第12章

THE FARMER AND HIS SONS

农夫和儿子

A Farmer，being at death's door，and desiring to impart to his Sons a secret of much moment，called them round him and said，"My sons，I am shortly about to die；I would have you know，therefore，that in my vineyard there lies a hidden treasure.Dig，and you will find it."As soon as their father was dead，the Sons took spade and fork and turned up the soil of the vineyard over and over again，in their search for the treasure which they supposed to lie buried there.They found none，however：but the vines，after so thorough a digging，produced a crop such as had never before been seen.

｛中文阅读｝

有个农夫已经奄奄一息，但还想告诉儿子们一个秘密，便叫来他们，说：“孩子们，我快要死了，但我还想让你们知道，葡萄园里有一个埋藏着的宝贝。挖出来，你们就知道是什么了！”父亲去世之后，他们用铁锹和铲子把那葡萄园的地翻了好几遍，到处寻找埋藏在那里的宝物。虽然什么都没找到，但是葡萄园的地经过此番挖掘，却比以往丰收了更多。

THE DOG AND THE COOK

狗和厨师

A rich man once invited a number of his friends and acquaintances to a banquet.His dog thought it would be a good opportunity to invite another Dog，a friend of his；so he went to him and said，"My master is giving a feast：there'll be a fine spread，so come and dine with me to-night."The Dog thus invited came，and when he saw the preparations being made in the kitchen he said to himself，"My word，I'm in luck：I'll take care to eat enough to-night to last me two or three days."At the same time he wagged his tail briskly，by way of showing his friend how delighted he was to have been asked.But just then the Cook caught sight of him，and，in his annoyance at seeing a strange Dog in the kitchen，caught him up by the hind legs and threw him out of the window.He had a nasty fall，and limped away as quickly as he could，howling dismally.Presently some other dogs met him，and said，"Well，what sort of a dinner did you get？"To which he replied，"I had a splendid time：the wine was so good，and I drank so much of it，that I really don't remember how I got out of the house！"

Be shy of favours bestowed at the expense of others.

｛中文阅读｝

有一次，一个富翁设宴招待亲朋好友。这家的狗以为是个好机会，也高兴地跑去邀请自己的朋友——另一只狗，他跑过去对朋友说：“我的主人在摆宴席，那里肯定有很多好吃的，快来，和我一起去赴宴吧。”受邀的狗于是欣然前往，见到厨房里摆着如此丰盛的饭菜，他就自言自语道：“我太幸运了！这次一定要饱餐一顿，把明天和后天的饭都吃掉。”与此同时，他不停地摇着尾巴，告诉朋友多么高兴受到了他的邀请。就在这时，厨师看见了他，见到一条陌生的狗在厨房里让厨师很生气，于是马上抓住他的后腿，扔到了窗外。那条狗狠狠地摔了一跤，赶紧鬼哭狼嚎般地落荒而逃。在路上遇见的其它几条狗都问他：“你参加的宴会怎么样呀？”他竟然回答道：“我很好，那酒实在太好喝了，我已经醉了，完全不记得如何回家了！”

享用借花献佛的恩惠是要付出代价的。

THE MONKEY AS KING

当上国王的猴子

At a gathering of all the animals the Monkey danced and delighted them so much that they made him their King.The Fox，however，was very much disgusted at the promotion of the Monkey：so having one day found a trap with a piece of meat in it，he took the Monkey there and said to him，"Here is a dainty morsel I have found，sire；I did not take it myself，because I thought it ought to be reserved for you，our King.Will you be pleased to accept it？"The Monkey made at once for the meat and got caught in the trap.Then he bitterly reproached the Fox for leading him into danger；but the Fox only laughed and said，"O Monkey，you call yourself King of the Beasts and haven't more sense than to be taken in like that！"

｛中文阅读｝

有一次，猴子在动物大聚会时跳起舞来，赢得了大家的好感，故而被选为动物之王。然而，狐狸十分嫉妒猴子当选为王。有一天，当他发现一个捕兽夹子里有一块肉时，便把猴子带过去说：“我发现这里有些好吃的东西，陛下，但是我没敢动用，因为我认为应该留给国王享用。您能亲自去取吗？”猴子立刻跑过去拿，结果却被夹子夹住了。他斥责狐狸陷害他，而狐狸却笑着说：“猴子，你这种笨蛋竟然还想做万兽之王！”

THE THIEVES AND THE COCK

小偷和公鸡

Some Thieves broke into a house，and found nothing worth taking except a Cock，which they seized and carried off with them.When they were preparing their supper，one of them caught up the Cock，and was about to wring his neck，when he cried out for mercy and said，"Pray do not kill me：you will find me a most useful bird，for I rouse honest men to their work in the morning by my crowing."But the Thief replied with some heat，"Yes，I know you do，making it still harder for us to get a livelihood.Into the pot you go！"

｛中文阅读｝

几个小偷悄悄地溜进一户人家里，那家人除了一只公鸡之外什么也没有，于是，小偷便偷走了那只公鸡。当小偷们要杀鸡吃肉时，其中一个小偷抓住了公鸡，准备割断他的脖子，这时，公鸡可怜巴巴地说：“求求你别杀我，你会发现我是一只很有用的鸡，我会忠诚地在清晨叫醒人类。”但是，小偷们回答说：“我当然知道你的作用了，就是因为你把人们都叫醒了，才让我们难以生存。你就快点下油锅吧！”