The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A Country Mouse's simple dinner leaves his city cousin unimpressed, so the Town Mouse insists on showing him real luxury back home — but fine food comes with dangers the Country Mouse never expected.
A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were acquaintances, and the Country Mouse one day invited his friend to come and see him at his home in the fields. The Town Mouse came, and they sat down to a dinner of barleycorns and roots, the latter of which had a distinctly earthy flavour. The fare was not much to the taste of the guest, and presently he broke out with "My poor dear friend, you live here no better than the ants. Now, you should just see how I fare! My larder is a regular horn of plenty. You must come and stay with me, and I promise you you shall live on the fat of the land."
Seekor Tikus Kota dan seekor Tikus Desa saling mengenal, dan suatu hari Tikus Desa mengundang sahabatnya untuk datang berkunjung ke rumahnya di ladang. Tikus Kota pun datang, dan mereka duduk untuk makan malam berupa butiran jelai dan akar-akaran, yang terakhir ini memiliki rasa tanah yang cukup terasa. Hidangan itu tidak begitu sesuai dengan selera sang tamu, dan tak lama kemudian ia berkata, "Sahabatku yang malang, kau di sini hidup tak lebih baik dari semut-semut. Coba lihat bagaimana aku hidup! Lemariku bagaikan tanduk kelimpahan yang sesungguhnya. Kau harus datang dan tinggal bersamaku, dan aku janji kau akan hidup dari yang terbaik di negeri ini."
So when he returned to town he took the Country Mouse with him, and showed him into a larder containing flour and oatmeal and figs and honey and dates. The Country Mouse had never seen anything like it, and sat down to enjoy the luxuries his friend provided: but before they had well begun, the door of the larder opened and some one came in. The two Mice scampered off and hid themselves in a narrow and exceedingly uncomfortable hole. Presently, when all was quiet, they ventured out again; but some one else came in, and off they scuttled again.
Maka ketika ia kembali ke kota, ia mengajak Tikus Desa bersamanya, dan menunjukkan kepadanya sebuah lemari berisi tepung, oatmeal, buah ara, madu, dan kurma. Tikus Desa belum pernah melihat hal semacam itu, dan duduk untuk menikmati kemewahan yang disediakan sahabatnya: tetapi sebelum mereka sempat benar-benar memulai, pintu lemari terbuka dan seseorang masuk. Kedua Tikus itu berlari kencang dan bersembunyi di dalam sebuah lubang yang sempit dan sangat tidak nyaman. Tak lama kemudian, ketika semua sudah tenang, mereka berani keluar lagi; namun ada orang lain yang masuk, dan mereka pun kembali berlari tergesa-gesa.
This was too much for the visitor. "Good-bye," said he, "I'm off. You live in the lap of luxury, I can see, but you are surrounded by dangers; whereas at home I can enjoy my simple dinner of roots and corn in peace."
Ini sudah terlalu berlebihan bagi sang tamu. "Selamat tinggal," katanya, "aku pergi. Aku bisa lihat kau hidup dalam pangkuan kemewahan, tetapi kau dikelilingi bahaya; sedangkan di rumah aku bisa menikmati makan malam sederhanaku dari akar-akaran dan jelai dengan tenang."
