伊索寓言英文版.doc

Page1
Translated by George Fyler Townsend
The Wolf and the Lamb
WOLF, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to
lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the
Lamb the Wolf's right to eat him. He thus addressed him:"Sirrah,
last year you grossly insulted me." "Indeed," bleated the Lamb in a
mournful tone of voice, "I was not then born." Then said the Wolf
, "You feed in my pasture." "No, good sir," replied the Lamb, "I
have not yet tasted grass." Again said the Wolf, "You drink of my
well." "No," exclaimed the Lamb, "I never yet drank water, for as
yet my mother's milk is both food and drink to me." Upon which
the Wolf seized him and ate him up, saying, "Well! I won't remain
supperless, even though you refute every one of my imputations."
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.
The Bat and the Weasels
A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel
pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he
was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he
was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortly
afterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught by
another Weasel, whom he likewise entreated not to eat him. The
Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured
him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time
escaped.
It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.
The Ass and the Grasshopper
AN ASS having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly
enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody,
demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such
beautiful voices. They replied, "The dew." The Ass resolved that
he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger.
The Lion and the Mouse A LION was awakened from sleep by a
Mouse running over his face.
Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when
the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: "If you would only spare
my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness." The Lionlaughed
and let him go. It happened shortly after this that theLion was
caught by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the round.
The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his
teeth, and set him free, exclaim "You ridiculed the idea ofmy ever
being able to help you,expecting to receive from me any repay
ment of your favor; I nowyou know that it is possible for even a
Mouse to con benefits on a Lion."
Page2
The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
A CHARCOAL-BURNER carried on his trade in his own house.
One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and
live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and
that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened. The Fuller
replied, "The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned,
for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again
with your charcoal."
Like will draw like.
The Father and His Sons
A FATHER had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling
among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his
exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration
of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told
them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he
placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession,
and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their
strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot,
took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his
sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then ddressed
them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite
to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the
attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves
, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."
The Boy Hunting Locusts
A BOY was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodly number,
when he saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reached
out his hand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said:
If you had but touched me, my friend, you would have lost me,
and all your locusts too!"
The Cock and the Jewel
A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a
precious stone and exclaimed: "If your owner had found thee, and
not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first
estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have
one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world."
Page3
The Kingdom of the Lion
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 onditions
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.
The Wolf and the Crane
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 romised
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.
The Fisherman Piping
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."
Hercules and the Wagoner
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.
The Ants and the Grasshopper
THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain ollected
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."
Page4
The Traveler and His Dog
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.
The Dog and the Shadow
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.
The Mole and His Mother
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.
The Herdsman and the Lost Bull
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."
The Hare and the Tortoise
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.
Page5
The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble
THE POMEGRANATE and Apple-Tree disputed as to which was
the most beautiful. When their strife was at its height, a Bramble
from the neighboring hedge lifted up its voice, and said in a
boastful tone: "Pray, my dear friends, in my presence at least cease
from such vain disputings."
The Farmer and the Stork
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."
Birds of a feather flock together.
The Farmer and the Snake
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.
The Fawn and His Mother
A YOUNG FAWN once said to his Mother, "You are larger than a
dog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your
horns as a defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frighten
you so?"
She 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.
Page6
The Bear and the Fox
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
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."
Fair weather friends are not worth much.
The Mountain in Labor
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.
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
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.
Page7
The Tortoise and the Eagle
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.
The Flies and the Honey-Pot
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