那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事40:丘比特和綿羊

A Sheep was once forced to submit to much harm from the other animAls. He therefore appeared before Jupiter, and begged him to lessen his misery.

綿羊曾經一度被迫忍受別的動物對它造成的諸多傷害。終於，它來見丘比特，懇求他爲自己減輕痛苦。

Jupiter appeared willing, and said to the Sheep, " I see plainly, my pious creature, that I have created you too defenseless . Now choose how I had best remedy this fault. Shall I arm your jaws with terrible fangs and your feet with claws?"

丘比特看上去樂意幫忙，他對綿羊說：“我和清楚，我虔誠的小東西，我創造的你太沒有防禦能力了。現在你可以選擇讓我怎樣來彌補自己的過失。我讓你的上下顎長上尖牙，腳上長出利爪，好嗎？”

"O, no! " exclaimed the Sheep, " I will have nothing in common with the beasts of prey."

“噢，不！”綿羊驚叫道，“我不願意和掠食的野獸有任何相同之處。”

"Or," said Jupiter, " Shall I make your bite poisonous?"

“要不然，”丘比特說，“讓你被咬的動物中毒？”

"Alas!" replied the Sheep, " the poisonous snakes are so sadly detested."

“哎呀！”綿羊回答說，“毒蛇可是讓人深惡痛絕的。”

" Well, what shall I do ?Shall I plant horns on your forehead, and give strength to your neck?"

“那麼，怎麼辦呢？我讓你的頭上長出角來，讓你的脖頸變得有勁兒，行嗎？”

"Nor that, gracious father; I should then butt like the goat."

“那也不行，我的天父，那樣我就會像山羊一樣用頭去抵撞別人的。”

"At the same time you would be able to injure others, if I gave you the means of defending yourself."

“一旦我給了你自衛的武器，你就具有了傷害別人的能力。”

"Should I, indeed? " sighed the Sheep. "Oh! Then leave me, merciful father, as I am. For the power of injuring would, I am fearful, awake the desire of doing so; and it is better to suffer harm, than to inflict it."

“真的會那樣嗎？”綿羊嘆息道，“唉！那麼仁慈的天父，你就讓我保持原樣吧。因爲，我擔心有了傷害別人的能力，就會引發起那樣去做的念頭。自己忍受傷害總比給別人造成傷害要好呀。”

Jupiter blessed the pious Sheep, who ceased from that moment his complaints.

丘比特爲這隻虔誠的綿羊祝福，綿羊此後再也不抱怨了。