那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事76:老婦和醫生

The old woman and the physician

老婦和醫生

An old woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses:

一個老婦雙目失明，她請來一個外科醫生爲她治療，並且在有人作證的情況下商定。

That if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money; but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing.

如果醫生能治癒她的雙眼，她就會給醫 生一大筆錢：如果沒有治癒，醫生將得不到任何酬勞。

This agreement being made, the physician, time after time, applied his salve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing all her property little by little.

簽訂了這份協議後，這個外科醫生一次又一次地給老婦塗眼藥膏，他每次來都要帶走幾樣東西．漸漸地，他偷走了老婦所有的家當。

And when he had got all she had, he healed her and demanded the promised payment.

當他將老婦的一切據爲已有後，老婦的眼睛也治好了，他向她索要承諾的酬金。

The old woman, when she recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would give him nothing.

這個老婦重見光明後，看到屋子裏空蕩蕩的，就什麼也沒給他。

The physician insisted on his claim, and. as she still refused, summoned her before the judge.

醫生堅持要錢，而老婦一再拒絕，於是他將老婦告上法庭。

The old woman, standing up in the court, argued: "this man here speaks the truth in what he says; for i did promise to give him a sum of money if i should recover my sight:

法法庭上，老婦聲稱：“他說的沒錯，我的確曾向他許諾：如果他治好我的眼睛，我會給他一大筆錢：

But if i continued blind, i was to give him nothing.

但如果我還是什麼也看不到，就什麼也不會給他。

Now he declares that I am healed. I, on the contrary affirm that I am still blind; for when I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various chattels and valuable goods: But now, though he swears i am cured of my blindness, i am not able to see a single thing in it."

現在他聲稱已經洽愈了我的眼睛，可我卻認爲自己仍然是個瞎子。因爲在我失明前，我能看到屋裏有很多東西和貴重物品。但是現在，儘管他發誓我的眼睛已被治癒， 但我卻什麼也看不見啊！