One day, a king was travelling in his own land. He saw a farmer so absorbed in his work that he did not even notice a snake coiling round his leg.
一天，国王在他的国家巡游，看见一个农夫正专心地锄地，以至连一条蛇缠住他的腿都没有发觉。
The king shouted,“Dear man, there is a snake on your leg!”
国王大声惊叫起来：“汉子，你的腿被一条蛇缠住了呀！”
The farmer just shook the snake off and continued his work.
农夫抖了抖腿把蛇甩开，然后继续锄地。
The king was very curious and asked,“Dear man, don't you know that the snake can harm you? You ignored it and kept working. Is the work more important than your life?”
国王感到很奇怪，问：“汉子，你不知道那蛇会咬伤你吗？你却满不在乎地干活，难道干活比你的命还重要吗？”
The farmer said,“Your Majesty, the only thing that is threatening me is not the snake but the food. If I don't work hard, when the next spring comes, my family members will starve to death!”
农夫说：“陛下，真正威胁我生命的不是蛇，而是食物。如果我不拼命耕作，明年春天一到，我一家老小就全饿死了！”
The king sympathized with the farmer and he instructed his prime minister to give the farmer a big sum of money.
国王听了，很同情这个农夫的处境，他命令首相给了农夫一大笔救济金。
A year later, the king met the farmer again. He was well dressed and looked rather plump. He was not farming now but there was a bandage on his right arm.
一年后，国王又遇见了那个农夫。他衣着华丽，脑满肠肥，甚为富裕。他没有锄地，右臂缠着绷带。
The king asked him,“Dear man, what happened to your arm?”
国王上前问他：“汉子，你的胳膊怎么啦？”
“Your Majesty,”the farmer replied,“my finger was pricked by a thorn on the pumpkin. Now I need a rest to take care of my arm.”
“陛下！”农夫答道，“我的手指被南瓜刺扎了一下。现在我需要休息来养养胳膊。”
The king was astonished.“When you were such a poor man, you were not afraid of a snake bite. You only kept working hard. But now you need a rest after being pricked by a little thorn on the pumpkin!”
国王惊叹道：“啊！想当年你穷的时候，蛇都不怕，拼命地干活。现在让南瓜刺扎了一下就想歇息了！”
The farmer said,“Your Majesty, you have forgotten what people usually say: that was before, now it is different!”
农夫说：“尊敬的国王，您忘了人们常说：此一时，彼一时嘛！”
The Clever King Solomon
Long, long ago, there was a king. Solomon was his name. He was very clever.
In his country, there were two women. They lived in the same house and each had a child.
One night, one of the babies died. The dead baby’s mother took the other woman’s baby, and put it in her own bed.
The next morning ， they had a quarrel.
“No, this is my baby!” The dead is yours!”
Each one wanted the living baby. So they went to see King Solomon.
“Bring me a knife, cut the child into two and five each woman one half.” said the King.
“Oh. Your Majesty! Give her my baby. Please don’t kill my baby!”
Then King Solomon pointed to the woman in teas and said, “Give the baby to her. She is the mother.”
聪明的国王所罗门
很久很久之前，有一位国王，他的名字叫所罗门，他非常聪明。
在他的国家里，有两位妇女，她们住在同一间房子里。各有一个婴儿。
一天夜里，其中一个婴儿死了。他的妈妈抱另一位妇女的小孩，把他放在自己的床上。
第二天早上，他们发生了争吵。
“不，这是我的孩子！这个死的是你的！”
他们都想要这个活着的孩子，于是她们去见所罗门国王。
“给我拿把刀来，把这个孩子切成两半，没人一半。”国王判决道。
“哦，陛下，把我的孩子给她吧。请不要杀了我的孩子！”一位母亲哭喊道。
于是所罗门指着流泪的妇女说：“把孩子给她，她是真正的母亲。”
公鸡和宝玉
A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious stone and exclaimed: "If your owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world."
一只公鸡在田野里为自己和母鸡们寻找食物。他发现了一块宝玉，便对宝玉说：“若不是我，而是你的主人找到了你，他会非常珍惜地把你捡起来；但我发现了你却毫无用处。我 与其得到世界上一切宝玉，倒不如得到一颗麦子好。”
这是说自己需要的东西才是真正珍贵的。
The Kingdom of the Lion狮子国王
THE BEASTS of the field and forest had a Lion as their king. He was neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a king could be. During his reign he made a royal proclamation for a general
assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up conditions for a universal league, in which the Wolf and the Lamb, the Panther and the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, should live together in
perfect peace and amity. The Hare said, "Oh, how I have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their place with impunity by the side of the strong." And after the Hare said this, he ran for his life.
有只狮子做了国王，他善良、温和，与人一样和平、公正。在他的统治下，惩恶扬善， 裁决动物之间的纠纷，使所有的动物和睦相处。胆小的兔子说：“我祈祷能得到这样的日 子，那时弱者就不怕被强者伤害了。” 然后赶紧逃命去了。