英文童話故事：符艾相爭

　　One day, the peachwood charm against evil hung on the door turned its face upward to curse the figure made of Chinese mugwort: "Who do you think you are to dare to set yourself over my head?"

　　The figure of Chinese mugwort, unwilling1 to be outdone, looked down and retorted: "It is summer now. You have only half a year to go, and can't live long. Why squabble over who is higher or who is lower?"

　　The peachwood charm was beside itself with rage, and answered back sarcastically2. Both sides refused to give in, and squabbled endlessly with a stream of abuse against each other.

　　At this moment, the deity3 of the door came to mediate4: "It is only because we have no ability that we have to attach ourselves to the door of others. What's the point of quarrelling with each other?"

　　一天，掛在門上的桃符仰起了臉，大罵艾草人：“你這個艾草人算什么東西，膽敢高踞在我的頭上!”

　　艾草人不甘示弱，低頭還嘴，說道：“現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是夏天了，你只有半年了，活不了多長時間了，還爭什么高低呢?”

　　桃符怒不可遏，反唇相譏。它們互相不服氣，彼此罵不絕口，爭吵不休。

　　這時候，門神出來勸解說：“我們都是因為沒有什么本事，才依附在別人的門下，還爭什么強，斗什么氣呢?”