书城童书伊索寓言(中英双语·百年纪念版)
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第17章

A Kid climbed up on to the roof of an outhouse,attracted by the grass and other things that grew in the thatch;and as he stood there browsing away,he caught sight of a Wolf passing below,and jeered at him because he couldn’t reach him.The Wolf only looked up and said,“I hear you,my young friend;but it is not you who mock me,but the roof on which you are standing.”

{中文阅读}

被青草和其它东西所吸引的一只小山羊,爬到了屋外的草棚顶上。就在他四处观望时,看见一只狼从底下经过,便嘲笑他抓不到自己。狼只是抬眼看了一下,说道:“嘿,伙计,笑话我的可不是你,而是你所处的地势。”

THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL

断尾巴狐狸

A fox once fell into a trap,and after a struggle managed to get free,but with the loss of his brush.He was then so much ashamed of his appearance that he thought life was not worth living unless he could persuade the other Foxes to part with their tails also,and thus divert attention from his own loss.So he called a meeting of all the Foxes,and advised them to cut off their tails:“They’re ugly things anyhow,”he said,“and besides they’re heavy,and it’s tiresome to be always carrying them about with you.”But one of the other Foxes said,“My friend,if you hadn’t lost your own tail,you wouldn’t be so keen on getting us to cut off ours.”

{中文阅读}

有一只狐狸曾经落入捕兽器的圈套,经过一番斗争,他终于逃脱了,但却失去了一条尾巴。经此劫难,他觉得自己脸上无光,还不如一死了之,除非能够劝说其它狐狸也舍弃自己的尾巴,这样大家就不会再关注他的断尾了。于是他召集了所有狐狸开会,劝说他们也割掉自己的尾巴,他当众宣称:“你们的尾巴实在太难看了,一直带着尾巴四处走,这简直太让人厌恶了。”然而,有一只狐狸站出来反驳道:“喂,朋友,如果你没有丢掉自己的尾巴,就不会这样煞费苦心地来劝说我们了。”

THE VAIN JACKDAW

爱慕虚荣的寒鸦

Jupiter announced that he intended to appoint a king over the birds,and named a day on which they were to appear before his throne,when he would select the most beautiful of them all to be their ruler.Wishing to look their best on the occasion they repaired to the banks of a stream,where they busied themselves in washing and preening their feathers.The Jackdaw was there along with the rest,and realised that,with his ugly plumage,he would have no chance of being chosen as he was:so he waited till they were all gone,and then picked up the most gaudy of the feathers they had dropped,and fastened them about his own body,with the result that he looked gayer than any of them.When the appointed day came,the birds assembled before Jupiter’s throne;and,after passing them in review,he was about to make the Jackdaw king,when all the rest set upon the king-elect,stripped him of his borrowed plumes,and exposed him for the Jackdaw that he was.

{中文阅读}

朱庇特想在鸟类中指定一个王,便指定了一个日子,令百鸟全都按时出席,届时他将挑选其中最美丽的鸟为百鸟之王。为了展现自己最好的一面,众鸟都跑到河里忙于梳理自己的羽毛。

像那些有自知之明的鸟一样,寒鸦也意识到自己的丑陋,根本不可能被选为百鸟之王,于是他在河边等着众鸟散去,捡起他们脱落下的羽毛,小心翼翼地全固定在自己身上,结果他看上去比其它鸟都华丽。指定的日子来临了,众鸟都来到朱庇特的王位前。浏览了一遍眼前的众鸟,朱庇特决定立寒鸦为王。为了王位大选而来的其它鸟,纷纷从寒鸦身上拔下本属于自己的羽毛,暴露出寒鸦那丑陋的本来面目。

THE TRAVELLER AND HIS DOG

旅人和他的狗

A Traveller was about to start on a journey,and said to his Dog,who was stretching himself by the door,“Come,what are you yawning for?Hurry up and get ready:I mean you to go with me.”But the Dog merely wagged his tail and said quietly,“I’m ready,master:it’s you I’m waiting for.”

{中文阅读}

有一个人正准备踏上一段旅途,于是对正在门口站着打呵欠的狗说:“你还站在那里打什么呵欠呀?快点过来,一切都准备好了,就差你跟我走了!”但是,狗却摇着尾巴,静静地回答说:“我早就准备好了,倒是一直在等你呢。”

THE SHIPWRECKED MAN AND THE SEA

遇难者与海

A Shipwrecked Man cast up on the beach fell asleep after his struggle with the waves.When he woke up,he bitterly reproached the Sea for its treachery in enticing men with its smooth and smiling surface,and then,when they were well embarked,turning in fury upon them and sending both ship and sailors to destruction.The Sea arose in the form of a woman,and replied,“Lay not the blame on me,O sailor,but on the Winds.By nature I am as calm and safe as the land itself:but the Winds fall upon me with their gusts and gales,and lash me into a fury that is not natural to me.”

{中文阅读}

一个遇上海难的人经过一番风浪里的挣扎,终于被冲上岸,他筋疲力尽地躺在沙滩上睡着了。不一会儿,当他醒过来后,便开始指责大海总以平静、温和的外表引诱人们,然而,就在人们上当受骗之后,大海就变得凶暴和残忍,最终致使船和船上的人同归于尽。这时,大海以女人的形象出现了,并且对他说:“喂,朋友,你别责怪我,应该责怪风!我本是平静的,但是只要风猛然刮过来,就会掀起惊涛骇浪,使我变得残暴。这并不是我的本性。”