The Man and the Wooden God
In the old days men used to worship stocks and stones
and idols, and prayed to them to give them luck. It
happened that a Man had often prayed to a wooden idol
he had received from his father, but his luck never seemed
to change. He prayed and he prayed, but still he remained
as unlucky as ever. One day in the greatest rage he went
to the Wooden God, and with one blow swept it down
from its pedestal. The idol broke in two, and what did he
see? An immense number of coins flying all over the place.
Note:
stocks and stones 偶像
pedestal n. An architectural support or base, as for a column or statue 基架, 底座
The Fisher
A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river,
and played upon them with the hope of making the fish
rise; but never a one put his nose out of the water. So he
cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth filled with
fish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played,
the fish leapt up in the net. ‘Ah, you dance now when I
play,’ said he.
‘Yes,’ said an old Fish:
‘When you are in a man’s power you must do as he
bids you.’
Note:
bagpipen.风笛
bid v.To issue a command to 命令
The Shepherd’s Boy
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his
sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was
rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by
which he could get a little company and some excitement.
He rushed down towards the village calling out ‘Wolf,
Wolf,’ and the villagers came out to meet him, and some
of them stopped with him for a considerable time. This
pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he
tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his
help. But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out
from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the
boy of course cried out ‘Wolf, Wolf,’ still louder than
before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled
twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them,
and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the Wolf made
a good meal off the boy’s flock, and when the boy
complained, the wise man of the village said:
‘A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the
truth.’
Note:
tend v. To have the care of; watch over; look after 照管, 护理
considerable adj.Large in amount, extent, or degree 相当大(或多)的
worry v. To pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth撕咬
flock n. A group of animals that live, travel, or feed together. 羊群
The Young Thief and His Mother
A young Man had been caught in a daring act of theft
and had been condemned to be executed for it. He
expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak with
her before he was led to execution, and of course this was
granted. When his Mother came to him he said: ‘I want to
whisper to you,’ and when she brought her ear near him,
he nearly bit it off. All the bystanders were horrified, and
asked him what he could mean by such brutal and
inhuman conduct. ‘It is to punish her,’ he said. ‘When I
was young I began with stealing little things, and brought
them home to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing
me, she laughed and said: ‘It will not be noticed.’ It is
because of her that I am here to-day.’
‘He is right, woman,’ said the Priest; ‘the Lord hath
said:
‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he
is old he will not depart therefrom.’
Note:
be condemned to 被宣告...
execute v. To put to death, especially by carrying out a lawful sentence处死
bystander n.看热闹的人, 旁观者
Train up 养育, 培养, 训练
The Man and His Two Wives
In the old days, when men were allowed to have many
wives, a middle-aged Man had one wife that was old and
one that was young; each loved him very much, and
desired to see him like herself. Now the Man’s hair was
turning grey, which the young Wife did not like, as it
made him look too old for her husband. So every night
she used to comb his hair and pick out the white ones.
But the elder Wife saw her husband growing grey with
great pleasure, for she did not like to be mistaken for his
mother. So every morning she used to arrange his hair and
pick out as many of the black ones as she could. The
consequence was the Man soon found himself entirely
bald.
Yield to all and you will soon have nothing to yield.
The Nurse and the Wolf
‘Be quiet now,’ said an old Nurse to a child sitting on
her lap. ‘If you make that noise again I will throw you to
the Wolf.’
Now it chanced that a Wolf was passing close under
the window as this was said. So he crouched down by the
side of the house and waited. ‘I am in good luck to-day,’
thought he. ‘It is sure to cry soon, and a daintier morsel I
haven’t had for many a long day.’ So he waited, and he
waited, and he waited, till at last the child began to cry,
and the Wolf came forward before the window, and
looked up to the Nurse, wagging his tail. But all the Nurse
did was to shut down the window and call for help, and
the dogs of the house came rushing out. ‘Ah,’ said the
Wolf as he galloped away,
‘Enemies promises were made to be broken.’
Note:
chance v. To come about by chance; occur 碰巧, 偶然发生
crouch v. To stoop, especially with the knees bent蜷缩, 蹲伏
dainty adj. Of refined taste 美味的
gallop v. To move or progress swiftly: 飞驰
The Tortoise and the Birds
A Tortoise desired to change its place of residence, so
he asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home,
promising her a rich reward for her trouble. The Eagle
agreed and seizing the Tortoise by the shell with her talons
soared aloft. On their way they met a Crow, who said to
the Eagle: ‘Tortoise is good eating.’ ‘The shell is too hard,’
said the Eagle in reply. ‘The rocks will soon crack the
shell,’ was the Crow’s answer; and the Eagle, taking the
hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and the two
birds made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.
Never soar aloft on an enemy’s pinions.
Note:
talon n. The claw of a bird of prey. (猛禽, 猛兽的)爪
pinion n. The wing of a bird. 翼; 翅膀
The Two Crabs
One fine day two Crabs came out from their home to
take a stroll on the sand. ‘Child,’ said the mother, ‘you are
walking very ungracefully. You should accustom yourself,
to walking straight forward without twisting from side to
side.’
‘Pray, mother,’ said the young one, ‘do but set the
example yourself, and I will follow you.’
Example is the best precept.
note:
precept. n.A rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.训导
The Ass in the Lion’s Skin
An Ass once found a Lion’s skin which the hunters had
left out in the sun to dry. He put it on and went towards
his native village. All fled at his approach, both men and
animals, and he was a proud Ass that day. In his delight he
lifted up his voice and brayed, but then every one knew
him, and his owner came up and gave him a sound
cudgelling for the fright he had caused. And shortly
afterwards a Fox came up to him and said: ‘Ah, I knew
you by your voice.’
Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a
fool.
Note:
bray v. To utter the loud, harsh cry of a donkey驴叫声
cudgel v. To beat or strike with or as if with a cudgel. 用棍棒打
The Two Fellows and the Bear
Two Fellows were travelling together through a wood,
when a Bear rushed out upon them. One of the travellers
happened to be in front, and he seized hold of the branch
of a tree, and hid himself among the leaves. The other,
seeing no help for it, threw himself flat down upon the
ground, with his face in the dust. The Bear, coming up to
him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and sniffed and
sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head and
slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat. Then the
fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and,
laughing, said ‘What was it that Master Bruin whispered to
you?’
‘He told me,’ said the other,
‘Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch.’
Note:
muzzle n. 动物凸出的口和鼻
slouch v. To sit, stand, or walk with an awkward, drooping, excessively relaxed posture.懒洋洋地走
at a pinch 在紧要关头
The Two Pots
Two Pots had been left on the bank of a river, one of
brass, and one of earthenware. When the tide rose they
both floated off down the stream. Now the earthenware
pot tried its best to keep aloof from the brass one, which
cried out: ‘Fear nothing, friend, I will not strike you.’
‘But I may come in contact with you,’ said the other,
‘if I come too close; and whether I hit you, or you hit me,
I shall suffer for it.’
The strong and the weak cannot keep company.
Note:
brass n. 黄铜
earthenware n. 陶器
keep aloof from离...远远的
The Four Oxen and the Lion
A Lion used to prowl about a field in which Four
Oxen used to dwell. Many a time he tried to attack them;
but whenever he came near they turned their tails to one
another, so that whichever way he approached them he
was met by the horns of one of them. At last, however,
they fell a-quarrelling among themselves, and each went
off to pasture alone in a separate corner of the field. Then
the Lion attacked them one by one and soon made an end
of all four.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Note:
prowl v. To roam through stealthily, as in search of prey or plunder: 四处觅食
The Fisher and the Little Fish
It happened that a Fisher, after fishing all day, caught
only a little fish. ‘Pray, let me go, master,’ said the Fish. ‘I
am much too small for your eating just now. If you put
me back into the river I shall soon grow, then you can
make a fine meal off me.’
‘Nay, nay, my little Fish,’ said the Fisher, ‘I have you
now. I may not catch you hereafter.’
A little thing in hand is worth more than a great thing
in prospect.
Avaricious and Envious
Two neighbours came before Jupiter and prayed him to
grant their hearts’ desire. Now the one was full of avarice,
and the other eaten up with envy. So to punish them
both, Jupiter granted that each might have whatever he
wished for himself, but only on condition that his
neighbour had twice as much. The Avaricious man prayed
to have a room full of gold. No sooner said than done; but
all his joy was turned to grief when he found that his
neighbour had two rooms full of the precious metal. Then
came the turn of the Envious man, who could not bear to
think that his neighbour had any joy at all. So he prayed
that he might have one of his own eyes put out, by which
means his companion would become totally blind.
Vices are their own punishment.
Note:
Avaricious adj. Immoderately desirous of wealth or gain; greedy. 贪财的, 贪婪的
Jupiter n. (主神)朱庇特
eat up 沉迷于 ; 冲昏
The Crow and the Pitcher
A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher
which had once been full of water; but when the Crow
put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found that
only very little water was left in it, and that he could not
reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried,
but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came
to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the
Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped
that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another
pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took
another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. At last,
at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after
casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his
thirst and save his life.
Little by little does the trick.
Note:
Pitcher n. 有柄水罐
pebble n. A small stone, especially one worn smooth by erosion小鹅卵石
quench v. To slake; satisfy止(渴)
do the trick 获得成功
The Man and the Satyr
A Man had lost his way in a wood one bitter winter’s
night. As he was roaming about, a Satyr came up to him,
and finding that he had lost his way, promised to give him
a lodging for the night, and guide him out of the forest in
the morning. As he went along to the Satyr’s cell, the Man
raised both his hands to his mouth and kept on blowing at
them. ‘What do you do that for?’ said the Satyr.
‘My hands are numb with the cold,’ said the Man, ‘and
my breath warms them.’
After this they arrived at the Satyr’s home, and soon the
Satyr put a smoking dish of porridge before him. But
when the Man raised his spoon to his mouth he began
blowing upon it. ‘And what do you do that for?’ said the
Satyr.
‘The porridge is too hot, and my breath will cool it.’
‘Out you go,’ said the Satyr. ‘I will have nought to do
with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same
breath.’
Note:
Satyr n. (希腊及罗马神话)半人半兽的森林之神