英国语文第四册第23期:寓言(1)（打印版）

LESSON 11 Fables

第十一课寓言

I．THE MONKEY AND THE CATS

I．猴子和猫

Two hungry cats, having stolen some cheese, could not agree between themselves how to divide their booty.

两只饥饿的猫偷了一些奶酪，它们之间就如何分配战利品无法达成统一意见。

They therefore went to law, and a cunning monkey was to decide their cause.

因此，他们去寻求法律帮助，一只狡猾的猴子决定处理他们的争端。

"Let us see," said the judge with as arch a look as could be: "ay, ay, this slice truly outweighs the other;"

法官尽量弓着身子好好看了看，说道：“让我们看看，嗯嗯，这一片真得比那片分量要重。”

and so saying he bit off a large piece, in order, as he told them, to make the shares equal.

它这么说着时，咬下一大块，并告诉猫们这样就可以使每份一样重了。

The other scale had now become too heavy, which gave this upright judge a pretence to help himself to a mouthful from the second slice.

现在天平的另一端变得太重了，正好给这位正直的法官一个借口，让它咬了第二片奶酪一大口。

"Hold! hold!" cried the two cats; "give each of us our share of what is left, and we shall be content."

“等等！等等！”两只猫叫道，“把我们每人剩下的份额给我们吧，我们就满意了。”

"If you are content," said the monkey, "justice is not: the law, my friends, must take its course."

“如果你们满意了，”猴子说道，“司法公正就不满意了：我的朋友们，法律必须按正常程序进行。”

Upon this, he nibbled first one piece and then the other, till the poor cats saw that their cheese was in a fair way to be all eaten up.

依据与此，猴子左啃一口，右啃一口，直到可怜的猫们眼睁睁看到它们的战利品奶酪大有可能被猴子全部吃完。

They therefore most humbly begged him not to put himself to any further trouble, but to give them what was still left.

因此，猫们低三下四地恳求，不想再给法官添更多麻烦，只要把剩余的奶酪给它们就行了。

"Ha! ha! ha! not so fast, good ladies," said the monkey;

“哈哈哈！好姑娘们，别急啊，”猴子说道，

"we owe justice to ourselves as well as to you; and what remains is due to me as the lawyer."

“我们亏欠自己公正，也亏欠你们。我作为律师，剩余的奶酪应该归我所有。

So he crammed the whole into his mouth at once, and very gravely broke up the court!

于是，猴子立刻把整个奶酪塞进嘴里，非常庄重地结束了整个法庭审理程序！

This fable teaches us that it is better to put up with a trifling loss, than to run the risk of losing all we have by going to law.

这则寓言故事告诉我们，与其冒着失去所有的风险去寻找法律帮助，还不如忍受一些微不足道的损失。