｛中文閱讀｝

一個(gè)寡婦，既節(jié)儉又勤勞，她對(duì)兩個(gè)仆人的要求也相當(dāng)嚴(yán)厲。每當(dāng)公雞一打鳴，這個(gè)老女人就叫她們起來去干活，不讓她們多睡一會(huì)兒。仆人們都不喜歡在這么早的時(shí)間起床，尤其是在冬天里，她們以為，若是那只公雞不在這么早的時(shí)候叫醒女主人，她們還能多睡一會(huì)兒。于是，她們捉住公雞，擰斷了它的脖子。但是，她們并沒有預(yù)料到更嚴(yán)重的后果。女主人聽不到公雞的叫聲了，卻比往常更早地叫醒她們，在半夜里就讓她們?nèi)ジ苫睢?

THE GOODS AND THE ILLS

善與惡

There was a time in the youth of the world when Goods and Ills entered equally into the concerns of men，so that the Goods did not prevail to make them altogether blessed，nor the Ills to make them wholly miserable.But owing to the foolishness of mankind the Ills multiplied greatly in number and increased in strength，until it seemed as though they would deprive the Goods of all share in human affairs，and banish them from the earth.The latter，therefore，betook themselves to heaven and complained to Jupiter of the treatment they had received，at the same time praying him to grant them protection from the Ills，and to advise them concerning the manner of their intercourse with men.Jupiter granted their request for protection，and decreed that for the future they should not go among men openly in a body，and so be liable to attack from the hostile Ills，but singly and unobserved，and at infrequent and unexpected intervals.Hence it is that the earth is full of Ills，for they come and go as they please and are never far away；while Goods，alas！come one by one only，and have to travel all the way from heaven，so that they are very seldom seen.

｛中文閱讀｝

世界形成之初，善與惡平等地并存于人心，這樣一來，善不曾受稱贊，惡也不曾遭唾棄。但是，由于人類的愚蠢，惡開始成倍增加，其力量也相繼強(qiáng)大起來，后來似乎要?jiǎng)儕Z所有善應(yīng)占有的份額，將其驅(qū)逐出地球。因此，力量弱小的善努力回到了天上，向朱庇特（即宙斯，羅馬神話中的主神）抱怨自己的遭遇，同時(shí)祈請(qǐng)他同意自己對(duì)惡的防衛(wèi)，并且還征詢重返人間的建議。朱庇特同意了他們尋求庇護(hù)的請(qǐng)求，并且還下令讓他們將來不要公然地進(jìn)入人間，因?yàn)檫@樣易于受到心懷敵意的邪惡攻擊，而是要逐一悄然地回歸，不要太頻繁，應(yīng)在人們的意料之外。由此，這個(gè)地球上充滿了邪惡，因?yàn)樗麄兛梢噪S意地往返，而且永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)遠(yuǎn)離人類，而善則只能一個(gè)一個(gè)地來，他們要想方設(shè)法地從天上下來，必須悄悄地，才能不被發(fā)現(xiàn)。

THE HARES AND THE FROGS

野兔與青蛙

The Hares once gathered together and lamented the unhappiness of their lot，exposed as they were to dangers on all sides and lacking the strength and the courage to hold their own.Men，dogs，birds and beasts of prey were all their enemies，and killed and devoured them daily：and sooner than endure such persecution any longer，they one and all determined to end their miserable lives.Thus resolved and desperate，they rushed in a body towards a neighboring pool，intending to drown themselves.On the bank were sitting a number of Frogs，who，when they heard the noise of the Hares as they ran，with one accord leaped into the water and hid themselves in the depths.Then one of the older Hares who was wiser than the rest cried out to his companions，"Stop，my friends，take heart；don't let us destroy ourselves after all：see，here are creatures who are afraid of us，and who must，therefore，be still more timid than ourselves."

｛中文閱讀｝

有一次，眾多野兔聚集在一起，哀悼自己的不幸命運(yùn)，方方面面都遭遇危險(xiǎn)，而他們卻缺乏勇氣和力量去掌握自己的命運(yùn)。人、狗、鳥類和猛獸等都是他們的敵人，整日屠殺吞噬他們。一想到要忍受這樣的迫害，他們都認(rèn)為還不如一死了之呢。于是，他們下定決心、不顧一切地來到附近的池塘邊，準(zhǔn)備投水自盡。有一群青蛙正圍坐在池塘邊，聽到兔子們那急促的跑步聲后，青蛙們立即紛紛跳入水中。兔子中，有一只年長(zhǎng)的兔子比同伴們聰明一些，“朋友們，快停下來，我們應(yīng)該振作起來，不要再自尋短見了！你們看，這里還有一些害怕我們的動(dòng)物呢，他們肯定比我們更膽??！”

THE FOX AND THE STORK

狐貍與鶴

A Fox invited a Stork to dinner，at which the only fare provided was a large flat dish of soup.The Fox lapped it up with great relish，but the Stork with her long bill tried in vain to partake of the savory broth.Her evident distress caused the sly Fox much amusement.But not long after the Stork invited him in turn，and set before him a pitcher with a long and narrow neck，into which she could get her bill with ease.Thus，while she enjoyed her dinner，the Fox sat by hungry and helpless，for it was impossible for him to reach the tempting contents of the vessel.

｛中文閱讀｝

狐貍請(qǐng)鶴來吃晚飯，然而他所款待客人的，僅僅是一個(gè)大平底盤子里盛的一點(diǎn)湯。狐貍津津有味地舔食平盤里的湯，而鶴卻無法用他那長(zhǎng)喙吸食香噴噴的濃湯。鶴十分氣惱，這讓狡猾的狐貍十分開心。然而，沒過多久，鶴回請(qǐng)狐貍吃飯，他在狐貍面前擺放了一只頸長(zhǎng)口小的罐子，可以讓鶴輕易地將長(zhǎng)嘴伸進(jìn)去。這一次，當(dāng)他從容地吃著罐子里的食物時(shí)，狐貍卻只能眼巴巴地看著，因?yàn)樗緹o法夠到罐子里誘人的飯菜。

THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

披著羊皮的狼

A Wolf resolved to disguise himself in order that he might prey upon a frock of sheep without fear of detection.So he clothed himself in a sheepskin，and slipped among the sheep when they were out at pasture.He completely deceived the shepherd，and when the frock was penned for the night he was shut in with the rest.But that very night as it happened，the shepherd，requiring a supply of mutton for the table，laid hands on the Wolf in mistake for a Sheep，and killed him with his knife on the spot.

｛中文閱讀｝

為了不被察覺地捕食一群羊，狼下定決心要偽裝自己。于是，他披上了一身羊皮，趁羊群在牧場(chǎng)里游蕩時(shí)悄然混進(jìn)去。他完全騙過了放羊倌，晚上羊群被關(guān)進(jìn)欄里時(shí)，他也被一起關(guān)了進(jìn)去。但是，就在那個(gè)晚上，牧羊人想要吃羊肉了，于是把手放在披著羊皮的狼身上，一刀就殺了他。