政治谎言之诞生
But the same genealogy cannot always be admitted for political lying; I shall therefore desire to refine upon it, by adding some circumstances of its birth and parents. A political lie is sometimes born out of a discarded statesman's head, and thence delivered to be nursed and dandled by the rabble. Sometimes it is produced a monster, and licked into shape: at other times it comes into the world completely formed, and is spoiled in the licking. It is often born an infant in the regular way, and requires time to mature it; and often it sees the light in its full growth, but dwindles away by degrees. Sometimes it is of noble birth; and sometimes the spawn of a stock-jobber. Here it screams aloud at the opening of the womb; and there it is delivered with a whisper. I know a lie that now disturbs half the kingdom with its noise, which, although too proud and great at present to own its parents, I can remember its whisperhood. To conclude the nativity of this monster; when it comes into the world without a sting, it is still-born; and whenever it loses its sting, it dies.

----Swift

政治谎言之诞生

但是同样的宗谱关系对政治谎言来说却并不总能得到认可；因此我想补充一点有关的形成起因等背景资料，以便把问题说个明白。一个政治谎言有时诞生于某位下台政治家的头脑中，然后一些乌合之众对诸谎言加以发展和玩弄。有时它成为一个魔怪，并被弄得像模像样。在其他时候，谎言一出生就已完全成形，并在舔弄中得到娇宠。

它经常像一个普通婴儿一样降生，需要时间才能成熟；它出现时，常常是完全成熟，但又慢慢地消失无踪。有时它出身高贵，有时却只是一个投机商之子。此时它尖叫一声钻出母体，彼时它却不动声色降临人世。

我知道有一个用噪音扰乱了半个王国的谎言，虽然由于它的骄傲自大而让人不知其家系，但我仍记得它嘤嘤低语时的情形。归纳一下这个怪物的诞生情况就是：当它不带毒刺地来到这个世界时，它是一个死胎；当它失去毒刺后，它就死了。

——斯威夫特