那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事74:浮躁的猴子

The herebrained monkey

浮躁的猴子

The king received news one day that a group outlaws were committing outrages on a distant border of the kingdom.

一天，國王得到消息，邊境地區有一羣不法之徒正在造反。

The news angered of the king. he quickly gathered his army and started off for the distant border, leaving his kingdom unguarded and without a ruler.

這個消息激怒了國王，他迅速召集軍隊，前往邊。國家防衛兵力頓時全無，也沒有了統治者。

On their long march, the king and his army made camp for the night wherever they could.

長途行軍中，國王和他的軍隊晚上就地宿營。

One rainy day they stopped in a forest, seeking shelter under the trees.

一個雨天，他們停在一片森林裏，在樹下避雨宿營。

They unsaddled their horses and steam8d some peas, which they fed to their steeds in long narrow troughs.

他們卸下馬鞍，蒸了些豌豆，放在狹長的飼料糟裏喂戰馬。

A monkey in a tree nearby saw the horses being fed, and he came racing down, fille9d both paws with peas, then scampered nimbly up to a branch and settled down to eat.

在附近樹上坐着的一隻猴子看到馬在進食，就從樹上跳下來， 用爪子抓起兩大把豌豆，然後敏捷地爬上樹，坐下吃了起來。

But as he opened one paw, a single pea fell to the ground.

可就在它張開一隻爪子時，一粒豌豆掉在了地上。

Without hesitation, my monkey jumped dor4tn from his perch to hunt for the lost pea, and in doing so he dropped all the other peas in his paws.

它毫不猶豫地跳下來， 去找那顆掉落的豆子，而同時，它爪子中所有的豌豆都掉在了地上。

The King observed this foolish monkey and was greatly amused. He timed to his counselor and asked: "Friend, what do you think of this monkey who would give up so much to retrieve so little?"

國王看着這隻愚蠢的猴子，覺得十分有趣，便轉頭問軍師：“朋友，你怎麼看這隻因小失大的猴子?”

"That is the way of the foolish," replied the counselor, "they will give up much that is certain for a little that is uncertain."

“這種做事方式很愚蠢，”軍師回答道“它們會爲沒有把握的小利而放棄有把握的大利。”

Then he added, "And we, great monarch, are we not like the monkey in the trees To garn so little we neglect so much exactly like the monkey with its pea.

接着，他又說道：“偉大的君主殿下，我們與樹上的這隻猴子又 有什麼區別呢?爲小利而舍大利——這與撿豌豆的猴子一樣啊。”

The king understood the rebuke and realized how very foolish he had been himself to leave his kingdom unguarded.

國王這才恍然大悟，他意識到讓國家後防空虛是多麼愚蠢啊。

He issued orders to his men, and he and his army returned at once to their country.

於是，他向軍隊下達命令，即刻斑師回朝。