伊索寓言1

The Thirsty Pigeon口渴的鴿子

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.

Zeal should not outrun discretion.

有隻鴿子口渴得很難受，看見畫板上畫着一個水瓶，以爲是真的。他立刻呼呼地猛飛過 去，不料一頭碰撞在畫板上，折斷了翅膀，摔在地上，被人輕易地捉住了。

這是說，有些人想急於得到所需的東西，一時衝動，草率從事，就會身遭不幸。

The Raven and the Swan烏鴉和天鵝

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.

Change of habit cannot alter Nature.

烏鴉非常羨慕天鵝潔白的羽毛。他猜想天鵝一定是經常洗澡，羽毛才變得如此潔白無 瑕。於是，他毅然離開了他賴以生存的祭壇，來到江湖邊。他天天洗刷自己的羽毛，不但一 點都沒洗白，反而因缺少食物飢餓而死。

這故事是說，人的本性不會隨着生活方式的改變而改變。

The Goat and the Goatherd 山羊與牧羊人

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.

很多山羊被牧羊人趕到羊圈裏。有一隻山羊不知在吃什麼好東西，單獨落在後面。牧羊 人拿起一塊石頭扔了過去，正巧打斷了山羊的一隻角。牧羊人嚇得請求山羊不要告訴主人， 山羊說：“即使我不說，又怎能隱瞞下去呢？我的角已斷了，這是十分明顯的事實。”

這故事說明，明顯的罪狀是無法隱瞞的。

The Miser守財奴

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 lamentation

s. 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."

有個守財奴變賣了他所有的家產，換回了金塊，並祕密地埋在一個地方。他每天走去看 看他的寶藏。有個在附近放羊的牧人留心觀察，知道了真情，趁他走後，挖出金塊拿走了。 守財奴再來時，發現洞中的金塊沒有了，便捶胸痛哭。有個人見他如此悲痛，問明原因後， 說道：“喂，朋友，別再難過了，那塊金子雖是你買來的，但並不是你真正擁有的。去拿一 塊石頭來，代替金塊放在洞裏，只要你心裏想着那是塊金子，你就會很高興。這樣與你擁有 真正的金塊效果沒什麼不同。依我之見，你擁有那金塊時，也從沒用過。”

這故事說明，一切財物如不使用等於沒有。