伊索寓言英文版最新.docx

1、伊索寓言英文版最新伊索寓言英文版Page1 Translated by George Fyler Townsend The Wolf and the Lamb WOLF, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the Lamb the Wolfs right to eat him. He thus addressed him:Sirrah, last year you grossly insul

2、ted me. Indeed, bleated the Lamb in a mournful tone of voice, I was not then born. Then said the Wolf , You feed in my pasture. No, good sir, replied the Lamb, I have not yet tasted grass. Again said the Wolf, You drink of my well. No, exclaimed the Lamb, I never yet drank water, for as yet my mothe

3、rs milk is both food and drink to me. Upon which the Wolf seized him and ate him up, saying, Well! I wont remain supperless, even though you refute every one of my imputations. The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny. The Bat and the Weasels A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caugh

4、t by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortlyafterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught byanother Weasel, whom he likewise e

5、ntreated not to eat him. TheWeasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time escaped. It is wise to turn circumstances to good account. The Ass and the Grasshopper AN ASS having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was h

6、ighlyenchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody,demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them suchbeautiful voices. They replied, The dew. The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger. The Lion and the Mouse A LION was awakened from

7、 sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, whenthe Mouse piteously entreated, saying: If you would only sparemy life, I would be sure to repay your kindness. The Lionlaughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that theLion was caug

8、ht by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the round.The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim You ridiculed the idea ofmy ever being able to help you,expecting to receive from me any repay ment of your favor; I nowyou know that it is possi

9、ble for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion. Page2 The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller A CHARCOAL-BURNER carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeepin

10、g expenses would be lessened. The Fullerreplied, The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned,for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal. Like will draw like. The Father and His Sons A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelingamon

11、g themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by hisexhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day toldthem to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them i

12、n succession,and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then ddressedthem in these words: My s

13、ons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves , you will be broken as easily as these sticks. The Boy Hunting Locusts A BOY was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodl

14、y number,when he saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reachedout his hand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said:If you had but touched me, my friend, you would have lost me, and all your locusts too! The Cock and the Jewel A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens,

15、 found aprecious stone and exclaimed: If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world. Page3 The Kingdom of the Lion THE BEASTS of th

16、e field and forest had a Lion as their king. He was neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a king could be. During his reign he made a royal proclamation for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up onditions for a universal league, in which the Wolf and t

17、he Lamb, the Panther and the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, shouldlive together in perfect peace and amity. The Hare said, Oh, how I have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their place with impunity by the side of the strong. And after the Hare said this, he ran

18、 for his life. The Wolf and the Crane A WOLF who had a bone stuck in his throat hired a Crane, for a large sum, to put her head into his mouth and draw out the bone. When the Crane had extracted the bone and demanded the romisedpayment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed:Why, you h

19、ave surely already had a sufficient recompense, inhaving been permitted to draw out your head in safety from themouth and jaws of a wolf. In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if youescape injury for your pains. The Fisherman Piping A FISHERMAN skilled in music took his flute and

20、his nets to theseashore. Standing on a projecting rock, he played several tunes in the hope that the fish, attracted by his melody, would oftheir own accord dance into his net, which he had placed below. At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea,

21、made an excellent haul of fish. When he saw them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said:O you most perverse creatures, when I piped you would not dance,but now that I have ceased you do so merrily. Hercules and the Wagoner A CARTER was driving a wagon along a country lane, when thewheels san

22、k down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefiedand aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pr

23、ay to me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain. Self-help is the best help. The Ants and the Grasshopper THE ANTS were spending a fine winters day drying grain ollectedin the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, pass

24、edby and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, Why did you not treasure up food during the summer? Hereplied, I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing. They then said in derision: If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to be

25、d in the winter. Page4 The Traveler and His Dog A TRAVELER about to set out on a journey saw his Dog stand atthe door stretching himself. He asked him sharply: Why do you stand there gaping? Everything is ready but you, so come with me instantly. The Dog, wagging his tail, replied: O, master! I am q

26、uite ready; it is you for whom I am waiting. The loiterer often blames delay on his more active friend. The Dog and the Shadow A DOG, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for thatof another Dog, with a piece of meat double hi

27、s own in size. He immediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the otherDog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: thatwhich he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; andhis own, because the stream swept it away. The Mole and His Mother A MOLE, a creature blind from

28、birth, once said to his Mother: I am sure than I can see, Mother! In the desire to prove to himhis mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains offrankincense, and asked, What is it? The young Mole said, Itis a pebble. His Mother exclaimed: My son, I am afraid that you are not only blind, but

29、that you have lost your sense of smell. The Herdsman and the Lost Bull A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf fromthe fold. After a long and fruitless search, he made a vow that,if he could only discover the thief who had stolen the Calf, he would offer a lamb in sacrifice to Herm

30、es, Pan, and the GuardianDeities of the forest. Not long afterwards, as he ascended a small hillock, he saw at its foot a Lion feeding on the Calf. Terrified at the sight, he lifted his eyes and his hands to heaven, and said: Just now I vowed to offer a lamb to the Guardian Deities of the forest if

31、I could only find out who had robbed me; but now that I have discovered the thief, I would willingly add a full-grown Bull to the Calf I have lost, if I may only secure my own escape from him in safety. The Hare and the Tortoise A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of theTortoise, who replied, laughing: Though you be swift as thewind, I will beat you in a race. The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two sta