伊索寓言四则翻译

狐狸和葡萄
饥饿的狐狸看见葡萄架上挂着一串串晶莹剔透的葡萄,口水直流,想要摘下来吃,但又 摘不到.看了一会儿,无可奈何地走了,他边走边自己安慰自己说：“这葡萄没有熟,肯定 是酸的.” 这就是说,有些人能力小,做不成事,就借口说时机未成熟.
Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked, 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.

掉在井里的狐狸和公山羊
一只狐狸失足掉到了井里,不论他如何挣扎仍没法爬上去,只好呆在那里.公山羊觉得 口渴极了,来到这井边,看见狐狸在井下,便问他井水好不好喝?狐狸觉得机会来了,心中 暗喜,马上镇静下来,极力赞美井水好喝,说这水是天下第一泉,清甜爽口,并劝山羊赶快 下来,与他痛饮.一心只想喝水信以为真的山羊,便不假思索地跳了下去,当他咕咚咕咚痛 饮完后,就不得不与狐狸一起共商上井的办法.狐狸早有准备,他狡猾地说：“我倒有一个 方法.你用前脚扒在井墙上,再把角竖直了,我从你后背跳上井去,再拉你上来,我们就都 得救了.”公山羊同意了他的提议,狐狸踩着他的后脚,跳到他背上,然后再从角上用力一 跳,跳出了井口.狐狸上去以后,准备独自逃离.公山羊指责狐狸不信守诺言.狐狸回过头 对公山羊说：“喂,朋友,你的头脑如果像你的胡须那样完美,你就不至于在没看清出口之 前就盲目地跳下去.” 这故事说明,聪明的人应当事先考虑清楚事情的结果,然后才去做.
The Fox and the Goat
One fine, hot day, Fox fell into an old abandoned well. The water was chin-high and muddy, and the well's walls were green with moss, much too slippery to climb. Fox being Fox, he did not bother to worry about his fate or blame himself for being clumsy. Instead he began immediately to scheme about how to get out of this predicament.
Before long, when Fox heard the clop-clop of Goat passing by, he began to sing-tra-la-la!-and to splash water about. Soon a gray nose appeared at the well's rim.
"What are you doing down there?" called Goat.
"Just cooling off," the brazen Fox said. "This water is so perfectly delicious that I may just stay here enjoying myself all afternoon. But I'm a generous fellow, you know, and I am willing to share the fun. Would you like to join me?"
"Gee, thanks!" said Goat. Without a second's hesitation, he jumped into the water. However, when he stood on the bottom of the well, he regretted his hasty leap.
"Fox," he accused, "you told me it was pleasant down here!"
"You must have misunderstood me," said Fox. "But don't worry; I know how to get us out of this place, if you like." He smiled a foxy smile. "Just stand with your front hooves against the wall while I get up on your shoulders and climb out, and then I'll lower a rope so you can escape as well."
"They say we goats should watch out for foxes," said Goat, "but I can't imagine why. You're so clever!" And he did just as Fox asked him.
Fox clambered up onto Goat's shoulders and out of the well. As he stood once again in the sunshine, he thought about lowering the well's rope, but it seemed an unnecessary bother. Besides, he decided, that silly goat needed to learn a lesson. So Fox shook the water off, fluffed up his fur, and off he went on his merry way.
Do you know what lesson the goat needed to learn?
Look before you leap!