狐貍和馬

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

A peasant had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more work, so his master no longer wanted to give him anything to eat and said, "I can certainly make no more use of you, but still I mean well by you, and if you prove yourself still strong enough to bring me a lion here, I will maintain you. But for now get out of my stable." And with that he chased him into the open field.

The horse was sad, and went to the forest to seek a little protection there from the weather. There the fox met him and said, "Why do you hang your head so, and go about all alone?"

"Alas," replied the horse, "greed and loyalty do not dwell together in one house. My master has forgotten what services I have performed for him for so many years, and because I can no longer plow well, he will give me no more food, and has driven me out."

"Without giving you a chance?" asked the fox.

"The chance was a bad one. He said, if I were still strong enough to bring him a lion, he would keep me, but he well knows that I cannot do that."

The fox said, "I will help you. Just lie down, stretch out as if you were dead, and do not stir."

The horse did what the fox asked, and then the fox went to the lion, who had his den not far off, and said, "A dead horse is lying out there. Just come with me, and you can have a rich meal."

The lion went with him, and when they were both standing by the horse the fox said, "After all, it is not very comfortable for you here —— I tell you what —— I will fasten it to you by the tail, and then you can drag it into your cave and eat it in peace."

This advice pleased the lion. He positioned himself, and in order that the fox might tie the horse fast to him, he kept completely quiet. But the fox tied the lion's legs together with the horse's tail, and twisted and fastened everything so well and so strongly that no amount of strength could pull it loose. When he had finished his work, he tapped the horse on the shoulder and said, "Pull, white horse, pull!"

Then up sprang the horse at once, and pulled the lion away with him. The lion began to roar so that all the birds in the forest flew up in terror, but the horse let him roar, and drew him and dragged him across the field to his master's door. When the master saw the lion, he was of a better mind, and said to the horse, "You shall stay with me and fare well." And he gave him plenty to eat until he died.

一個農夫有一匹勤勤懇懇、任勞任怨為他干活的馬,但這匹馬現在已經老了,干活也不行了,所以,農夫不想再給馬吃東西。他對馬說:“我再也用不著你了,你自己離開馬廄走吧,到你比一頭獅子更強壯時,我自然會把你牽回來的。”

說完,他打開門,讓馬自己去謀生去了。

這匹可憐的馬非常悲哀,它在森林里茫無目標地到處徘徊,寒風夾著細雨,更增加了它的痛楚,它想尋找一個小小的避雨處。不久,它遇到了一只狐貍,狐貍問它:“我的好朋友,你怎么了?為甚么垂頭喪氣,一副孤苦伶仃、愁眉苦臉的樣子呢?”馬嘆了一口氣回答說:“哎——!公正和吝嗇不能住在一間房子里。我的主人完全忘了我這許多年為他辛辛苦苦所干的一切,因為我不能再干活了,他就把我趕了出來,說除非我變得比一頭獅子更強壯,他才會重新收留我。我有這樣的能力嗎?其實,主人是知道我沒有這樣的能力的,要不然,他也不會這樣說了。”

狐貍聽了之后,要它別愁了,只管放心,說道:“我來幫助你,你躺在那兒,把身子伸直,裝做死了的樣子,我自有辦法。”馬按狐貍的吩咐做了。狐貍跑到獅子住的洞口邊,對獅子說:“獅子大王,有條小路上躺著一匹死馬,我們一同去,你可以作一頓很不錯的午餐來享受哩。”獅子聽了非常高興,立即就動身了。

它們來到馬躺的地方,狐貍說:“在這兒你吃不完它,我告訴你怎么辦:先讓我把它的尾巴牢牢地綁在你的身上,然后你就能夠將它拖回你的洞穴去慢慢地享用了。”獅子對這個建議很欣賞。於是它一動不動地躺下來,讓狐貍把它綁在馬背上。但狐貍卻設法將它的腿捆在一起,用最大的力氣把獅子牢牢地捆作一團,獅子沒法掙脫束縛了。

一切料理完畢,狐貍拍了拍馬的肩背說道:“起來吧!老馬頭,你可以走了!”那匹馬跳起來,把獅子拖在尾巴后面離開了。獅子知道上了狐貍的當,開始咆哮吼叫起來,巨大的吼聲把樹上所有的鳥兒都嚇得飛走了。但老馬隨便它怎么叫,只管自己慢慢悠悠地走過田野,終於把獅子拖到了主人的屋里。

它對主人說:“主人,獅子在這兒,我把它料理妥當了。”當主人看見它的這匹老馬后,對它產生了憐憫之心,說道:“你就住在馬廄里吧,我會好好待你的。”於是,這匹可憐的老馬又有了吃的東西,主人一直供養(yǎng)它到死去。