书城童书伊索寓言(中英双语·百年纪念版)
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第27章

不诚实的人,即使行为端正,也没有信用。

THE EAGLE AND THE COCKS

老鹰和公鸡

There were two Cocks in the same farmyard,and they fought to decide who should be master.When the ?ght was over,the beaten one went and hid himself in a dark corner;while the victor flew up on to the roof of the stables and crowed lustily.But an Eagle espied him from high up in the sky,and swooped down and carried him off.Forthwith the other Cock came out of his corner and ruled the roost without a rival.

Pride comes before a fall.

{中文阅读}

两只公鸡生活在同一个场院里,为争当主人而打了起来。战争结束后,落败的一方躲进了一个黑暗的角落;而胜者则飞到棚顶上兴奋地大喊大叫。然而,一只鹰突然从天而降,冲下来抓走了他。这时,那只被打败的公鸡立刻从角落里跑出来,独自占领了整个鸡窝。

骄兵必败。

THE ESCAPED JACKDAW

逃跑的寒鸦

A Man caught a Jackdaw and tied a piece of string to one of its legs,and then gave it to his children for a pet.But the Jackdaw didn’t at all like having to live with people;so,after a while,when he seemed to have become fairly tame and they didn’t watch him so closely,he slipped away and ?ew back to his old haunts.Unfortunately,the string was still on his leg,and before long it got entangled in the branches of a tree and the Jackdaw couldn’t get free,try as he would.He saw it was all up with him,and cried in despair,“Alas,in gaining my freedom I have lost my life.”

{中文阅读}

有人捕捉到一只寒鸦,并用麻绳绑住了他的一只脚,然后给孩子当宠物玩。可是,寒鸦很不愿意与人一起生活。过了一段时间后,当他看上去似乎已经被驯服了时,人们便不再密切监视他了。于是,寒鸦趁机逃出去,飞回了自己的老巢。不幸的是,他的腿上依然还绑着那根绳子,很快便被树枝缠住再也飞不起来了。看到自己性命无保,寒鸦绝望地哭喊道:“唉,为了获得自由,我竟丢失了性命。”

THE FARMER AND THE FOX

农夫和狐狸

A Farmer was greatly annoyed by a Fox,which came prowling about his yard at night and carried off his fowls.So he set a trap for him and caught him;and in order to be revenged upon him,he tied a bunch of tow to his tail and set ?re to it and let him go.As ill-luck would have it,however,the Fox made straight for the fields where the corn was standing ripe and ready for cutting.It quickly caught fire and was all burnt up,and the Farmer lost all his harvest.

Revenge is a two-edged sword.

{中文阅读}

有个农夫受到了狐狸无尽的骚扰,因为狐狸经常在夜里到他的院子里偷鸡。于是,他设置了一个捕获狐狸的圈套。为了能狠狠地报复一下狐狸,农夫在狐狸的尾巴上绑了一捆麻绳,然后点上火,让狐狸在院子里上蹿下跳。然而,厄运却降临了,狐狸径直跑到农夫的田地里,正待收割的庄稼地迅即成了一片火海。最终,农夫颗粒无收。

复仇是把双刃剑。

VENUS AND THE CAT

维纳斯和猫

A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man,and begged the goddess Venus to change her into a woman.Venus was very gracious about it,and changed her at once into a beautiful maiden,whom the young man fell in love with at ?rst sight and shortly afterwards married.One day Venus thought she would like to see whether the Cat had changed her habits as well as her form;so she let a mouse run loose in the room where they were.Forgetting everything,the young woman had no sooner seen the mouse than up she jumped and was after it like a shot:at which the goddess was so disgusted that she changed her back again into a Cat.

{中文阅读}

一只母猫爱上了一个英俊的青年男子,请求爱神维纳斯将自己变成一个女人。仁慈的爱神维纳斯同意了她的请求,立即将她变成了一个美丽的少女。青年男子对她一见钟情,很快两人就结婚了。有一天,维纳斯想去看看那只变身后的猫是否也改变了以往的习性,便将一只老鼠放进了他们的房子里。年轻女子把现在的身份忘得一干二净,一见到老鼠,便立刻跳下床去追。爱神见此十分气愤,又将母猫变回了原来的模样。

THE CROW AND THE SWAN

乌鸦和天鹅

A Crow was filled with envy on seeing the beautiful white plumage of a Swan,and thought it was due to the water in which the Swan constantly bathed and swam.So he left the neighbourhood of the altars,where he got his living by picking up bits of the meat offered in sacri?ce,and went and lived among the pools and streams.But though he bathed and washed his feathers many times a day,he didn’t make them any whiter,and at last died of hunger into the bargain.

You may change your habits,but not your nature.

{中文阅读}

一只乌鸦非常妒忌白天鹅那美丽的羽翼,以为那一身漂亮的白色羽毛是由于经常在水中游泳和洗浴而得来的。于是,乌鸦便离开了靠着肉类祭祀品而赖以谋生的祭坛,前往池塘和溪流中居住。可是,尽管他日日勤于在水中梳洗自己的羽毛,却总也不能使其变成白色,反而因忍饥挨饿而死去。

你可以改变习惯,却很难改变本质。

THE STAG WITH ONE EYE

独眼鹿

A Stag,blind of one eye,was grazing close to the sea-shore and kept his sound eye turned towards the land,so as to be able to perceive the approach of the hounds,while the blind eye he turned towards the sea,never suspecting that any danger would threaten him from that quarter.As it fell out,however,some sailors,coasting along the shore,spied him and shot an arrow at him,by which he was mortally wounded.As he lay dying,he said to himself,“Wretch that I am!I bethought me of the dangers of the land,whence none assailed me:but I feared no peril from the sea,yet thence has come my ruin.”

Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.

{中文阅读}

有一只瞎了一只眼的鹿,在靠近海边的草场游荡,他用那只好眼睛注视着陆地,以防备猎人的攻击,而用那只瞎了的眼对着大海,以为海上不会对他有什么危险。然而,正从海上经过此处的几个水手看见了这头鹿,一箭射倒了他。鹿受了致命重伤,将要咽气的时候,他自言自语地说:“我真是不幸!我确信地上会有危险,可是却什么也没发生;而我以为大海这面没什么危险,但是却要了我的命。”

不幸经常从出人意料的地方攻击我们。

THE FLY AND THE DRAUGHT-MULE

苍蝇和拉车的骡子

A Fly sat on one of the shafts of a cart and said to the Mule who was pulling it,“How slow you are!Do mend your pace,or I shall have to use my sting as a goad.”The Mule was not in the least disturbed.“Behind me,in the cart,”said he,“sits my master.He holds the reins,and flicks me with his whip,and him I obey,but I don’t want any of your impertinence._I_know when I may dawdle and when I may not.”

{中文阅读}

一只苍蝇坐在马车的车轴上,对拉车的骡子说:“你走得太慢了!再走快一点,不然我就要咬你一下,来刺激你了。”骡子丝毫没有感到不安。“主人正坐在我身后的马车上,”骡子说,“他握着缰绳,而且还会用鞭子来抽打我。我只遵从他的命令,不需要你来指指点点。我很清楚什么时候该快,什么时候该慢。”

{中文阅读}

THE COCK AND THE JEWEL

公鸡和宝石

A Co c k ,sc ra t c hi n g t he g r o u n d f o r so m e t h i n g t o e a t ,turned up a Jewel that had by chance been dropped there.“Ho!”said he,“a fine thing you are,no doubt,and,had your owner found you,great would his joy have been.But for me!give me a single grain of corn before all the jewels in the world.”

一只公鸡在田野里觅食,突然发现了一块宝玉,不知是谁不小心掉在这里了。公鸡说道:“哇,你可真漂亮,要是你的主人找到了你,肯定会喜出望外。不过,对我来说,你却毫无用处。与其得到世界上的所有珠宝,还不如得到一颗麦子更好。”

THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD

狼和牧羊人