中國寓言故事雙語版 第23期:魚即魚求救

Zhuang Zhou's family was poor.

莊周家境貧窮。

Once, he went to the official who supervised rivers to borrow some grain.

一次，他去監河侯那裏借糧食。

The official said: "Well, wait until the end of the year when I collect the taxes from the people,

監河侯說:“好吧!等到年底，我收到了老百姓的稅金時，

then I will lend you 300 gold pieces. All right?'

就借給你三百金，行嗎?”

When Zhuang Zhou heard this, he was so angry that the colow of his face changed.

莊周一聽，氣得臉色都變了。

But he told the official this story:

但是他卻對監河侯講了這樣一件事情:

"When I came here yesterday, on the way I heard a voice calling `Help!'.

“我昨天來時，半路上聽到‘救命’的呼喊聲。

I turned my head and saw a small crucian carp in the dried-up carriage ditch.

我回過頭來，看見乾涸的車溝裏有條小螂魚。

I went over and asked: `Little crucian carp, why are you calling for help?'

我走過去，問它:‘小娜魚，你爲什麼喊救命?’

The little crucian carp answered: `I am a subject of the Dragon King of the East China Sea.

小鯉魚回答說:‘我是東海龍王的臣子。

Unfortunately I fell down here. Can you give me a little water to save my life?'

不幸落到這裏。您能夠給我一些水來救我活命嗎?’

I said: `All right, I am just going to the south to sell ideas to the kings of the States of Wu and Yue.

我說:‘好吧!我正好要去南方遊說吳國和越國的國王。

I will ask them to stir up the water of the Xijiang River to welcome you. Will that do?'

那我就請他們激起西江的大水來迎接您，可以嗎?’

When the crucian carp heard this, it got angry and said:`When I lose the water which is always with me, I cannot survive.

卿魚聽了，氣得不得了，說:“我失去了常跟我在一起的水，就無法生存下去了。

Now, I want only a little bit of water so that I can survive.

現在，我只要得到一些水，就能夠生存下去。

Yet you say such things.

你卻說出這樣的話。

Then you'd better go to the salt-fish shop to look for me.' "

好吧，你不如趁早到鹹魚店裏去找我吧!”，