经典英文寓言小故事
很多人都知道一些简单又经典的中文寓言故事,但不一定知道英文版本的寓言小故事。快来看看为你准备了经典英文寓言小故事,欢迎大家阅读!
狼和小羊
Aesop’s Fables
The Wolf and the Lamb
Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside, when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to drink a little lower down. ‘There’s my supper,’ thought he, ‘if only I can find some excuse to seize it.’ Then he called out to the Lamb, ‘How dare you muddle the water from which I am drinking?’
‘Nay, master, nay,’ said Lambikin; ‘if the water be muddy up there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me.’
‘Well, then,’ said the Wolf, ‘why did you call me bad names this time last year?’
‘That cannot be,’ said the Lamb; ‘I am only six months old.’
‘I don’t care,’ snarled the Wolf; ‘if it was not you it was your father;’ and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb and .WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA .ate her all up. But before she died she gasped out .’Any excuse will serve a tyrant.’
<<狼和小羊>>
狼来到小溪边,看见小羊在那儿喝水。
狼想吃小羊,就故意找碴儿,说:“你把我喝的水弄脏了!你安地什么心?”
小羊吃了一惊,温和地说:“我怎么会把您喝的水弄脏呢?您站在上游,水是从您那儿流到我这儿来的,不是从我这儿流到您那儿去的。”
狼气冲冲地说:“就算这样吧,你总是个坏家伙!我听说,去年你在背地里说我的坏话!”
可怜的小羊喊道:“啊,亲爱的狼先生,那是不可能的,去年我还没有生下来哪!”
狼不想再争辩了,龇着牙,逼近小羊,大声嚷道:“你这个小坏蛋!说我坏话的不是你就是你爸爸,反正都一样。”说着就往小羊身上扑去。
树和斧子
A Woodman came into a forest to ask the Trees to give him a handle for Ax. It seemed so modest a request that the principal tree at once agreed to it, and it was settled among them that the plain, homely Ash should furnish what was wanted.
No sooner had the Woodman fitted the staff to his purpose ,then he began laying about him on all side.Felling the whole matter too late, whispered to the Cedar: "the first concession has lost all ;if we has not a sacrificed our humble neighbor, we might have yet stood for ages ourselves."
有一个樵夫来到森林里,要求树给他一跟斧柄,看来他的.请求非常谦虚,立刻得到了树的首领的同意。他们决定由平凡而朴素的白杨树来提供所需要的东西。
樵夫刚按好斧柄,就开始到处乱砍,森林里最高的树都砍倒了,树林现在察觉大势已去,就小声对衫树说:"第一次的让步已失去了一切,如果我们不牺牲我们的小小的邻居,我们自己还可以活无数年呢。"
词汇学习:
the principal tree 领头树
was settled among them 大家商定
no sooner...than... 一……就……
laying about him 向他四周乱砍
might have yet stood for ages 也许还能活几百年
这则故事的寓言:讽刺忘恩负义的人,也告诉我们对敌人的施舍就是对自己的残忍。
天帝赐酒
One day, deities1 from various places came to pay homage2 to the Emperor of Heaven.
The emperor gave his minister in charge of wine cups the following order: "Register the names of the deities first, then bestow3 wine upon them."
The minister registered the names of the deities on bamboo slips, and prepared to bestow wine. But he kept on working for 3, 000 years and had not finished the registration4 yet.
The emperor inquired: "Why havent you finished registering?"
The minister reported: "All the deities have brought their sedan-chair carriers."
The emperor ordered: "Then register the sedan-chair carriers as well."
7, 000 years passed and the registration was still not done.
When the emperor inquired again, the minister had no way out but reported: "The sedan-chair carriers of the deities have brought their own carriers too."
So the wine was not bestowed5 after all.
The Emperor of Heaven remained silent for a long time and then heaved a deep sigh.
一天,各路神仙都来朝拜天帝。
天帝命令司筋大臣说:“先把他们的名字登记好,再赐给他们酒喝。”
司筋大臣拿着竹简,登记各路神仙的姓名,准备赐酒,可是登记了三千年,还没登记完。
天帝查问:“你为什么还没有登记完?"
司筋大臣报告说:“各路神仙都带着轿夫。”
天帝下令:“轿夫,也登记上吧!”
结果,又登记了七千年,还是没有登记完。
当天帝再次查问的时候,司筋大臣无可奈何地报告说:“各路神仙的轿夫,又都带着自己的轿夫啊!”
赐酒一事,最终还是没有成功。
天帝沉默了半天,长长地叹息了一声。