那些給我智慧和勇氣的寓言故事10：玩物喪志

　　This is a very well-known story that teaches us a lot about using our time wisely.

　　這是一個大家熟知的故事，它告訴我們要明智地利用時間。

　　A grasshopper was playing on his violin where the ants were busy collecting food.

　　蚱蜢在拉小提琴，而螞蟻卻在忙著收集食物。

　　“It's the grasshopper again!”they said.“He's always playing that violin of his. He never seems to do any work.”

　　“又是蚱蜢。”它們說，“它總是在拉小提琴，似乎從來不工作。”

　　The grasshopper stopped when he saw the ants.“Why are you working on such a beautiful day?”he asked.“Don't you feel the gaiety of spring? Why aren't you dancing and singing while I play my violin?”

　　蚱蜢看見螞蟻后停了下來。“這么好的天氣，干嗎工作呢?”它問道，“你們不覺得在春天心情是多么舒暢嗎?我拉小提琴的時候，你們可以唱唱歌，跳跳舞啊!”

　　“We must collect food now,”said the Queen of ants.“If we don't, what will we do when winter comes?”

　　“現(xiàn)在我們必須要收集食物。”蟻后說，“否則，我們冬天怎么辦呢?”

　　“Oh, winter's a long way off,”said the grasshopper.“You take life much too seriously.”

　　“哦，冬天還很遠呢!”蚱蜢說道，“你們對待生活太認真啦。”

　　“But you must work today if you want to eat tomorrow,”said the little ant.“You can play your violin after you have finished working,”said another as the ants scurried busily about.

　　“但是，今天的工作是為了明天的生活。”小螞蟻說。“你做完工作后再拉小提琴啊。”另一只忙于工作的螞蟻說。

　　The grasshopper didn't wish to heed their advice,“Go on with your work, my little friends,”he said.“I'm going to dance in the meadow in the sun!”And so the grasshopper left the busy ants and went on his way, singing.

　　蚱蜢卻從來沒有聽從螞蟻的建議。“我的小朋友們，你們繼續(xù)工作吧。”它說，“我要到陽光照耀下的草地上跳舞去了。”蚱蜢唱著歌離開了忙碌的螞蟻。

　　The spring soon passed and the warm days of summer came. All day long the grasshopper played his violin as he sat in the sun or just slept on a blade of grass. Soon summer was over.

　　春天很快過去了，炎熱的夏天來了。蚱蜢只是整日坐在太陽下，或躺在草葉上拉小提琴。很快夏天也結(jié)束了。

　　One morning, the grasshopper woke up and was surprised to see that snow had fallen during the night. He shivered and looked for a great leaf for food. But although he searched and searched he could not find a thing. The long winter had come.

　　一天早上，蚱蜢醒來后驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)昨天晚上下雪了。它哆嗦著想去尋找一片大葉子作食物，但是它找啊找，可是什么也沒找到。漫長的冬天到來了。

　　“Oh dear, oh dear! What shall I do?”cried the grasshopper,“I shall die of hunger. I shall freeze to death!”

　　“哦，天哪!我該怎么辦呢?”蚱蜢哀號著，“我要被餓死、凍死了。”

　　The grasshopper wandered around looking for a place to keep warm but there was no such place.“How silly I was not to listen to the ants. While I am dying of cold and hunger they are sitting in their warm nest with plenty to eat.”

　　蚱蜢四處徘徊著想找一個御寒的地方，但是根本找不到。“我真是太傻了，沒有聽螞蟻的話。我快要被凍死餓死的時候，它們卻待在溫暖的巢穴里，不愁吃的。”

　　And sobbing loudly, the grasshopper sat down in the snow. The ants heard his cry and as they were really kind creatures they came hurrying to help him.

　　蚱蜢坐在雪地上大哭起來。善良的螞蟻聽到它的哭聲后，急忙趕來幫忙。

　　By this time the poor grasshopper was frozen stiff. The ants picked him up and carried him to their nest.

　　等它們到那兒，可憐的蚱蜢已經(jīng)凍僵了。螞蟻把它扶起來，抬到它們的巢穴里。

　　They looked after the grasshopper until he felt better and spring had returned again. Never did the grasshopper forget the lesson he had been taught.

　　它們一直照料著蚱蜢直到它好轉(zhuǎn)，這時春天也來了。從此，蚱蜢再也沒有忘記曾經(jīng)的教訓。

　　單詞注解

　　ashore [?'???] ad.在岸上;在陸上;上岸

　　gaiety ['ɡei?ti]n.快樂;作樂

　　heed [hi:d] v.聽某人的勸告;留心

　　stiff [stif] a.僵硬的;不靈活的

　　實用句型

　　Sir, you see the sun would soon rise and the tide will ebb away.

　　先生，你知道嗎，太陽很快就要升起來了，潮水也會退去。

　　All day long the grasshopper played his violin as he sat in the sun or just slept on a blade of grass.

　　蚱蜢只是整日坐在太陽下，或躺在草葉上拉小提琴。

　　智慧點津

　　The assist of one person is tiny. But to those who badly need the help, it makes a difference.

　　一個人的力量是渺小的，但是對于那些需要這些幫助的人來說，那將是莫大的安慰。

　　Do right things at the proper time, or it's too late to regret for what has passed.

　　在合適的時節(jié)做應該做的事，否則，錯過時節(jié)才醒悟為時已晚。