中國寓言故事雙語版 第72期:泥人木偶

Meng Chang Jun was a famous counsellor of the State of Qi.

孟嘗君是齊國有名的謀士。

One day, he wanted to leave his native country to be an official in the State of Qin.

一天，他想離開祖國，到秦國去做官。

His subordinates all advised him not to go, but Meng Chang Jun wouldn't listen to them.

他的部下都勸他不要去，孟嘗君不聽。

At this time, a man told him such a story.

這時，有人對他講了這樣一個故事:

"Once when I was passing the Zi River, I heard in my dream a man made of mud talking with a wooden puppet by the river bank.

“有一次，我經過淄河的時候，夢裏聽見一個泥人和個木偶在河邊談話。

The wooden puppet said to the mud man:`You were formerly a lump of earth, now made into a man of mud.

木偶對泥人說:‘你原是一塊泥土，現在做成泥人了。

But if it rains and the water in the river rises, you will surely be damaged by the water.'

可是，如果天下起雨來，河裏漲了水，那時候，你一定會給水沖壞的!’

The man made of mud replied:

泥人回答木偶說:

`If I were damaged by the water, I would not be afraid, but would only return to my original state and dissolve into earth. But you?

‘我要是給水沖壞了，我也不怕，因爲我只是回覆了我的原狀，化成泥土罷了。可是，你呢？

You were carved from the peach tree in the garden.

你原來是用園裏的那株桃樹雕出來的。

If it rains heavily and the water in the river rises, you will be in no position to decide for yourself and can only float away with the river current.

要是天下起大雨來，河裏漲了水，那時，你自己也做不得主，一定會隨河水漂去。

Since you cannot decide for yourself, then you will never be able to return to your original place."'

既然你自己做不得主，就決不能再回到原地方來了。”

After Meng Chang Jun heard this story of the conversation between the mud man and the wooden puppet, he changed his mind and decided not to go to the State of Qin.

孟嘗君聽了故事中泥人和木偶的一番對話，改變了主意，決定不去秦國了。