Add Feet
One day three men got a bottle of wine. But the wine was not enough for them three and each of them wanted to drink the wine alone. Then they all agreed that they each would draw a snake on the ground and the one who first finished drawing would be given the wine. So they began to draw on the ground with sticks.
It was not long before one of the three finished drawing his snake. He found the other o were still busy with their drawings."How slow you are ! "said he, "I can even add feet to my snake before you finish yours."
He put down the bottle and began to add feet to his snake. But before he finished, another man took hold of the bottle and said, "I've finished. Snakes have no feet, so yours is not a snake."With these words he drank up the wine.
添足
从前，有3个人得到一壶酒，但酒不够这3个人喝，而且他们每个人都想独自占有。他们决定在地上画蛇，先画好的人就喝这壶酒。于是他们就开始在地上用木棍画。
不一会儿，其中一个人先画好了，他发现另两人还未画完，就说：“你们真慢啊!在你们画完之前，我还能给蛇添上脚呢!”于是，他放下酒壶，开始给蛇添足。但脚未画完，另一人拿起酒壶说，“我已把蛇画好了，蛇本来没有脚，你怎能给它添脚呢?”说著，他把酒一饮而尽。
The Trees and the Ax
Once upon a time, a man came into a forest. He said to the trees, "Will you give me a piece of hard wood.? "The tree said, "Yes,we'll give you a good piece of hard wood."He was very glad to get a good piece of wood. He hurried home with it. At once he made a new handle of his ax. Then he went to the forest again and began to cut down all the best trees in the forest. The trees were very sad. They said to one another, "We suffer for our own foolishness."
树与斧头
从前有一个人进入了森林。 他对树说：“您愿意给我一块硬木头吗?”树说：“行，我将给你一块价值较好的硬木头。”他非常高兴地得到了一块好木头。 他赶紧把它带到家里，立即做了一把新斧头。 然后他又去森林里砍最好的树。 树感到非常悲伤，他们互相说道：“我们自作自受。”
There was a man named Kuafu who was so confident that he believed that he was able to chase the sun. But a problem raising unexpectedly while he was still running after the sun, he felt badly thirsty. As a consequence, he dried the Huanghe River and the Weihe River to ease the pain from severe thirsty. However, even those o great rivers were not enough to serve his urgent purpose. So our big hero decided to get to a great lake in the North, totally believing in his strong frame. Yet, unfortunately， he failed in the end, dying of the lethal thirsty, heroic and idealistic as well.
The Flies and the Honey-Pot （苍蝇与蜜）
A NUMBER of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had
been overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in
it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so *** eared with the
honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves,
and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed,
"O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we
have destroyed ourselves."
Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.
Revelation：For many people, greed is the root of many disaster.
译文：房里有蜜漏流出来，许多苍蝇便飞去饱餐起来。蜂蜜太甜美了，他们舍不得走。然而， 就在这时他们的脚被蜜粘住，再也飞不起来了。他们后悔不已，嗡嗡乱叫：“我们真不幸， 因贪图一时的享受而丧了命。”
精卫填海
How Kangaroo got his Tail
Based on an Australian Aboriginal Legend
A long time ago, some animals looked different to the way they look now. Kangaroos had no tails and wombats had high, round heads.
Mirram the Kangaroo and Warreen the Wombat were good friends. They lived together in a hut that Warreen had built from tree bark.
They liked being with each other, but Mirram liked to sleep outside at night and he made fun of Warreen who always wanted to sleep inside.
或
How the Bear Lost his Tail
retold by Sanjit
Bear with tailThis is the story of Bear's tail. I've heard it told in Germany, and in North America by the Iroquois Indians.
A long time ago, Bear had a beautiful, long, furry tail. He thought it was really cool. He laid it out behind him and people had to walk round it.
He asked everyone: "Don't you think my tail is the most beautiful tail you've ever seen?"
People thought Bear was very vain, but they were frightened of his big claws and didn't want to make him angry
神话故事
Fairy tale
神话故事
Fairy tale
神话故事
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[拼音]：shén huà ɡù shì
[解释]：
mystery story;
1.a fairy tale;
a fairy story ;
fairy tale
[参考词典]：汉英综合大词典 汉英综合科技大辞典 汉英综合大词典
精卫填海
The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea
Once upon a time, the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan, legendary ruler of primitive China, went boating on the Eastern Sea. While she was enjoying herself, a strong wind rose on the sea and her boat capsized. Just before she was buried by the surging waves, her spirit turned into a beautiful bird. As it flew over the roaring sea, it cried sadly in the sound "jinwei, jingwei". That was why people called it "Jingwei".
The bird lived on a mountain near the sea. It hated the sea so much that it decided to fill it up. Every day, it flew to and fro beeen the mountain and the sea, carrying in a ig or a pebble from the mountain and dropping it into the sea.
One day, the roaring sea said to Jingwei, "Poor little bird, s doing that meaningless thing! You'll never fill me up." Jingwei replied, "I'll fill you up no doubt! I will, even if it'll take me thousands of years! I'll fight on until doomsday!"
The brave little bird kept carrying igs and pebbles from the mountain to the Eastern Sea without taking a rest.
From this fable es the idiom "The bird Jingwei trying to fill the sea". We use it to describe people who are firm and indomitable and will not s until they reach their goal.
希腊神话故事 后记
古斯塔夫·施瓦布（Gustav Schwab，1792—1850）是德国著名的浪漫主义诗人。他生于符腾堡宫廷官员家庭。曾任席勒的老师。1809—1814年在蒂宾根大学攻读神学和哲学，结识乌兰德等著名文学家。1815年去德国北部地区考察旅行，结识歌德和霍夫曼等人。他在文学上的主要贡献在于发掘和整理古代文化遗产，曾出版《美好的故事和传说集》、《德国民间话本》和《希腊神话故事》。他的主要诗集有《博登湖上的骑士》、《马尔巴赫的巨人》等。
《希腊神话故事》为读者敞开了一扇观察和认识古希腊乃至欧洲文化的视窗。作为反映古希腊神只和英雄故事的《希腊神话故事》的确给人类的文化生活留下了丰富的精神遗产。
古代“希腊七贤”之一的哲学家泰利斯·封·弥勒特曾经说过：“神充斥一切！”他指出，古代的希腊人几乎都认为世界是神只创造并由神只统治的。尽管哲学家们把神只从形象到内含都解释得十分抽象，可是这一切并不影响人们对神只的信仰，因为对希腊人说来，没有神只的世界那是不可理喻的。认为神只就在身旁的意识逐步发展，最后成为希腊宗教。当然，希腊宗教并不是社会生活的特殊领域，它不仅作用于某一些时刻或者某一些隆重的场合，而且还具备穿透一切的力量。从这层意义上讲，希腊宗教成为孕育希腊文化的母体。
Mr. Clark, I'm afraid I have bad news," the doctor told his
patient. "You only have six months to live."
The man sat in stunned silence for the next several minutes.
"I can't possibly pay you in that time."
"Okay," the doctor said, "let's make it nine months."
九个月吧
“克拉克先生，有个坏讯息，你只有六个月可活了。”医生告诉他的病人。
病人惊呆了。“六个月我不可能付清医疗费。”
“好吧，”医生说，“那就九个月吧。”
The country Maid and Her Milk Can
村姑和牛奶罐
A country maid was walking along with a can of milk upon her head, when she fell into the following train of reflections.” The money for which I shall sell this milk will enable me to increase my stock of eggs to three hundred, These eggs, allowing for what may prove addle, and what may be destroyed by vermin, will produce at least o hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will be fit to carry to market just at the time when poultry is always dear; so that by the new year I cannot fail of having money enough to purchase a new gown. Green-let me consider-yes, green bees my plexion best. and green it shall be, In this dress I will go to the fair,where all young fellows will strive to have me for a parter;but no-I shall refuse every one of them,and with a disdainful toss turn from them." Transported with this idea, she could not forbear acting with her head the thought that passed in her mind, when down came the can of milk! And all her imaginary happiness vanished in a moment.
一个村姑头上顶着一罐牛奶在路上行走。走着走着，她的脑子里浮现出一连串的幻想：“我卖了这罐牛奶后，用这笔钱买鸡蛋，这样我有的鸡蛋可以增加到300个。用这300个鸡蛋孵小鸡，这就算有坏的、生虫的，至少也能孵出250只小鸡。等小鸡长大后，正好能赶上卖个好市价；那么到了新年，我就能有钱买一件新晚装。买一件绿色的——让我好好想想——对，绿色与我的肤色最相衬。我穿上这件衣服去赶集，所有的年轻小伙子都会抢著邀请我做舞伴；但是不行——我要轻蔑地把头一扬，转身过去不理他们，让他们人人都碰个钉子。她想得得意忘形，情不自禁地把头一扬，刹那间，牛奶罐跌了下来！她幻想的一切幸福间破灭了。
1. The Dog In The Manger（牛槽里的狗）
Once a dog was taking a nap in the manger of an ox. It was full of hay. But soon the ox came back from his work to the manger. He wanted to eat his own hay. Then the dog awoke, stood up and barked at the ox. The ox said to the dog, “Do you want to eat this hay, too?”
“Of course not,” said the dog.
“Then, go away and let me eat my own hay.”
“Oh, no. You go away and let me sleep.”
“What a selfish dog! He will neither eat the hay himself, nor let me eat it !” said the ox to himself.
2.The Lion, The Bear And The Fox（狮子、熊与狐狸）
Long ago a lion and a bear saw a kid. They sprang upon it at the same time. The lion said to the bear, “I caught this kid first, and so this is mine.”
"No, no," said the bear.“I found it earlier than you, so this is mine.” And they fought long and fiercely. At last both of them got very tired and could no longer fight.
A fox who hid himself behind a tree not far away and was watching the fight beeen the lion and the bear, came out and walked in beeen them, and ran off with the kid.
The lion and the bear both saw the fox, but they could not even catch the fox.
The lion said to the bear, “We have fought for nothing. That sly fox has got the kid away.”
3.The Boys And The Frogs（男孩与青蛙）
One spring day some naughty boys were playing near a pond. They began to throw stones into the water. In the pond lived many frogs were much afraid of the boys, for the stones hurt some of the frogs. At last an old frog lifted his head out of the water and said, “Boys, please don’t throw stones at us.”
The boys said, “We are only playing.” “I know that, but please s throwing stones, my boys. What is play to you is death to us,” said the old frog.
So the boys sped throwing stones and went away.
4.The Two Travelers（两个旅人）
Many years ago o men were traveling together They were walking along a road in the wood.
Then they found a beautiful ax on the ground. One of them picked it up and said, “Look here have found an ax.”
“Don't say I, but we have found the ax,” said the other “We are friends. We ought to share it beeen us.”
“No,” said the first one, “I found the ax, so it is mine.”
Soon after they heard someone running after them. They looked back. They found He called out, “S, thieves! S, thieves !”
The first traveler said, “What shall we do? He is running after us. We shall be caught by him.” “Don't say we, but I shall be caught. You found the ax, and you say it is yours,” said the other, and left him alone.
The first traveler tried to hide the ax, but he did not know where to hide it. And at last he was caught by the owner of the ax.
5.The Ant And The Dove（蚂蚁与鸽子）
One day a little ant was walking along the bank of a stream. His foot slipped and he fell into the water. “Oh, help, help!” cried the ant. A dove was sitting on a branch of a tree over the stream and heard his cry of help. “Oh, poor ant!” said the dove. “I will help the ant.”
The dove pulled off a leaf and dropped it near the ant. “Here is a leaf. Climb on it,” said the dove. The ant climbed on it at once and floated to the bank.
A few days after this a hunter found the dove and was going to shoot her. Just then the ant passed by and said to himself, “This time I must help the dove.” The ant ran to the hunter and bit his foot hard. The hunter sprang up and missed to shoot the dove. The dove said to the ant, “Thank you very much, my little friend. You have saved my life,” and she could fly away happily.
6. The Cock And The Jewel（公鸡与宝石）
One fine morning, a cock said to the hens and chickens, “Come, let us go out to find some food. We have not had our breakfast yet.”
Then the cock began to dig the soft earth. Suddenly he cried, “Look, look! I have found something strange. I wonder what it is. It is like a ball. But it is not a stone. It may be an egg of some bird.”
The hens heard his cry and came around him. One of them said, “Dear me! This is not an egg, but a jewel. Someone has lost it.” A chicken asked, “Can we eat it?” “No,” said the hen, “It is very precious to human beings, but it is of no use to us; we cannot eat it. Throw it away and try to find some worms. I want to have one worm than all the jewels in the world.”