那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事37:狐狸和鸛

A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.

狐狸邀請長嘴鶴同他一起吃飯。

“I hope you don’t mind sharing the same dish with me,” said the Fox. “It is our custom in the woods to eat together to show that we are friendly.”

“希望你不要介意和我和吃一道菜，” 狐狸說，“一同吃飯說明交情好，這是我們森林裏的習慣。”

“Not at All,” said the Stork politely.

“沒關係。鶴客氣地說。

The Fox brought a wide, shallow bowl of thin soup and set it between them.

狐狸用大淺碗端上了一碗稀湯，放在兩人中間。

‘please help yourself,” he said, setting down to lap the soup with his long pink tongue.

“請吃吧。“狐狸說着坐下來，伸出粉紅色的長舌頭舔那碗湯。

The Stork stood with her long legs apart and put the tip of her long, thin beak into the soup; but although she tried to scoop up the thin liquid it was quite impossible for her to do so.

鶴叉開長腿站着，把細長的嘴伸進了湯裏。雖然她竭力想喝湯，但是，這對於她來說太難了。她好不容易吸了幾滴在嘴裏，可還沒流到喉嚨就流掉了。

Even when she did manage to hold a few drops in her beak they were lost long before they could trickle down to her throat. Too polite to complain, the Stork went home hungry while the greedy Fox lapped up all the soup. As she left she heard him laughing to himself at his own cleverness.

鶴很有涵養，並沒有抱怨，餓着肚子回家了，而貪吃的狐狸把湯舔得一乾二淨。鶴離開的時候，聽到狐狸自鳴得意的笑聲。

A few days later the Stork invited the Fox to have dinner with her in return and the Fox made his way to her home.

過了幾天，鶴回請狐狸一同進餐，狐狸前往她家。

“it is our custom to share a dish, too,” said the Stork, “ I hope you will join me.”

和吃一道菜也是我們的風俗，鶴說道，希望你和我一起吃。

“Certainly, certainly,” said the Fox, licking his lips. He had not eaten all day.

當然，當然，狐狸說着舔了舔嘴脣。他已經一整天沒吃東西了。

The Stork brought her food. This time, however, it was served in a tall, thin jug with a narrow opening at the top.

鶴端上了食物。然而這次食物盛在又細又高的罐子裏，灌口很窄。

“Please begin,” said the Stork, thrusting her beak into the jug.

請吃吧。鶴說道，把嘴伸進了罐子裏。

“Mmmm. It is good.”

“味道好極了。”

Of course the Fox could not get his nose into the jug at all. All he could do was sniff hungrily at the delicious smell and lick the occasional drop that spilled over the side.

狐狸當然無法把鼻子伸進罐子裏去。他只能餓着肚子聞聞誘人的味道，舔舔偶爾溢出來的幾滴。

“I suppose I can’t complain,” he said to himself sadly as he made his way back to the woods. “After all, I taught her the trick myself.”

我想，我不能抱怨，狐狸在回森林的路上難過地自言自語道，畢竟，是自己教她這個把戲的。