读点好英文:The Crane and the Crab 鹤与螃蟹

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2022年03月25日

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The Crane and the Crab 鹤与螃蟹

One day, an old crane stood in the shallows of a lotus pond with a very dejected look upon his long face. A crab nearby noticed the troubled look on the old bird, and asked，“There are fish in this pond.How is it that you stand there as if you have given up the thought of ever eating?”

“I am sad，”said the old crane，“because I heard a terrible piece of news today. I overheard the fishermen in town saying that tomorrow they will come to this pond and drain it of every fish and every shell to the last periwinkle.When that happens, I am doomed for I shall have nothing to live on.My appetite has left me ever since and I am now resigning myself to dying of hunger.”

The fish in the pond overheard the crane, and they said to each other in their distress，“Since he and we have a common enemy in the fishermen, perhaps the wise crane can advise us what to do.”

They swam up to the long-legged bird and said，“Sir crane, can you tell us how we may save ourselves from this terrible plight?”

“There is only one way，”said the crane，“you must get to another pool before it is too late.”

“But how can we do that?”asked the fish.

“There is a protected pool nearby，”said the crane，“and if you wish I will carry you there one by one.”

The poor fish consulted among themselves and said，“Since there is nothing else we can do to save ourselves, we must make an alliance with our foe.”And they agreed to let the crane transport them one by one to the pool where they would be safe.

The wicked crane took the fish, one by one, to a lonely spot nearby, where he devoured them. He returned for more, reporting that all the others were now safe and happy in another pool.

Finally all the fish were gone, and the crab said，“Sir crane, take me also to that pool, for I wish to be with my friends, the fish.”

The greedy crane, who loved crab meat, carefully lifted the ten-legged creature and carried him off to the spot where he had devoured all the fish. But when the crab saw all the bones on the ground and realized how cunning the crane had been, he thought to himself，“I am undone！Yet when the wise are attacked, even if they see no hope of saving themselves, they still do not give up, but die fighting.”

Whereupon the crab fastened his pincer-like fore claws upon the crane's throat and tore at it until the crane perished.

一天，一只老鹤站在荷花池里的浅水处，它那张长长的脸上一副沮丧的神情。附近的一只螃蟹注意到老鹤的一脸忧愁，问道：“这个池塘里有鱼。你怎么呆呆地站在那儿，好像再也不想吃鱼了。”

“我很伤心，”老鹤说，“今天我听到了一个可怕的消息。我听城里的渔夫们说，他们明天要来捕光所有的鱼和甲壳动物，连个玉黍螺也不剩，那样我就死定了，因为我没东西吃了。从那时起我就没胃口了，我现在就是顺其自然，等着饿死。”

池塘里的鱼听到鹤的话，很是忧伤地议论道：“它和我们的共同敌人是渔夫，或许聪明的鹤能告诉我们该怎么办。”

它们游到长腿鹤跟前说：“鹤先生，你能告诉我们怎样才能逃脱这场可怕的灾难吗？”

“只有一个办法，”鹤说，“你们必须及早到另一个池塘里去。”

“可是，我们怎么去呢？”鱼问。

“附近有一个被保护的池塘，”鹤说，“要是你们愿意，我可以逐个儿把你们送过去。”

可怜的鱼儿商量后说：“要想活命咱们没有别的办法，只有和敌人结为同盟了。”于是，它们同意由鹤把它们逐一送到安全的池塘。

这只阴险邪恶的鹤把鱼一条一条地衔到附近一个偏僻的地方，把它们吃掉了。然后又回来衔更多的鱼，还说那些鱼在另一个池塘里很安全很快乐。

最后，鱼都被衔走了。螃蟹说：“鹤先生，也把我带到那个池塘里去吧，我想和我的鱼朋友们在一起。”

这只贪婪的鹤很喜欢吃螃蟹肉，它小心地衔着这只十条腿的动物，把螃蟹带到它吃鱼的地方去。螃蟹看到地上的骨头，立刻明白了鹤是多么狡猾，它心想：“我完了！但是智者被攻击时，即使没有生存的希望，也绝不会放弃，宁愿战斗而死。”