Fables: The Wolf and the Kid, The Tortoise and the Ducks, The Young Crab and His Mother, The Frogs and the Ox

There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a grown-up Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So one evening when the flock started home from the pasture and his mother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept right on nibbling the tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the flock was gone.

从前有一只小山羊，因为自己渐渐长出了角，便以为自己已经是一只成年的公山羊，能够照顾好自己了。于是有一天傍晚，羊群从牧场往家走的时候，妈妈叫它，它却毫不理会，只顾继续啃食那鲜嫩的青草。过了一会儿它抬起头来，羊群已经不见了。

He was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping over the ground. A chilly little wind came creeping with them making scary noises in the grass. The Kid shivered as he thought of the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the field, bleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees, there was the Wolf!

它孤零零一个。太阳渐渐落下。长长的阴影悄悄爬过地面。一阵寒风也跟着悄悄袭来，在草丛中发出可怕的声响。小山羊一想到那可怕的狼，便浑身发抖。于是它疯狂地穿过田野，一边跑一边咩咩叫着找妈妈。可还没跑到一半，在一丛树木旁边，狼就在那里！

The Kid knew there was little hope for him.

小山羊知道自己几乎没有希望了。

"Please, Mr. Wolf," he said trembling, "I know you are going to eat me. But first please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and be merry as long as I can."

“求求你了，狼先生，”它颤抖着说，“我知道你就要吃掉我了。可是能不能先给我吹一支曲子，我想趁还能动的时候跳跳舞、开心一下。”

The Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he struck up a merry tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.

狼觉得吃之前先来点音乐是个好主意，于是便吹起了一支欢快的曲子，小山羊也欢快地又蹦又跳。

Meanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still evening air the Wolf's piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs pricked up their ears. They recognized the song the Wolf sings before a feast, and in a moment they were racing back to the pasture. The Wolf's song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with the Dogs at his heels, he called himself a fool for turning piper to please a Kid, when he should have stuck to his butcher's trade.

与此同时，羊群正缓缓向家里走去。在寂静的夜色中，狼的笛声传得很远。牧羊犬们竖起了耳朵。它们认出了那是狼在饱餐一顿之前唱的曲子，顷刻间便飞奔回牧场。狼的歌声戛然而止，它一边逃跑，一边被狗紧追在后，一边骂自己真是个傻瓜，为了讨好一只小山羊而当起了吹笛人，本该老老实实干他屠夫的本行才对。

_Do not let anything turn you from your purpose._

不要让任何事情使你偏离自己的目标。

THE TORTOISE AND THE DUCKS

乌龟与野鸭

The Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot leave home. They say that Jupiter punished him so, because he was such a lazy stay-at-home that he would not go to Jupiter's wedding, even when especially invited.

要知道，乌龟是把自己的房子背在背上的。无论它多么努力，都无法离开家。据说，朱庇特这样惩罚它，是因为它太懒惰、太恋家了，即便特意受邀，也不肯去参加朱庇特的婚礼。

After many years, Tortoise began to wish he had gone to that wedding. When he saw how gaily the birds flew about and how the Hare and the Chipmunk and all the other animals ran nimbly by, always eager to see everything there was to be seen, the Tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly drag him along.

许多年过去了，乌龟开始后悔当初没有去参加那场婚礼。当它看到鸟儿们欢快地飞来飞去，看到野兔和花栗鼠以及其他动物都轻快地跑来跑去，总是急切地想去看看世上的一切时，乌龟感到十分悲伤和不满。它也想去见识见识这个世界，可它却背着一座房子，还有一双几乎拖不动身子的短腿。

One day he met a pair of Ducks and told them all his trouble.

有一天，它遇见了一对野鸭，便把自己所有的烦恼都告诉了它们。

"We can help you to see the world," said the Ducks. "Take hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will be sorry."

“我们可以帮你去看看这个世界，”野鸭说道。“用你的牙齿咬住这根棍子，我们会把你带到高高的空中，让你能看到整片乡野。不过一定要保持安静，不然你会后悔的。”

The Tortoise was very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly with his teeth, the two Ducks took hold of it one at each end, and away they sailed up toward the clouds.

乌龟听了非常高兴。它用牙齿死死咬住那根棍子，两只野鸭各自叼住一端，便一起朝云端飞去。

Just then a Crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the strange sight and cried:

就在这时，一只乌鸦飞了过来。它见到这奇异的景象十分惊讶，喊道：

"This must surely be the King of Tortoises!"

“这一定是乌龟中的国王！”

"Why certainly—" began the Tortoise.

“那是当然——”乌龟开口说道。

But as he opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his hold on the stick, and down he fell to the ground, where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.

可是它一张嘴说出这句蠢话，就松开了咬住棍子的牙齿，一下子掉落到地面上，摔在一块岩石上，粉身碎骨。

_Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune._

愚蠢的好奇心和虚荣心常常会招来不幸。

THE YOUNG CRAB AND HIS MOTHER

小螃蟹和它的妈妈

"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "You should always walk straight forward with your toes turned out."

“你怎么老是那样横着走路？”螃蟹妈妈对她的儿子说。“你应该一直笔直往前走，脚趾朝外。”

"Show me how to walk, mother dear," answered the little Crab obediently, "I want to learn."

“亲爱的妈妈，那你示范给我看看该怎么走吧，”小螃蟹顺从地答道，“我想学一学。”

So the old Crab tried and _tried_ to walk straight forward. But she could walk sideways only, like her son. And when she wanted to turn her toes out she tripped and fell on her nose.

于是老螃蟹便试了又试，想要笔直地往前走。可她却只能横着走，和她儿子一样。而当她想把脚趾转向外侧时，她一下子绊倒了，摔了个嘴啃泥。

_Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good example._

除非你自己能做出好榜样，否则不要去教训别人该怎么做。

THE FROGS AND THE OX

青蛙和公牛

An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud. The old Frog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and sisters what had become of him.

一头公牛来到一处长满芦苇的水塘边喝水。它沉重地踏进水里时，把一只小青蛙压进了泥里。老青蛙很快就发现小青蛙不见了，便去问她的兄弟姐妹们，小青蛙到底怎么了。

"A _great big_ monster," said one of them, "stepped on little brother with one of his huge feet!"

“一个巨大无比的怪物，”其中一个说，“用它一只巨大的脚踩到了小弟弟身上！”

"Big, was he!" said the old Frog, puffing herself up. "Was he as big as this?"

“有那么大吗！”老青蛙说着，把自己鼓得胀了起来。“它有这么大吗？”

"Oh, _much_ bigger!" they cried.

“哦，比这大得多呢！”它们喊道。

The Frog puffed up still more.

老青蛙把自己鼓得更胀了。

"He could not have been bigger than this," she said. But the little Frogs all declared that the monster was _much, much_ bigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more until, all at once, she burst.

“它不可能比这更大了，”她说道。可是小青蛙们都异口同声地说，那怪物大得多、大得多，于是老青蛙不停地把自己越鼓越大，直到突然“砰”的一声，她炸开了。

_Do not attempt the impossible._

不要去尝试不可能的事情。