伊索寓言（中文导读英文版）

伊索寓言（中文导读英文版） 驴和它的主人 The Ass and His Masters 1．驴和它的主人 The Ass and His Masters 有头驴给草药贩子干活，觉得很苦，就请求朱 庇特给它换主人。朱庇特把它换给制瓦工，驴觉得 更苦了。最后朱庇特就让驴到皮匠那里，驴想到皮 匠会剥了它的皮，更后悔了。 n Ass, belonging to an herb-seller who A gave him too little food and too much work made a petition to Jupiter to be released from his present service and provided with another master. Jupiter, after warning him that he would repent his request, caused him to be sold to a tile-maker. Shortly afterwards, finding that he had heavier loads to carry and harder work in the brick-field, he petitioned for another change of master. Jupiter, telling him that it would be the last time that he could grant his request, ordained that he be sold to a tanner. The Ass found that he had fallen into worse hands, and noting his master’s occupation, said, groaning: “It would have been better for me to have been either starved by the one, or to have been overworked by the other of my former masters, than to have been bought by my present owner, who will even after I am dead tan my hide, and make me useful to him.” He that finds discontentment in one place is not likely to find happiness in 1 驴和它的主人 The Ass and His Masters another. 2 驴和它的主人 The Ass and His Masters 2．驴 和 青 蛙 The Ass and the Frogs 驴驮着木料，不小心摔倒在池塘里，就大声叫 起来。青蛙听见了，对驴说，在池塘里摔了一跤， 没什么大不了的。 n Ass, carrying a load of wood, passed A through a pond. As he was crossing through the water he lost his footing, stumbled and fell, and not being able to rise on account of his load, groaned heavily. Some Frogs frequenting the pool heard his lamentation, and said, “What would you do if you had to live here always as we do, when you make such a fuss about a mere fall into the water?” Men often bear little grievances with less courage than they do large misfortunes. 3 驴和它的影子 The Ass and His Shadow 3．驴和它的影子 The Ass and His Shadow 一个人雇了一头驴出远门。天气酷热，这个人 和驴的主人都想在驴的影子下休息，可驴的影子太 小，结果两人争吵起来。驴就趁机跑掉了。 Traveler hired an Ass to convey him to a A distant place. The day being intensely hot, and the sun shining in its strength, the Traveler stopped to rest, and sought shelter from the heat under the Shadow of the Ass. As this afforded only protection for one, and as the Traveler and the owner of the Ass both claimed it, a violent dispute arose between them as to which of them had the right to the Shadow. The owner maintained that he had let the Ass only, and not his Shadow. The Traveler asserted that he had, with the hire of the Ass, hired his Shadow also. The quarrel proceeded from words to blows, and while the men fought, the Ass galloped off. In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance. 4 驴和它的影子 The Ass and His Shadow 4．驴 和 买 主 The Ass and His Purchaser 一个人在买驴前，先把它牵回家试试。结果发 现这只驴喜欢他家里一只好吃懒做的驴，于是他断 定这只驴也是好吃懒做的类型，就不买了。 Man wished to purchase an Ass, and A agreed with its owner that he should try out the animal before he bought him. He took the Ass home and put him in the straw-yard with his other Asses, upon which the new animal left all the others and at once joined the one that was most idle and the greatest eater of them all. Seeing this, the man put a halter on him and led him back to his owner. On being asked how, in so short a time, he could have made a trial of him, he answered, “I do not need a trial; I know that he will be just the same as the one he chose for his companion.” A man is known by the company he keeps. 5 驴和赶驴人 The Ass and His Driver 5．驴和赶驴人 The Ass and His Driver 赶驴人赶着驴走在山路上。驴突然往悬崖跑 去，赶驴人及时抓住它的尾巴，但驴不断地挣扎， 结果掉下去摔死了。 n Ass, being driven along a high road, A suddenly started off and bolted to the brink of a deep precipice. While he was in the act of throwing himself over, his owner seized him by the tail, endeavoring to pull him back. When the Ass persisted in his effort, the man let him go and said, “Conquer, but conquer to your cost.” A willful beast must go his own way. 6 驴和赶驴人 The Ass and His Driver 6．驴 和 战 马 The Ass and the Charger 主人精心照顾战马，给战马吃最好的食物，驴 很羡慕。后来战争爆发，战马战死在沙场，驴又同 情起战马来。 n Ass congratulated a Horse on being so A ungrudgingly and carefully provided for, while he himself had scarcely enough to eat and not even that without hard work. But when war broke out, a heavily armed soldier mounted the Horse, and riding him to the charge, rushed into the very midst of the enemy. The Horse was wounded and fell dead on the battlefield. Then the Ass, seeing all these things, changed his mind, and commiserated the Horse. 7 驴 和 蚱 蜢 The Ass and the Grasshopper 7．驴 和 蚱 蜢 The Ass and the Grasshopper 蚱蜢唱歌很好听，驴很羡慕。驴听说蚱蜢是因 为每天喝露水，所以声音才这么好，于是驴决定每 天也只喝露水，结果饿死了。 n Ass having heard some Grasshoppers A chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, “The dew.” The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger. Even a fool is wise — when it is too late! 8 驴 和 蚱 蜢 The Ass and the Grasshopper 8．驴和哈巴狗 The Ass and the Lapdog 一个人有一只驴和一只哈巴狗。那人和哈巴狗 很亲热，还经常给狗好吃的。驴很羡慕。一天，驴 跑进主人屋里，做和哈巴狗一样的动作，结果不仅 把屋子弄得一团糟，还被仆人打得半死。 A Man had an Ass, and a Maltese Lapdog, a very great beauty. The Ass was left in a stable and had plenty of oats and hay to eat, just as any other Ass would. The Lapdog knew many tricks and was a great favorite with his master, who often fondled him and seldom went out to dine without bringing him home some tidbit to eat. 9 驴 和 蚱 蜢 The Ass and the Grasshopper The Ass, on the contrary, had much work to do in grinding the corn-mill and in carrying wood from the forest or burdens from the farm. He often lamented his own hard fate and contrasted it with the luxury and idleness of the Lapdog, till at last one day he broke his cords and halter, and galloped into his master’s house, kicking up his heels without measure, and frisking and fawning as well as he could. He next tried to jump about his master as he had seen the Lapdog do, but he broke the table and smashed all the dishes upon it to atoms. He then attempted to lick his master, and jumped upon his back. The servants, hearing the strange hubbub and perceiving the danger of their master, quickly relieved him, and drove out the Ass to his stable with kicks and clubs and cuffs. The Ass, as he returned to his stall beaten nearly to death, thus lamented: “I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented to labor with my companions, and not wish to be idle all the day like that useless little Lapdog!” To be satisfied with one’s lot is better than to desire something which one is not fitted to receive. 10