Aesop’s Fables(daily)

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The Jay and the Peacock

A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to
walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen
from the Peacocks when they were moulting. He tied
them all to his tail and strutted down towards the
Peacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered
the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and
plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do
no better than go back to the other Jays, who had watched
his behaviour from a distance; but they were equally
annoyed with him, and told him:

‘It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.’

Note:
Jay n.鸟
venture  v. To proceed despite possible danger or risk: 冒险
moult   v.脱毛, 换毛
strut    v.To walk with pompous bearing 大摇大摆地走 ; 炫耀
pluck away  扯去, 撕去
plume  n.A feather, especially a large and showy one: 羽毛

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The Frog and the Ox

‘Oh Father,’ said a little Frog to the big one sitting by
the side of a pool, ‘I have seen such a terrible monster! It
was as big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and a
long tail, and it had hoofs divided in two.’

‘Tush, child, tush,’ said the old Frog, ‘that was only
Farmer White’s Ox. It isn’t so big either; he may be a little
bit taller than I, but I could easily make myself quite as
broad; just you see.’ So he blew himself out, and blew
himself out, and blew himself out. ‘Was he as big as that?’
asked he.

‘Oh, much bigger than that,’ said the young Frog.

Again the old one blew himself out, and asked the
young one if the Ox was as big as that.

‘Bigger, father, bigger,’ was the reply.

So the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and blew and
blew, and swelled and swelled and swelled. And then he
said: ‘I’m sure the Ox is not as big as But at this moment
he burst.

Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction.

Note:
hoof  n.蹄
Tush  int.呸!
Self-conceit  自负, 自大
self-destruction   自杀

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前两天搬家，实在忙，今天把它补上。


Androcles

A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master
and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he
came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At
first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not
pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he
came near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all
swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge
thorn had got into it, and was causing all the pain. He
pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion,
who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles
like a dog. Then the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and
every day used to bring him meat from which to live. But
shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion were
captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the
Lion, after the latter had been kept without food for
several days. The Emperor and all his Court came to see
the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into the middle
of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den,
and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But
as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognised his
friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his hands like a
friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned
Androcles to him, who told him the whole story.
Whereupon the slave was pardoned and freed, and the
Lion let loose to his native forest.

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.

Note:
arena  n.A large modern building for the presentation of sports events and spectacles
竞技场, 舞台
fawn   v. To exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail
fawn upon 讨好
freed   v.To set at liberty; make free: 释放, 使自由

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The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts

A great conflict was about to come off between the
Birds and the Beasts. When the two armies were collected
together the Bat hesitated which to join. The Birds that
passed his perch said: ‘Come with us"; but he said: ‘I am a
Beast.’ Later on, some Beasts who were passing
underneath him looked up and said: ‘Come with us"; but
he said: ‘I am a Bird.’ Luckily at the last moment peace
was made, and no battle took place, so the Bat came to the
Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but they all
turned against him and he had to fly away. He then went
to the Beasts, but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they
would have torn him to pieces. ‘Ah,’ said the Bat, ‘I see
now,

‘He that is neither one thing nor the other has no
friends.’


note:
rejoicing  n.欣喜, 高兴
beat a retreat     To make a hasty withdrawal. 撤退, 放弃

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The Hart and the Hunter

The Hart was once drinking from a pool and admiring
the noble figure he made there. ‘Ah,’ said he, ‘where can
you see such noble horns as these, with such antlers! I
wish I had legs more worthy to bear such a noble crown;
it is a pity they are so slim and slight.’ At that moment a
Hunter approached and sent an arrow whistling after him.
Away bounded the Hart, and soon, by the aid of his
nimble legs, was nearly out of sight of the Hunter; but not
noticing where he was going, he passed under some trees
with branches growing low down in which his antlers
were caught, so that the Hunter had time to come up.
‘Alas! alas!’ cried the Hart:

‘We often despise what is most useful to us.’

Note:
Hart  n. 雄鹿
antler  n.鹿角, 茸角
nimble  adj. 敏捷的

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The Serpent and the File

A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came into an
armourer’s shop. As he glided over the floor he felt his
skin pricked by a file lying there. In a rage he turned
round upon it and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he
could do no harm to heavy iron and had soon to give over
his wrath.

It is useless attacking the insensible.

Note:
File  n. 锉刀
armourer  n.军械士
prick  v. To puncture lightly. 刺, 戳, 刺痛
dart   v. To thrust or throw suddenly and rapidly. 螯, 刺
fang   n. (毒蛇的)毒牙, 牙根
wrath  n. Forceful, often vindictive anger  愤怒

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The Man and the Wood

A Man came into a Wood one day with an axe in his
hand, and begged all the Trees to give him a small branch
which he wanted for a particular purpose. The Trees were
good-natured and gave him one of their branches. What
did the Man do but fix it into the axe head, and soon set
to work cutting down tree after tree. Then the Trees saw
how foolish they had been in giving their enemy the
means of destroying themselves.


Note:
good-natured   adj.和蔼的, 和善的

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The Dog and the Wolf

A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he
happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by. ‘Ah,
Cousin,’ said the Dog. ‘I knew how it would be; your
irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you
not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly
given to you?’

‘I would have no objection,’ said the Wolf, ‘if I could
only get a place.’

‘I will easily arrange that for you,’ said the Dog; ‘come
with me to my master and you shall share my work.’

So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town
together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair
on a certain part of the Dog’s neck was very much worn
away, so he asked him how that had come about.

‘Oh, it is nothing,’ said the Dog. ‘That is only the place
where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up;
it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it.’

‘Is that all?’ said the Wolf. ‘Then good-bye to you,
Master Dog.’

Better starve free than be a fat slave.



Note:
gaunt  adj. Thin and bony 憔悴的; 骨瘦如柴的
chafe   v. To wear away or irritate by rubbing. 擦破,

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The Belly and the Members

One fine day it occurred to the Members of the Body
that they were doing all the work and the Belly was
having all the food. So they held a meeting, and after a
long discussion, decided to strike work till the Belly
consented to take its proper share of the work. So for a
day or two, the Hands refused to take the food, the
Mouth refused to receive it, and the Teeth had no work
to do. But after a day or two the Members began to find
that they themselves were not in a very active condition:
the Hands could hardly move, and the Mouth was all
parched and dry, while the Legs were unable to support
the rest. So thus they found that even the Belly in its dull
quiet way was doing necessary work for the Body, and
that all must work together or the Body will go to pieces.



Note:
Belly  n. The stomach. 胃
parch  v. To make extremely dry 烤干, 焦干

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The Hart in the Ox-Stall

A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for refuge into
an ox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay, leaving
nothing to be seen but the tips of his horns. Soon after the
Hunters came up and asked if any one had seen the Hart.
The stable boys, who had been resting after their dinner,
looked round, but could see nothing, and the Hunters
went away. Shortly afterwards the master came in, and
looking round, saw that something unusual had taken
place. He pointed to the truss of hay and said: ‘What are
those two curious things sticking out of the hay?’ And
when the stable boys came to look they discovered the
Hart, and soon made an end of him. He thus learnt that
Nothing escapes the master’s eye.


Note:
Hart  n.雄鹿
Ox-Stall   n. 牛厩
truss　　n. Something gathered into a bundle; a pack. (干草的)一捆, 一束, 构架

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The Fox and the Grapes

One hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an
orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on
a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. ‘Just
the thing to quench my thirst,’ quoth he. Drawing back a
few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the
bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he
jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again
he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it
up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: ‘I am
sure they are sour.’

It is easy to despise what you cannot get.


Note:
stroll   v. To go for a leisurely walk: 闲逛, 漫步
ripen   v. To make or become ripe or riper; mature 使成熟
quench  v. To slake; satisfy  止(渴)
morsel  n. A tasty delicacy; a tidbit佳肴

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The Horse, Hunter, and Stag

A quarrel had arisen between the Horse and the Stag,
so the Horse came to a Hunter to ask his help to take
revenge on the Stag. The Hunter agreed, but said: ‘If you
desire to conquer the Stag, you must permit me to place
this piece of iron between your jaws, so that I may guide
you with these reins, and allow this saddle to be placed
upon your back so that I may keep steady upon you as we
follow after the enemy.’ The Horse agreed to the
conditions, and the Hunter soon saddled and bridled him.
Then with the aid of the Hunter the Horse soon
overcame the Stag, and said to the Hunter: ‘Now, get off,
and remove those things from my mouth and back.’

‘Not so fast, friend,’ said the Hunter. ‘I have now got
you under bit and spur, and prefer to keep you as you are
at present.’

If you allow men to use you for your own purposes,
they will use you for theirs.


Note:
saddle  v. To put a saddle onto 加鞍, 上鞍
bridle  v. To put a bridle on. 给(马)套笼头

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The Peacock and Juno

A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno desiring
to have the voice of a nightingale in addition to his other
attractions; but Juno refused his request. When he
persisted, and pointed out that he was her favourite bird,
she said:

‘Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in
everything.’


Note:
Juno   n. The principal goddess of the Pantheon, the wife and sister of Jupiter and the
         patroness primarily of marriage and the well-being of women. 【罗神】朱诺
petition    n. A solemn supplication or request to a superior authority; an entreaty. 请愿,
nightingale  n.[动]夜莺
Be content with   对...满足

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The Fox and the Lion

When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly
frightened, and ran away and hid himself in the wood.
Next time however he came near the King of Beasts he
stopped at a safe distance and watched him pass by. The
third time they came near one another the Fox went
straight up to the Lion and passed the time of day with
him, asking him how his family were, and when he should
have the pleasure of seeing him again; then turning his tail,
he parted from the Lion without much ceremony.

Familiarity breeds contempt.


Note:
breed  v. To be the place of origin of. (使)繁殖, 产生
contempt  n. The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace. 轻视, 轻蔑

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The Lion and the Statue

A Man and a Lion were discussing the relative strength
of men and lions in general. The Man contended that he
and his fellows were stronger than lions by reason of their
greater intelligence. ‘Come now with me,’ he cried, ‘and I
will soon prove that I am right.’ So he took him into the
public gardens and showed him a statue of Hercules
overcoming the Lion and tearing his mouth in two.

‘That is all very well,’ said the Lion, ‘but proves
nothing, for it was a man who made the statue.’

We can easily represent things as we wish them to be.


Note:
by reason of  由于, 因为
Hercules    【希、罗神】赫尔克里斯, 大力神
represent    vt.表现, 描绘

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping
about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant
passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he
was taking to the nest.

‘Why not come and chat with me,’ said the
Grasshopper, ‘instead of toiling and moiling in that way?’

‘I am helping to lay up food for the winter,’ said the
Ant, ‘and recommend you to do the same.’

‘Why bother about winter?’ said the Grasshopper; we
have got plenty of food at present.’ But the Ant went on
its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the
Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger,
while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain
from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then
the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.


Note:
Grasshopper   n.蚱蜢, 蝗虫
chirp       v. To make a short, high-pitched sound. 吱喳而鸣, 尖声地说
toil      n.&v. Exhausting labor or effort 辛苦, 苦工
moil     v. To toil; slave.

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The Tree and the Reed

‘Well, little one,’ said a Tree to a Reed that was
growing at its foot, ‘why do you not plant your feet
deeply in the ground, and raise your head boldly in the air
as I do?’

‘I am contented with my lot,’ said the Reed. ‘I may not
be so grand, but I think I am safer.’

‘Safe!’ sneered the Tree. ‘Who shall pluck me up by the
roots or bow my head to the ground?’ But it soon had to
repent of its boasting, for a hurricane arose which tore it
up from its roots, and cast it a useless log on the ground,
while the little Reed, bending to the force of the wind,
soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.

Obscurity often brings safety.


Note:
Reed   n.芦苇
pluck up  连根拔掉;
repent of   后悔
boast    v.To speak of with excessive pride boast自夸; 吹牛
Obscurity   n.The quality or condition of being imperfectly known or difficult to understand

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The Fox and the Cat

A Fox was boasting to a Cat of its clever devices for
escaping its enemies. ‘I have a whole bag of tricks,’ he
said, ‘which contains a hundred ways of escaping my
enemies.’

‘I have only one,’ said the Cat; ‘but I can generally
manage with that.’ Just at that moment they heard the cry
of a pack of hounds coming towards them, and the Cat
immediately scampered up a tree and hid herself in the
boughs. ‘This is my plan,’ said the Cat. ‘What are you
going to do?’ The Fox thought first of one way, then of
another, and while he was debating the hounds came
nearer and nearer, and at last the Fox in his confusion was
caught up by the hounds and soon killed by the huntsmen.
Miss Puss, who had been looking on, said:

‘Better one safe way than a hundred on which you
cannot reckon.’


Note:
scamper    v. To run or go quickly and lightly: 奔跳
bough     n.A tree branch, especially a large or main branch. 大树枝, 主枝
reckon     v.To rely with confident expectancy依赖

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The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep
owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But
one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed
and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and
strolled down among the sheep. The Lamb that belonged
to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was wearing, began to
follow the Wolf in the Sheep’s clothing; so, leading the
Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for
some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and
enjoying hearty meals.

Appearances are deceptive.



Note:
owing to   由于, 因...之缘故
vigilance   n.Alert watchfulness. 警戒, 警惕
flay       v. To strip off the skin or outer covering of. 剥皮, 去皮
pelt       n. The skin of an animal with the fur or hair still on it. (兽类的)生皮, 毛皮
hearty     adj. Satisfying; substantial: 胃口好的

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The Dog in the Manger

A Dog looking out for its afternoon nap jumped into
the Manger of an Ox and lay there cosily upon the straw.
But soon the Ox, returning from its afternoon work, came
up to the Manger and wanted to eat some of the straw.
The Dog in a rage, being awakened from its slumber,
stood up and barked at the Ox, and whenever it came
near attempted to bite it. At last the Ox had to give up the
hope of getting at the straw, and went away muttering:

‘Ah, people often grudge others what they cannot
enjoy themselves.’




Note:
Manger  n. 马槽, 牛槽
nap     n. (白天)小睡, 打盹
cosily   adv.舒适地, 惬意地
slumber  n.Sleep. 睡眠
grudge   v. To be reluctant to give or admit: 不给予 , 吝惜.