Mercury and the Woodman
墨丘利和樵夫
A Woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe, glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water.
一個樵夫在河邊砍樹,突然他的斧子飛離了樹幹,失手落入河裡。
As he stood by the water's edge lamenting his loss, Mercury appeared and asked him the reason for his grief;
正當他站在河邊為自己的過失悲嘆時,墨丘利出現了,問他為何而傷心,
and on learning what had happened, out of pity for his distress he dived into the river and, bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost.
得知事情的緣由後,出於對樵夫的同情,墨丘利跳入河裡,撈上來一把金燦燦的斧子,問他這是不是他丟失的那把斧子,
The Woodman replied that it was not,
樵夫回答說不是的。
and Mercury then dived a second time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his.
於是,墨丘利第二次跳入河裡,撈上來一把銀閃閃的斧子,問那是不是他的。
"No, that is not mine either," said the Woodman.
「不,那也不是我的。」樵夫說。
Once more Mercury dived into the river, and brought up the missing axe.
墨丘利再次跳入河裡,撈上來的正是樵夫丟失的那把斧子,
The Woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor warmly;
樵夫看到失而復得的斧子欣喜若狂,對墨丘利感激萬分。
and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes.
墨丘利非常欣賞樵夫的忠厚老實,就把另外兩把斧子作為禮物送給了他。
When the Woodman told the story to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good fortune and determined to try his luck for himself.
樵夫把這件事告訴了他的夥伴們,其中有一個人非常妒忌他有這麼好的運氣,決定也去試試自己的運氣。
So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived to let his axe drop into the water.
於是,他去河邊砍樹,並故意把斧子丟進河裡。
Mercury appeared as before, and, on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion.
墨丘利像之前一樣出現了,得知斧子掉入河裡後,他像上次一樣跳入河裡,撈上來一把金斧子。
Without waiting to be asked whether it was his or not the fellow cried, "That's mine, that's mine," and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize:
沒等墨丘利問他這是不是他的,那傢伙就大喊:「那是我的,是我的!」並伸手急切地想拿到金斧子。
but Mercury was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declined to give him the golden axe, but also refused to recover for him the one he had let fall into the stream.
然而,墨丘利對他的不誠實深感厭惡,不僅拒絕給他金斧子,而且連他自己丟到河裡的那把斧子也沒有還給他。
智慧啟示:
做人一定要誠實,要腳踏實地,不能貪心,也不能天天想著怎樣才能不勞而獲。
英文注釋:
benefactor ['benɪfæktə(r)] 恩人;捐助者;贈送者
companions [kəm'pæniən] 同伴;志趣相投的人
contrive [kən'traɪv] 圖謀;發明;設計;設法做到
decline [dɪ'klaɪn] 下降;減少;變弱;拒絕;
disgust [dɪs'ɡʌst] 厭惡;憎惡;反感 使厭惡;使作嘔
distress [dɪ'stres] 不幸;危難;苦惱;痛苦 使苦惱;使痛苦
lament [lə'ment] 悲嘆;悼詞 哀悼;惋惜;悲嘆
Mercury ['mɜːkjəri] 水銀;(M~)水星;
property ['prɒpəti] 財產;所有物;地產
stretch [stretʃ] 伸展;延伸;張開