THE BEASTS of the 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 conditions for a universal league, in which the Wolf and the Lamb, the Panther and the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, should live 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 for his life. 有只狮子做了国王，他善良、温和，与人一样和平、公正。在他的统治下，惩恶扬善， 裁决动物之间的纠纷，使所有的动物和睦相处。胆小的兔子说：“我祈祷能得到这样的日 子，那时弱者就不怕被强者伤害了。” 然后赶紧逃命去了。
The Wolf and the Crane狼与鹭鸶
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 promised payment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: "Why, you have surely already had a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf."
In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains. 狼误吞下了一块骨头，十分难受，四处奔走，寻访医生。他遇见了鹭鸶，谈定酬金请他 取出骨头，鹭鸶把自己的头伸进狼的喉咙里，叼出了骨头，便向狼要定好的酬金。狼回答 说：“喂，朋友，你能从狼嘴里平安无事地收回头来，难道还不满足，怎么还要讲报酬？”
这故事说明，对坏人行善的报酬，就是认识坏人不讲信用的本质。
The Fisherman Piping吹箫的渔夫
A FISHERMAN skilled in music took his flute and his nets to the seashore. Standing on a projecting rock, he played several tunes in the hope that the fish, attracted by his melody, would of their 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, 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." 有一个会吹箫的渔夫，带着他心爱的箫和渔网来到了海边。他先站在一块突出的岩石 上，吹起箫来，心想鱼听到这美妙音乐就会自己跳到他的前面来的。他聚精会神地吹了好 久，毫无结果。他只好将箫放下，拿起网来，向水里撒去，结果捕到了许多的鱼。他将网中 的鱼一条条地扔到岸上，并对乱蹦乱跳的鱼说：“喂，你们这些不识好歹的东西！我吹箫 时，你们不跳舞，现在我不吹了，你们倒跳了起来。” 这故事适用于那些做事不择时机的人们。
Hercules and the Wagoner大力神和车夫
A CARTER was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and 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 pray 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. 一名车夫赶着货车沿着乡间小路行进。途中车轮陷入了很深的车辙中，再也无法前进。 这时，愚蠢的车夫吓得茫然失措，一筹莫展，痴呆呆地站在那里，凝视着货车，不断地高声 喊叫，求大力神来助他一把。大力神来到后，对他说：“朋友，用你的肩膀扛起车轮，再抽 打拉车的马。你自己不自力更生，尽力解决，仅靠祈求我，怎么行呢？”
这是说自力更生，自助自立是克服困难的最好办法。
The Ants and the Grasshopper蚂蚁与蚱蜢
THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?' He replied, "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 bed in the winter." 冬季，蚂蚁正忙着把潮湿的谷子晒干。饥饿的蚱蜢跑来，向他们乞讨食物。蚂蚁问他： “你为什么在夏天不去收集食物呢？” 蚱蜢回答说：“那时没有时间，我忙于唱美妙动听的 歌。”蚂蚁嘲笑说：“你夏季如要唱歌，那么冬季就去跳舞吧。”这故事说明，要不失时机 地工作、劳动，才能丰衣足食；如果一味玩乐，只能挨饿。
A TRAVELER about to set out on a journey saw his Dog stand at the 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 quite ready; it is you for whom I am waiting."
The loiterer often blames delay on his more active friend.
一个人打点好了行装准备出发。这时，他看见他的狗仍站在门口打呵欠，便严厉地对它 说：“为什么你还站在那里打呵欠？一切准备妥当，只等你了，赶快跟我走吧！”狗摇着尾 巴回答说：“主人！我早就准备好了，我等你等得都打呵欠了。”
这是说有些人不检点自己，还常常把过失归咎于别人。
The Dog and the Shadow狗和自已的影子
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 that of another Dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He immediately let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog to get his larger piece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away. 狗叼着肉渡过一条河。他看见水中自己的倒影，还以为是另一条狗叼着一块更大的肉。 想到这里，他决定要去抢那块更大的肉。于是，他扑到水中抢那块更大的。结果，他两块肉 都没得到，水中那块本来就不存在，原有那块又被河水冲走了。
这故事适用于贪婪的人。
The Mole and His Mother小鼹鼠和妈妈
A MOLE, a creature blind from birth, once said to his Mother: "I am sure than I can see, Mother!" In the desire to prove to him his mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains of frankincense, and asked, "What is it?' The young Mole said, "It is a pebble." His Mother exclaimed: "My son, I am afraid that you are not only blind, but that you have lost your sense of smell. 传说鼹鼠的眼睛是瞎的，可小鼹鼠却对妈妈说他能看得见。妈想试验他一下，便拿来一 小块香喷喷的食物，放在他面前，并问他是什么。他说是一颗小石头。母亲说：“啊，不幸 的孩子，你不但眼睛看不见，连鼻子也没用了。” 这故事是说，那些爱吹牛说大话的人，常常夸海口能做大事，却在一些微不足道的事情 上暴露了本质。
The Herdsman and the Lost Bull牧人和丢失的牛
A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf from the 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 Hermes, Pan, and the Guardian Deities 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 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." 牧人在树林中放牛，不幸丢失了一头离群的小牛犊。他在树林中到处寻找，一无所获。 他发誓，只要能发现偷小牛犊的贼，他愿意供奉树林守护神一只羊。过了一会儿，当他走上 小山丘时，忽然看见山下有只狮子正在吃他的小牛犊。他吓得举起双手，仰望着天空，向天 祈求说：“我刚发誓，如果捉到偷牛犊的贼，我愿供奉一只羊给树林守护神。现在那贼已发 现，我愿意失去那只小牛犊，并再添上一只大牛，只要我自己能安全逃离狮子。”
这是说，有些人在强大的敌人面前吓破了胆，忘掉了自己的誓言。
The Hare and the Tortoise乌龟与兔
A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, 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 started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue. Slow but steady wins the race. 乌龟与兔为他们俩谁跑得快而争论不休。于是，他们定好了比赛的时间和地点。比赛一 开始，兔觉得自己是天生的飞毛腿，跑得快，对比赛掉以轻心，躺在路旁睡着了。乌龟深知 自己走得慢，毫不气馁，不停地朝前奔跑。结果，乌龟超过了睡熟了的兔子，夺得了胜利的 奖品。
这故事说明，奋发图强的弱者也能战胜骄傲自满的强者。
A FARMER placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught
a number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he
trapped a Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was
earnestly beseeching the Farmer to spare his life. "Pray save
me, Master," he said, "and let me go free this once. My broken
limb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork,
a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for my
father and mother. Look too, at my feathers-- they are not the least
like those of a Crane." The Farmer laughed aloud and said, "It may
be all as you say, I only know this: I have taken you with these
robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company."
ONE WINTER a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold.
He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom.
The Snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its
natural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal
wound. "Oh," cried the Farmer with his last breath, "I am rightly
served for pitying a scoundrel."
The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.
A YOUNG FAWN once said to his Father, "You are larger than a
dog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your
horns as a defense; why, then, O Father! do the hounds frighten
you so?"
He smiled, and said: "I know full well, my son, that all you say
is true. I have the advantages you mention, but when I hear even
the bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as
fast as I can."
No arguments will give courage to the coward.
有一天，小鹿对公鹿说道，“父亲，你怎么还怕狗呢？你比他高大，比他跑得更快，而 且还有很大的角用于自卫。”公鹿笑着说：“孩儿，你说得都对，可我只知道一点，一听到 狗的叫声，我就会不由自主地立刻逃跑。”
A BEAR boasted very much of his philanthropy, saying that of all
animals he was the most tender in his regard for man, for he had
such respect for him that he would not even touch his dead body.
A Fox hearing these words said with a smile to the Bear, "Oh!
that you would eat the dead and not the living."
The Swallow and the Crow燕子与乌鸦
THE SWALLOW and the Crow had a contention about their
plumage.
The Crow put an end to the dispute by saying, "Your feathers are
all very well in the spring, but mine protect me against the winter."
A MOUNTAIN was once greatly agitated. Loud groans and noises
were heard, and crowds of people came from all parts to see what
was the matter. While they were assembled in anxious expectation
of some terrible calamity, out came a Mouse.
Don't make much ado about nothing.
有一次，一座大山发生了大震动，震动发出的声音就像大声的呻吟和喧闹。许多人云集 在山下观看，不知发生了什么事。当他们焦急地聚集在那里，担心看到什么不祥之兆时，仅 看见从山里跑出一只老鼠。
这是说庸人多自忧。
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion驴子、狐狸与狮子
THE ASS and the Fox, having entered into partnership together for
their mutual protection, went out into the forest to hunt. They
had not proceeded far when they met a Lion. The Fox, seeing
imminent danger, approached the Lion and promised to contrive
for him the capture of the Ass if the Lion would pledge his word
not to harm the Fox. Then, upon assuring the Ass that he would
not be injured, the Fox led him to a deep pit and arranged that he
should fall into it. The Lion, seeing that the Ass was secured,
immediately clutched the Fox, and attacked the Ass at his leisure.
驴子与狐狸俩合伙去打猎。他们突然遇见了狮子，狐狸见大事不妙，立即跑到狮子面 前，许诺把驴子交给他，只要自己免于危险。狮子答应可以，狐狸便引诱驴子掉进了一个陷 阱里。狮子见驴子已不能再逃跑，便立即先抓住狐狸吃了，然后再去吃驴子。
A TORTOISE, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the
sea-birds of her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly.
An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and demanded what
reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float
her in the air. "I will give you," she said, "all the riches of the Red
Sea ." "I will teach you to fly then," said the Eagle; and taking her
up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds suddenly he let
her go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces
. The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of death: "I have deserved
my present fate; for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who
can with difficulty move about on the earth?'
If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.
A NUMBER of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had
been overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in
it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the
honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves,
and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed,
"O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we
have destroyed ourselves."
Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.
房里有蜜漏流出来，许多苍蝇便飞去饱餐起来。蜂蜜太甜美了，他们舍不得走。然而， 就在这时他们的脚被蜜粘住，再也飞不起来了。他们后悔不已，嗡嗡乱叫：“我们真不幸， 因贪图一时的享受而丧了命。”
对于许多人来说，贪婪是许多灾祸的根源。
The Man and the Lion人与同行的狮子
A MAN and a Lion traveled together through the forest. They soon
began to boast of their respective superiority to each other in
strength and prowess. As they were disputing, they passed a
statue carved in stone, which represented "a Lion strangled by a
Man." The traveler pointed to it and said: "See there! How strong
we are, and how we prevail over even the king of beasts." The
Lion replied: "This statue was made by one of you men. If we
Lions knew how to erect statues, you would see the Man placed
under the paw of the Lion."
SOME CRANES made their feeding grounds on some plowlands
newly sown with wheat. For a long time the Farmer, brandishing an
empty sling, chased them away by the terror he inspired; but when
the birds found that the sling was only swung in the air, they
ceased to take any notice of it and would not move. The Farmer,
on seeing this, charged his sling with stones, and killed a great
number. The remaining birds at once forsook his fields, crying
to each other, "It is time for us to be off to Liliput: for this man is
no longer content to scare us, but begins to show us in earnest
what he can do."
A DOG lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping
prevented the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for
them.
"What a selfish Dog!" said one of them to his companions; "he
cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat
who can."
A FOX one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of
escape. A Goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and
seeing the Fox, inquired if the water was good. Concealing his
sad plight under a merry guise, the Fox indulged in a lavish praise
of the water, saying it was excellent beyond measure, and
encouraging him to descend. The Goat, mindful only of his
thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down, but just as he drank, the Fox
informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested a
scheme for their common escape. "If," said he, "you will place
your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run up
your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards." The Goat
readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying
himself with the Goat's horns, he safely reached the mouth of the
well and made off as fast as he could. When the Goat upbraided
him for breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out,
"You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head
as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down
before you had inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself
to dangers from which you had no means of escape."
TWO MEN were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met
them on their path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and
concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he must
be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came up
and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his
breath, and feigned the appearance of death as much as he could.
The Bear soon left him, for it is said he will not touch a dead body.
When he was quite gone, the other Traveler descended from the
tree, and jocularly inquired of his friend what it was the Bear had
whispered in his ear. "He gave me this advice," his companion
replied. "Never travel with a friend who deserts you at the
approach of danger."
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
两个平常非常要好的朋友一道上路。途中，突然遇到一头大熊，其中的一个立即闪电般 地抢先爬上了树，躲了起来，而另一个眼见逃生无望，便灵机一动马上躺倒在地上，紧紧地 屏住呼吸，假装死了。据说，熊从来不吃死人。熊走到他跟前，用鼻子在他脸上嗅了嗅，转 身就走了。躲在树上的人下来后，问熊在他耳边说了些什么。那人委婉地回答说：“熊告诉 我，今后千万注意，别和那些不能共患难的朋友一起同行。”
这故事说明，不能共患难的人不是真正的朋友。
The Oxen and the Axle-Trees公牛与车轴
A HEAVY WAGON was being dragged along a country lane by a
team of Oxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly;
whereupon the Oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels:
"Hullo there! why do you make so much noise? We bear all the
labor, and we, not you, ought to cry out."
A PIGEON, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water
painted on a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture,
she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed
against the signboard, jarring herself terribly. Having broken
her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by
one of the bystanders.
A RAVEN saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same
beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white
color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the
Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his
living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But
cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change
their color, while through want of food he perished.
A GOATHERD had sought to bring back a stray goat to his flock.
He whistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no
attention to the summons. At last the Goatherd threw a stone,
and breaking its horn, begged the Goat not to tell his master.
The Goat replied, "Why, you silly fellow, the horn will speak
though I be silent."
Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid.
A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he
buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and
went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent
visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon
discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down,
came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next
visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to
make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him overcome with
grief and learning the cause, said, "Pray do not grieve so; but
go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the
gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same
service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did
not make the slightest use of it."
A LION, unable from old age and infirmities to provide himself
with food by force, resolved to do so by artifice. He returned
to his den, and lying down there, pretended to be sick, taking
care that his sickness should be publicly known. The beasts
expressed their sorrow, and came one by one to his den, where the
Lion devoured them. After many of the beasts had thus
disappeared, the Fox discovered the trick and presenting himself
to the Lion, stood on the outside of the cave, at a respectful
distance, and asked him how he was. "I am very middling,"
replied the Lion, "but why do you stand without? Pray enter
within to talk with me." "No, thank you," said the Fox. "I
notice that there are many prints of feet entering your cave, but
I see no trace of any returning."
He is wise who is warned by the misfortunes of others.
The Horse and Groom马与马夫
A GROOM used to spend whole days in currycombing and
rubbing down his Horse, but at the same time stole his oats and
sold them for his own profit. "Alas!" said the Horse, "if you really
wish me to be in good condition, you should groom me less, and
feed me more."
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. 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!"
A CONTROVERSY prevailed among the beasts of the field as to
which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the
greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously
into the presence of the Lioness and demanded of her the
settlement of the dispute. "And you," they said, "how many sons
have you at a birth?' The Lioness laughed at them, and said:
"Why! I have only one; but that one is altogether a thoroughbred
Lion."
The value is in the worth, not in the number.
The Boasting Traveler 吹牛的旅行者
A MAN who had traveled in foreign lands boasted very much, on
returning to his own country, of the many wonderful and heroic
feats he had performed in the different places he had visited.
Among other things, he said that when he was at Rhodes he had
leaped to such a distance that no man of his day could leap
anywhere near him as to that, there were in Rhodes many persons
who saw him do it and whom he could call as witnesses. One of
the bystanders interrupted him, saying: "Now, my good man, if
this be all true there is no need of witnesses. Suppose this
to be Rhodes , and leap for us."
楼主 
