摩亨.佐达罗

The Traveler and His Dog旅行者和他的狗 

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. 

这是说有些人不检点自己，还常常把过失归咎于别人。 

The Dog and the Shadow狗和自已的影子 

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.

这故事适用于贪婪的人。 

The Mole and His Mother小鼹鼠和妈妈 

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.

这故事是说，那些爱吹牛说大话的人，常常夸海口能做大事，却在一些微不足道的事情 上暴露了本质。 

The Herdsman and the Lost Bull牧人和丢失的牛 

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."

这是说，有些人在强大的敌人面前吓破了胆，忘掉了自己的誓言。 

The Hare and the Tortoise乌龟与兔 

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.。 

这故事说明，奋发图强的弱者也能战胜骄傲自满的强者。

The Wolf and the Lamb 狼与小羊

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.  

这说明，对恶人做任何正当的辩解也是无效的。

 　 　 
The Bat and the Weasels蝙蝠与黄鼠狼

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. 

这故事说明，我们遇事要随机应变方能避免危险。 　 

The Ass and the Grasshopper 驴子与蚱蜢  

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. 
这个故事告诉人们不要企望非份之物。 

　 
The Lion and the Mouse 狮子与报恩的老鼠 

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 Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth and set him free, exclaiming:  
"You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion." 

这故事说明，时运交替变更，强者也会有需要弱者的时候。  

The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller

烧炭人与漂布人

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.     这故事说明，不同类的人难相处。

The Father and His Sons 父亲与争吵的儿子们

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 addressed  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."    

 这故事说明，团结就是不可征服的力量，而内讧却只能耗损自己。

The Boy Hunting Locusts捉蚱蜢的小男孩    

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!"    

这故事告诫人们，要分辨清好人和坏人，区别对待他们。

The Cock and the Jewel公鸡和宝玉

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."

这是说自己需要的东西才是真正珍贵的。

The Kingdom of the Lion狮子国王 

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 conditions 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狼与鹭鸶 

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 promised 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.

这故事说明，对坏人行善的报酬，就是认识坏人不讲信用的本质。 

The Fisherman Piping吹箫的渔夫 

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."

这故事适用于那些做事不择时机的人们。 

Hercules and the Wagoner大力神和车夫 

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.

这是说自力更生，自助自立是克服困难的最好办法。 

The Ants and the Grasshopper蚂蚁与蚱蜢 

THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected 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."

这故事说明，要不失时机 地工作、劳动，才能丰衣足食；如果一味玩乐，只能挨饿。