A baby mole[鼴鼠] got to feeling big,
And wanted to show how he could dig;
So he plowed[犁耕] along in the soft, warm dirt
Till he hit something hard, and it surely hurt!
A dozen stars flew out of his snout[口鼻部];
He sat on his haunches[腿臀部], began to pout[撅嘴];
Then rammed[撞擊] the thing again with his head—
His grandpa picked him up half dead.
“Young man,” he said, “though your pate[腦袋] is bone.
You can't butt[碰撞] your way through solid stone.
This bit of advice is good, I've found:
If you can't go over or under, go round.”
一只小鼴鼠,幻想已長大,
一心想昭示,刨地也厲害,
于是它往溫軟的土地里刨呀刨,
直到撞上硬物,痛楚襲來!
它兩眼冒星,
坐起腰身,撅起小嘴,
繼續(xù)用頭猛撞那塊硬物——
爺爺發(fā)現(xiàn)了奄奄一息的它。
“小伙子,”爺爺說,“雖然你的頭很硬,
也擊不碎堅固的石頭。
我給你一個好忠告,
假若進退無路,便另辟奇徑?!?
A traveler came to a stream one day,
And because it presumed[假定] to cross his way,
And wouldn't turn round to suit his whim[一時的興致]
And change its course to go with him,
His anger rose far more than it should,
And he vowed he'd cross right where he stood.
A man said there was a bridge below,
But not a step would he budge[挪動] or go.
The current was swift and the bank was steep,
But he jumped right in with a violent leap.
A fisherman dragged him out half-drowned:
“When you can't go over or under, go round.”
某日,一位旅者來到河邊,
河流擋住了他設想的道路,
不因他的想法而改變方向,
不隨他的步伐而改變河道,
他平添許多怒火,
發(fā)誓將于原地渡河。
有人告訴他,下游有橋可借道,
他卻寸步不肯挪動。
河流湍急,河岸陡峭,
他仍奮身跳入河中。
漁夫救起幾近溺死的他,告誡說:
“假若進退無路,便另辟奇徑。”
If you come to a place that you can't get through,
Or over or under, the thing to do
Is to find a way round the impassable wall,
Not say you'll go YOUR way or not at all.
You can always get to the place you're going,
If you'll set your sails as the wind is blowing.
If the mountains are high, go round the valley;
If the streets are blocked, go up some alley;
If the parlor-car[特等客車]'s filled, don't scorn[不屑] a freight[貨運列車];
If the front door's closed, go in the side gate.
To reach your goal this advice is sound:
If you can't go over or under, go round!
假如你遇到阻礙,
進退不得,唯一的解決方法
就是另辟奇徑,繞開這翻不過的墻,
而非堅持己見,或置之不理。
你永遠能到達你夢想的彼岸,只需
隨風起航,
繞谷翻山,
阻道取徑,
客隨貨運,
閉門入側(cè)。
想達到目標,這一建議大有裨益:
假若進退無路,便另辟奇徑!