书城童书伊索寓言(中英双语·百年纪念版)
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第25章

一个专门给人算命的人,坐在市场里靠给人算卦来谋生。忽然,有一个人跑来告诉他,他家被强盗撬门而入,家里所有的东西几乎都被偷走了。算命的人大吃一惊,立刻气得跳了起来,唉声叹气地赶回家中。旁观者都被逗笑了,其中一个人说道:“这位朋友声称自己能预知将来,可是看上去他并不聪明,怎么连自己的事都没预料到呢?”

THE HOUND AND THE HARE

猎狗和野兔

A young Hound started a Hare,and,when he caught her up,would at one moment snap at her with his teeth as though he were about to kill her,while at another he would let go his hold and frisk about her,as if he were playing with another dog.At last the Hare said,“I wish you would show yourself in your true colours!If you are my friend,why do you bite me?If you are my enemy,why do you play with me?”

He is no friend who plays double.

{中文阅读}

一只小猎狗去抓一只野兔,就在抓兔子的过程中,猎狗一会儿用牙咬他,仿佛要咬死他;一会儿又让他挣脱出去,在周围乱蹦乱跳,仿佛在和另一只狗玩耍。最后,野兔对猎狗说:“我希望你能表现出你的真实面目来!如果你是我的朋友,为什么要咬我?如果你是我的敌人,为什么还跟我玩?”

两面派可不是你的朋友。

THE LION,THE MOUSE,AND THE FOX

狮子、老鼠和狐狸

A Lion was lying asleep at the mouth of his den when a Mouse ran over his back and tickled him so that he woke up with a start and began looking about everywhere to see what it was that had disturbed him.A Fox,who was looking on,thought he would have a joke at the expense of the Lion;so he said,“Well,this is the ?rst time I’ve seen a Lion afraid of a Mouse.”“Afraid of a Mouse?”said the Lion testily:“not I!It’s his bad manners I can’t stand.”

{中文阅读}

一只狮子躺在自己的洞口睡着了,这时,一只老鼠跑到他的背后搔他痒,好让他赶快从梦中醒来,寻找究竟是谁在骚扰他。在旁观察的狐狸见后,心想可以和狮子开个玩笑,便开口说道:“我可是第一次看见狮子惧怕老鼠。”“害怕一只小老鼠?”狮子说,“我才不怕老鼠呢!只是无法忍受他的无礼。”

THE TRUMPETER TAKEN PRISONER

被捕的号兵

A Trumpeter marched into battle in the van of the army and put courage into his comrades by his warlike tunes.Being captured by the enemy,he begged for his life,and said,“Do not put me to death;I have killed no one:indeed,I have no weapons,but carry with me only my trumpet here.”But his captors replied,“That is only the more reason why we should take your life;for,though you do not ?ght yourself,you stir up others to do so.”

{中文阅读}

有一个号兵,在战役中总是冲在大部队的前面,利用吹响号角为同志们加油。在被敌人抓获后,他说:“不要杀死我,我从没杀过任何人,实际上,我没有任何武器,只有这把铜号。”然而,敌人却对他说道:“那你就更应当被处死了,因为你自己虽然没去打仗,可你却召集其他人来攻打我们。”

THE WOLF AND THE CRANE

狼与鹤

A Wolf once got a bone stuck in his throat.So he went to a Crane and begged her to put her long bill down his throat and pull it out.“I’ll make it worth your while,”he added.The Crane did as she was asked,and got the bone out quite easily.The Wolf thanked her warmly,and was just turning away,when she cried,“What about that fee of mine?”“Well,what about it?”snapped the Wolf,baring his teeth as he spoke;“you can go about boasting that you once put your head into a Wolf’s mouth and didn’t get it bitten off.What more do you want?”

{中文阅读}

有一次,一只狼的喉咙被骨头哽住了,便去找鹤,求她将长喙伸进自己的喉咙,取出那块骨头。随后,他又补充了一句:“我会好好犒劳你的。”鹤按照狼的吩咐做了,很轻松地取出了那块骨头。狼热情地感谢了她,然后转身就走了。这时,鹤大喊道:“你说好的报酬呢?”“你说什么?”狼龇牙咧嘴地说,“你可以大肆宣传自己的头曾经伸到一只狼的嘴巴里,并且安全地拔出来了,这难道不就是给你的奖赏吗?”

THE EAGLE,THE CAT,AND THE WILD SOW

鹰、猫和野猪

An Eagle built her nest at the top of a high tree;a Cat with her family occupied a hollow in the trunk half-way down;and a Wild Sow and her young took up their quarters at the foot.They might have got on very well as neighbors had it not been for the evil cunning of the Cat.Climbing up to the Eagle’s nest she said to the Eagle,“You and I are in the greatest possible danger.That dreadful creature,the Sow,who is always to be seen grubbing away at the foot of the tree,means to uproot it,that she may devour your family and mine at her ease.”Having thus driven the Eagle almost out of her senses with terror,the Cat climbed down the tree,and said to the Sow,“I must warn you against that dreadful bird,the Eagle.She is only waiting her chance to ?y down and carry off one of your little pigs when you take them out,to feed her brood with.”She succeeded in frightening the Sow as much as the Eagle.Then she returned to her hole in the trunk,from which,feigning to be afraid,she never came forth by day.Only by night did she creep out unseen to procure food for her kittens.The Eagle,meanwhile was afraid to stir from her nest,and the Sow dared not leave her home among the roots:so that in time both they and their families perished of hunger,andtheir dead bodies supplied the Cat with ample food for her growingfamily.

{中文阅读}

一只老鹰在一棵大橡树的高枝上安了家;一只猫和她的孩子们在这棵树的树干上霸占了一个树洞;一只野猪则带着小猪崽住进了树根处的洞里。若不是猫诡计多端,他们可能会成为很好的邻居。猫先爬到老鹰的巢边,说:“你和我都很危险呀!树下那头野猪,天天在树根处挖土,怕是想把这棵树连根拔掉,好轻而易举地吃掉我们的孩子。”猫用这番话吓唬了老鹰之后,又爬下来对野猪说:“我必须要警告你,小心那只可怕的老鹰。她可是一直在伺机飞下来抓走你的孩子们,去喂小鹰。”猫也像吓唬老鹰那样,狠狠地吓唬了野猪一番。然后,她假装自己也很害怕,躲进了自己的树洞,当日再也没出来。到了晚上,她则偷偷地跑出去为孩子们寻找食物。老鹰吓得不敢离开自己的巢,野猪也吓得不敢走出洞来。就这样,老鹰和野猪以及他们的孩子都饿死了,而猫则用老鹰、野猪及其幼崽的尸体养大了自己的孩子。

THE WOLF AND THE SHEEP

狼和绵羊

A Wolf was worried and badly bitten by dogs,and lay a long time for dead.By and by he began to revive,and,feeling very hungry,called out to a passing Sheep and said,“Would you kindly bring me some water from the stream close by?I can manage about meat,if only I could get something to drink.”But this Sheep was no fool.“I can quite understand”,said he,“that if I brought you the water,you would have no dif?culty about the meat.Good-morning.”

{中文阅读}

一只狼被狗咬了,伤势很严重,他非常担心,昏倒在地上很长时间。不久,他苏醒过来,感觉饿了,正好看见一只羊从此经过,便说:“你能发发善心,帮我到旁边的小河里取一点水来吗?如果你能给我一点水解渴,我就能去找点肉吃了。”可是,这只羊并不傻。“我完全明白,”他回答说,“要是我给你送来水,那你就能毫不费力地找到肉吃了。”

THE TUNNY-FISH AND THE DOLPHIN

金枪鱼和海豚

A Tunny-?sh was chased by a Dolphin and splashed through the water at a great rate,but the Dolphin gradually gained upon him,and was just about to seize him when the force of his ?ight carried the Tunny on to a sandbank.In the heat of the chase the Dolphin followed him,and there they both lay out of the water,gasping for dear life.When the Tunny saw that his enemy was doomed like himself,he said,“I don’t mind having to die now:for I see that he who is the cause of my death is about to share the same fate.”

{中文阅读}