黃昏時(shí)分,牧羊人趕著他的羊群放牧歸來(lái)時(shí),發(fā)現(xiàn)有幾只野山羊也夾雜在其中。他把它們和自己的羊關(guān)在一起,過(guò)了一夜。
The next day it snowed very haid , so that he could not take the herd to their usual feeding places, but was obliged to keep them in the fold.
第二天,下起了大雪,牧羊人不能帶著羊群去它們以往吃草的地方了,只得讓它們呆在羊欄里。
He gave his own goats just sufficient food to keep them alive, but fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope of enticing them to stay with him and of making them his own.
他給自己的樣的食物剛好能填飽它們的肚子,而喂那幾只野山羊的食物要豐盛得多,想以此來(lái)引誘它們留下來(lái),歸他自己所有。
When the thaw set in, he led them all out to feed, and the Wild Goats scampered away as fast as they could to the mountains.
冰雪剛一融化,那幾只野山羊便拼命地向上里跑去。
The Goatherd scolded them for their ingratitude in leaving him, when during the storm he had taken more care of them than of his own herd.
牧羊人責(zé)怪它們棄他而去是忘恩負(fù)義,說(shuō)暴風(fēng)雪期間他對(duì)它們的照顧比對(duì)自己的羊還要多。
One of them, turning about, said to him;" That is the very reason why we are so cautious; as you treat us better than the Goats you have had so long, it is plain also that if others come after us, you will in the same manner prefer them to ourselves."
一只野山羊聽(tīng)到后,轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)頭來(lái)對(duì)他說(shuō):“這正是我們小心提防你的原因。既然你對(duì)我們比對(duì)跟了你那么長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的羊都好,那么,很顯然,如果我們之后又有羊加入的話,你又會(huì)同樣地去喜歡它們而忽略我們的。”