啤最给力”。
不得不说，“唯有普啤最给力”这个翻译真是太洗脑，和商业广告差不多。 “普啤”、“烈啤”也是贯穿全文了。虽然詹姆·凯西这个人物“本人”在后文出现而且作了另一首格式几乎无二的诗，“劳动者是上天的礼物”（THE GIFT OF GOD IS A WORKIN' MAN）， 但就冲击力和毒性而言似乎还是“普啤”胜出。
"The Workmans Friend" 《劳动者之友》 “When things go wrong and will not come right, Though you do the best you can, When life looks black as the hour of night - A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
当你已尽力而为，而境遇并无转机，当生活一片漆黑——唯有普啤最给力。
“When money's tight and hard to get And your horse has also ran, When all you have is a heap of debt - A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
手头紧张钱难来，马儿也把你抛弃，一无所有只背债——唯有普啤最给力。
“When health is bad and your heart feels strange, And your face is pale and wan, When doctors say you need a change, A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
当你体弱心脏疼，面色灰白气血虚，大夫劝你换环境——唯有普啤最给力。
“When food is scarce and your larder bare And no rashers grease your pan, When hunger grows as your meals are rare - A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
食物难觅无粮囤，锅底干烧无肉皮，吃了上顿没下顿——唯有普啤最给力。
“In time of trouble and lousy strife, You have still got a darlint plan You still can turn to a brighter life - A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.”
麻烦缠身凡事难，仍有妙计在手里，未来日子要乐观——唯有普啤最给力。
关于 Jem Casey 的“原型”，有说法是爱尔兰 “诗人神父”（“poet-priest”），James Kevin Casey (1824–1909)。（以下信息及引文大部分来自 McTiernan, John C. (1989), "Canon James K. Casey"，此处可见： http://ballymoteheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/17-1989.pdf ，p. 13-15）James Casey 最先引起注意的诗歌作品发表于1875，题为：Tyndall on Materialism ：a philosophical poem。在网上我没有找到这首诗的具体内容，但可以知道它的大体主旨是反对爱尔兰物理学家丁达尔（John Tyndall，1820-1893，就是“丁达尔效应”的发现者）的物质主义。
而神父Casey之后发表的诗歌，大多是伦理诗，主题多为禁酒，比如：
The woes of drinks are now on every tougue, Those 'woes unnumbered' which I've lately sung, —— Not all indeed; the tongue of man would fail To name, to count or sing them in detail; And yet they grow and multiply apace, To rub, to ruin and destory our race; To blight prosperity, to nourish crime, And kill whole hecatombs before the time!
——节选自 “Our Thirst for Drink, its Cause and Cure”，见前文链接
在禁酒这个题材上，Casey神父也有比较轻松诙谐的作品，比如这首关于酒徒和威士忌的“The Toper and his Bottle” (见前文链接)：
John Jameson, mavrone, John, I love your sight no more; I love you long, but now, John, My folly I deplore.
Your smile was sweet and bright, John, Your breath was like the rose; But you have been to me, John, The cause of all my woes.
I curse the day I met you, John, I curse the luckless hour I tasted first your flavoured cup, And felt its magic power.
All life to me was gladness Until I saw your face, But now my lot is bitterness Dishonour and disgrace.
这一首少了严肃的告诫意味，但还是示意饮酒是痛苦的来源，是不光彩、不体面的，甚至诗中的酒鬼也“诅咒”威士忌。这与《双鸟渡》中的劳动者诗人Jem Casey歌颂普啤截然不同。奥布莱恩为何采用这样一个完全相反的形象，不得而知。但无论如何神父Casey这一提倡禁酒的“原型”使书中的这一形象具有了更强的讽刺含义。
