英語故事（雙語）：狡猾的獅子

The wily lion
狡猾的獅子

A lion watched a fat bull feeding in a meadow, and his mouth watered when he thought of the royal feast he would make, but he did not dare to attack him, for he was afraid of his sharp horns. Hunger, however, presently compelled him to do something: and as the use of force did not promise success, he determined to resort to artifice. Going up to the bull in friendly fashion, he said to him, "I cannot help saying how much I admire your magnificent figure, What a fine head! What powerful shoulders and thighs! But, my dear friend, what in the world makes you wear those ugly horns? You must find them as awkward as they are unsightly. Believe me, you would do much better without them." The bull was foolish enough to be persuaded by this flattery to have his horns cut off; and, having now lost his only means of defence, fell an easyprey to the lion.

一只獅子看見一頭肥壯的公牛正在吃草，一想到這是一頓美味佳肴，口水不禁就流了出來，可是他又畏懼公牛的尖角，不敢輕易發(fā)起進攻。然而，饑餓促使他一定要做點什么，單憑武力，他肯定無法成功，于是，獅子決定用詭計智取。他帶著友好的姿態(tài)走到公牛旁邊，對公牛說：“簡直無法用語言來表達我對您那魔鬼般的身材有多羨慕，這是多么漂亮的頭呀，多么寬闊結(jié)實的肩膀和大腿呀!不過，親愛的朋友，究竟是什么讓你戴著這兩只奇丑無比的角呢?你一定也發(fā)現(xiàn)了，它們又笨拙又丑陋。相信我，若是沒有了這兩只角，你肯定會更好。”公牛也夠蠢的，竟然被這番恭維的話所說服，把自己的兩只角折斷了，剛剛失去用以防衛(wèi)的武器，公牛就輕易地被獅子俘獲了。