雙語·《伊索寓言》 墨丘利和樵夫

MERCURY AND THE WOODMAN

A Woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe, glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water. As he stood by the water's edge lamenting his loss, Mercury appeared and asked him the reason for his grief; and on learning what had happened, out of pity for his distress he dived into the river and, bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost. The Woodman replied that it was not, and Mercury then dived a second time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his. “No, that is not mine either,” said the Woodman. Once more Mercury dived into the river, and brought up the missing axe. The Woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor warmly; and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes. When the Woodman told the story to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good fortune and determined to try his luck for himself. So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived to let his axe drop into the water. Mercury appeared as before, and, on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion. Without waiting to be asked whether it was his or not the fellow cried, “That's mine, that's mine,” and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize: but Mercury was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declined to give him the golden axe, but also refused to recover for him the one he had let fall into the stream.

Honesty is the best policy.

墨丘利和樵夫

一個樵夫從樹上跌落到了河岸上，他的斧子從手中滑出，掉到了水里。當他站在水邊傷心難過時，墨丘利出現(xiàn)在他的面前，問他為什么傷心。得知事情的經過后，墨丘利很同情這個樵夫，于是潛入水中，撈起了一把金斧子，問樵夫這是他丟失的斧子嗎，樵夫回答說不是。墨丘利又潛入水中，撈起了一把銀斧子，問樵夫這是他丟失的斧子嗎，樵夫回答說：“不，這也不是我的。”于是墨丘利第三次潛入水中，撈起了他丟失的斧子。失而復得，樵夫大喜過望，非常熱情地感謝自己的恩人。墨丘利很欣賞他的誠實，于是把另外兩把斧子當作禮物送給了他。樵夫將這件事講給自己的朋友聽，其中有一個人很嫉妒他的好運，也想去試試自己的運氣。于是他也到河邊，故意從樹上跌落下來，非常費力地讓自己的斧子落入了河中。墨丘利又出現(xiàn)了，得知他的斧子掉入水中后便潛入了水中，撈起了一把金斧子，就像之前一樣。而這次這個樵夫卻沒有等墨丘利問斧子是不是他的，就激動地叫起來：“這是我的！這是我的！”然后伸出手，滿懷希望地去奪那把斧子，但是墨丘利因為樵夫的不誠實而非常厭惡他，不僅沒有把這把金斧子交給他，而且也不愿意再下水幫他打撈那把掉入水中的斧子了。

訓誡：誠實方為上策。