33～34一捆木棒、笼中鸟和蝙蝠-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《伊索寓言(精选)Aesop'sFables(Selections)》

AesopfsTabfes (Selections 二二 一捆木棒 有个老人临终时把几个儿子叫到身边,给他们留遗言。他命仆人取来一 捆木棒,对长子说:“你来把这捆木棒折断。”他的长子用了很大力气,一捆 木棒依然完好无损。老人的其他儿子也试着去折,但都失败了。老人说; “你们每人从中抽出一根不棒来。”儿子们照着老人的话做了,于是老人又说: “现在再折折看。”每根木棒都被轻易折断了。老人说道:“这就是我要告诉 你们的道理。” 团结力量大。 XXXIllIl The Bundle of Sticks An old man on the point of death summoned{① his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants②to bring in a faggot③ of sticks, and said to his eldest son:"Break it." The son strained and strained④, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the faggots,"said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them:"Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father. Union gives strength. ①summon/sAmon/v.召唤,召集 ② servant /sa:vant/n. 仆人 ③ faggot/faegat/ n. 柴捆,枝条捆 ④ strain/strein/v. 竭尽全力 ntie/An'tai/r. 解开 .046. 伊索寓言(精选) 三四 笼中鸟和编蝠 挂在窗外的鸟笼里关着一只会唱歌的鸟,但这只鸟只在夜里等其他鸟都熟 睡的时候才开口唱歌。有天晚上飞来了一只编蝠,他站在鸟笼的棚栏上,问鸟 为什么白天沉默不语,只在晚上歌唱?鸟儿答道:“这是大有原因的。以前我 是在白天唱歌,猎人被我的歌声吸引,用网捉住了我。从那以后,我就只在晚 上才唱歌。”编蝠说:“既然你现在已经成了囚徒,白天不唱也无济于事了。 如果你在被人抓住之前就只在晚上才唱歌,可能现在你还是只自由的鸟呢!” 未雨绸缪胜过亡羊补牢。 XxXIV The Cage Bird and the Bat A singing bird was confined{① in a cage which hung outside a window, and had a way of singing at night when all other birds were asleep. One night a Bat came and clung② to the bars of the cage, and asked the Bird why she was silent by day and sang only at night. "I have a very good reason for doing so," said the Bird. "It was once when I was singing in the daytime that a fowler③ was attracted by my voice, and set his nets for me and caught me. Since then I have never sung except at night."But the Bat replied, "It is no use your doing that now when you are a prisoner④: if only you had done so before you were caught, you might still have been free." Precautions{} are useless after the crisis^{ ① confine/konfain/v. 限制,闭居 ②cling/klin/v.紧抓 ③ fowler/faulo/n. 捕野禽者 ④prisoner /prizna/n. 囚犯 precaution /pri'ko:fan/n. 预防 crisis/kraisis/ n. 危机 ·047·