讀點好英文:Jupiter and the Sheep 丘比特和綿羊

Jupiter and the Sheep 丘比特和綿羊

A sheep was once forced to submit to much harm from the other animals. He therefore appeared before Jupiter, and begged him to lessen his misery.

Jupiter appeared willing, and said to the sheep，“I see plainly, my pious creature, that I have created you too defenseless. Now choose how I had best remedy this fault.Shall I arm your jaws with terrible fangs and your feet with claws?”

“Oh, no！”exclaimed the sheep，“I will have nothing in common with the beasts of prey.”

“Or，”said Jupiter，“shall I make your bite poisonous?”

“Alas！”replied the sheep，“The poisonous snakes are so sadly detested.”

“Well, what shall I do?Shall I plant horns on your forehead, and give strength to your neck?”

“Nor that, gracious father, I should then be like the goat.”

“At the same time you would be able to injure others, if I gave you the means of defending yourself.”

“Should I, indeed?”sighed the sheep.“Oh！Then leave me, merciful father, as I am. For the power of injuring would, I am fearful, awake the desire of doing so；and it is better to suffer harm than to infIict it.”

Jupiter blessed the pious sheep, who ceased from that moment his complaints.

綿羊曾經(jīng)一度被迫忍受別的動物對它造成的諸多傷害。終于有一天，它來見丘比特，懇求他為自己減輕痛苦。

丘比特看上去很樂意幫忙，他對綿羊說：“我很清楚，我虔誠的小東西，我創(chuàng)造的你太沒有防御能力了?，F(xiàn)在你可以選擇讓我來彌補這個過失。我讓你的上下顎長出尖牙，腳上長出利爪，好嗎？”

“哦，不！”綿羊驚叫道，“我不愿意和掠食的野獸有任何相同之處。”

“要不然，”丘比特說，“讓被你咬過的動物中毒？”

“哎呀！”綿羊回答說，“毒蛇可是讓人深惡痛絕的。”

“那么，我該怎么辦呢？我讓你的頭上長出角來、讓你的脖頸變得有勁兒，行嗎？”

“那也不行，我的天父，那樣我就會像山羊一樣?！?/p>

“一旦我給了你自衛(wèi)的武器，你就具有了傷害別人的能力。”

“真的會那樣嗎？”綿羊嘆息道，“唉！那么仁慈的天父，你就讓我保持原樣吧。因為，我擔心有了傷害別人的能力，就會引發(fā)那樣去做的念頭。自己忍受傷害總比給別人造成傷害要好呀。”

丘比特為這只虔誠的綿羊祝福，綿羊此后再也不抱怨了。

Practising&Exercise 實戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

wrinkIed['ri?kld]a.有皺紋的

imagine[i'm?d?in]v.想象；設(shè)想

virtue['v?：tju：]n.品德

misery['miz?ri]n.痛苦，苦惱

prey[prei]n.獵物，犧牲品

infIict[in'flikt]vt.把……強加給；使承受

實用句型

One day he got a bad cold and he called for a doctor.

有一天，他得了重感冒，請了一位醫(yī)生過來。

A more selfish fellow I ever came across, though I admit he has got a head on him.

我從沒見過這么自私的家伙，盡管我承認他有點兒頭腦。

Jupiter blessed the pious sheep, who ceased from that moment his complaints.

丘比特為這只虔誠的綿羊祝福，綿羊此后再也不抱怨了。

智慧點津

With people, one can not just see so much of the failings and be blind to their virtues.

與人交往不能只看到他人身上的缺點而無視他們的優(yōu)點。

One tying him down with too many things but can not put down them, leads to an end with nothing being received.

一個人被太多事情所牽絆，而又無法放下，到最后什么也無法得到。