树和斧子伊索寓言

树和斧子伊索寓言

　　伊索寓言——树和斧子

　　原文：

　　A Woodman came into a forest to ask the Trees to give him a handle for Ax. It seemed so modest a request that the principal tree at once agreed to it, and it was settled among them that the plain, homely Ash should furnish what was wanted. No sooner had the Woodman fitted the staff to his purpose ,than he began laying about him on all side. felling the whole matter too late, whispered to the Cedar: "the first concession has lost all ;if we has not a sacrificed our humble neighbor, we might have yet stood for ages ourselves."

　　译文：

　　有一个樵夫来到森林里，要求树给他一跟斧柄，看来他的请求非常谦虚，立刻得到了树的首领的同意。他们决定由平凡而朴素的白杨树来提供所需要的东西。樵夫刚按好斧柄，就开始到处乱砍，森林里最高的树都砍倒了，树林现在察觉大势已去，就小声对衫树说："第一次的让步已失去了一切。如果我们不牺牲我们的小小的邻居，我们自己还可以活无数年呢。"

　　词汇：

　　the principal tree 领头树

　　was settled among them 大家商定

　　no sooner...than... 一……就……

　　laying about him 向他四周乱砍

　　might have yet stood for ages 也许还能活几百年

　　伊索寓言——人与赛特

　　原文：

　　A Man and a Satyr having struck up an acquaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the Man put his fingers to his mouse and blew opon them. "What's that for, my friend?" asked the Satyr. " My hands are so cold," said the Man, "I do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food was placed before them, and the Man, raising the dish to his mouse, again blew opon it. "And what's the meaning of that, now?" said the Satyr. "Oh," replied the Man, "my porridge is so hot, I do it to cool it." "Nay, then," said the Satyr, "from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouse."

　　译文：

　　一个人与赛特偶然相识，坐在一起吃东西。正值冬季，天气很冷，那人把手放在嘴边哈气。赛特问道“我的朋友，那是干吗？”这人说“我的手太冷了，这是为了取暖”。过了一会儿，热腾腾的食物端上来了，那人把碟子举到嘴边又吹了起来，赛特问“这又是干吗？”，那人说“哦，我的粥太烫了，我把他吹凉些”。赛特说“从现在起，我要与你绝交，因为我不想和一个反复无常的人做朋友”。

　　词汇：

　　atyr 赛特(希腊神话中半人半羊的神)

　　strike up an acquaintance 偶然成为朋友

　　porridge 粥

　　renounce 拒绝，放弃

　　伊索寓言——守财奴

　　原文：

　　A Miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that he had had converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground, and went continually  to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master's back was turned went to the spot and stole it away. When the Miser returned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair. But a neighbor who saw him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said: "Fret thyself no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is your lump of gold; for, as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as much gold as the other."

　　The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use.

　　译文：

　　一个守财奴，为了确保他的财产，卖掉所有家当换成了一大块金子，埋在一个地洞里，并且不时地去查看，这引起了手下一个雇工的好奇。雇工猜测那里肯定有宝贝，趁主人离开之际，他来到埋藏地点，把金子偷走了。当守财奴回来发现金子不翼而飞，便痛哭流涕，乱撮头发。一个邻人见状问明原由后说“你也别太痛苦了，拿一块石头再埋在原地，就当是那块金子好了，因为既然你永远不想用它，那么两者不是一回事吗”。

　　金钱的价值不在于拥有，而在于使用。

　　词汇：

　　extravagant 过分的

　　thyself = yourself

　　伊索寓言——牧童和狼

　　原文：

　　A Shepherd-boy, who tended his flock not far from a village, used to amuse himself at times in crying out"wolf !wolf!"Twice or thrice his trick succeeded .The whole village came running out to his assistance when all the return they got was to be laughed at for their pains .At last one day the wolf came indeed .The boy cried out in earnest. But his neighbors, supposing him to be at his old sport, paid no heed to his cries, and the wolf devoured the sheep. So the boy learned, when it was too late, that liars are not believed even when they tell the truth.

　　译文：

　　一个放羊的孩子在离村子不远的地方放羊。他为了开心寻乐常喊："狼来了！狼来了！"他的恶作剧有两三次达到了目的。全村的人都跑来帮忙，而他们所得到的回报却是一顿嘲笑，白费了心力。最后，有一天狼真的来了。这个孩子认真地大喊起来。但是他的邻人们却以为他又在耍把戏，谁都不理会他的喊叫，于是狼把羊吃了。因此这牧童得到了教训：爱说谎的人，甚至在他说真话的时候，也没人相信他，但是他知道得太晚了。

　　词汇：

　　Shepherd-boy 牧羊童

　　trick 诡计

　　at his old sport 耍他的老把戏

　　伊索寓言——母狮子

　　原文：

　　There was a great stir made among all the Beasts, which could boast of largest family. So they came to the Lioness. "And how many," said , "do you have at a birth?" "One," said she, grimly, "but that one is a lion."

　　Quality comes before quantity.

　　译文：

　　一场大比拼在所有野兽中展开了，看看谁敢夸耀自己的家族最大。众野兽来到母狮子跟前，问道：“你一胎能生产几个？”“一个”，狮子凶横地说，“但那是一头狮子”。

　　质量重于数量。

　　词汇：

　　stir 轰动，骚动

　　boast of    自夸

　　at a birth 一胎

　　grimly 冷酷地，可怕地

　　v

　　伊索寓言——旅行者和熊

　　原文：

　　Two friends were traveling on the same road together, when they met with a bear .The one, in great fear, without a thought of his companion, climbed up into a tree, and hid himself .The other, seeing that he had on chance single-handed against the bear, had nothing left but to throw himself on the ground and feign to be dead, for he had heard that the bear will never touch a dead body .A s he thus lay, the bear came up to his head, muzzling and snuffing at his nose, and ears, and heart, but the immovably held his breath, and the beast, supposing him to be dead, walked away .When the bear was fairly out of sight, his companion came down out of the tree, and asked what it was that the bear whispered to him-"for"says he, "I observed he put his mouth very close to your ear . ""why,"replies the other, "it was no great secret, he only bid me have a care how I kept company with those who, when they get into a difficulty, leave their friends in a lurch."

　　词汇：

　　single-handed 独自一人，孤立无援

　　lurch 危难