那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事40：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.

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，它來見丘比特，懇求他為自己減輕痛苦。

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?"

丘比特看上去樂意幫忙，他對綿羊說：“我和清楚，我虔誠的小東西，我創(chuàng)造的你太沒有防御能力了。現(xiàn)在你可以選擇讓我怎樣來彌補(bǔ)自己的過失。我讓你的上下顎長上尖牙，腳上長出利爪，好嗎?”

"O, no! " exclaimed the Sheep, " I will have nothing in common with the beasts of prey."

“噢，不!”綿羊驚叫道，“我不愿意和掠食的野獸有任何相同之處。”

"Or," said Jupiter, " Shall I make your bite poisonous?"

“要不然，”丘比特說，“讓你被咬的動物中毒?”

"Alas!" replied the Sheep, " the poisonous snakes are so sadly detested."

“哎呀!”綿羊回答說，“毒蛇可是讓人深惡痛絕的。”

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

“那么，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?”

"Nor that, gracious father; I should then butt like the goat."

“那也不行，我的天父，那樣我就會像山羊一樣用頭去抵撞別人的。”

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

“一旦我給了你自衛(wèi)的武器，你就具有了傷害別人的能力。”

"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 inflict it."

“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(dān)心有了傷害別人的能力，就會引發(fā)起那樣去做的念頭。自己忍受傷害總比給別人造成傷害要好呀。”

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。