The Miser

守財奴

by Aesop

出自《伊索寓言》

A Miser had buried his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure and counted it piece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what it was the Miser had hidden, and one night quietly dug up the treasure and made off with it.

某個守財奴把他的金子悄悄地埋在了自己的花園裡。每天，他都會去把那些財寶挖出來，一個一個地數啊數，好確保一個子兒都不少。如此來來回回的神祕舉動，吸引了一個盜賊的關注，並猜出了那個守財奴藏的是什麼，某一天深夜，這個盜賊就跑去悄悄地挖出並偷走了這些寶貝。

When the Miser discovered his loss, he was overcome with grief and despair. He groaned and cried and tore his hair.

等到這個守財奴發現財寶都丟失的時候，他的心裡充滿了悔恨和絕望。一邊呻吟，一邊痛哭，還一邊扯著自己的頭髮。

A passerby heard his cries and asked what had happened.

一個過路人聽到了他的哭聲，就問起發生了什麼。

"My gold! O my gold!" cried the Miser, wildly, "someone has robbed me!"

“我的金子啊！老天爺！我的金子啊！”守財奴發瘋了一樣的哭喊道，“我被人搶劫了！”

"Your gold! There in that hole? Why did you put it there? Why did you not keep it in the house where you could easily get it when you had to buy things?"

“你的金子！是在那個坑裡嗎？你為什麼會放在那裡？你怎麼不放在你屋裡呢？那樣的話，你想買東西的時候，就很容易拿出來了啊？”

"Buy!" screamed the Miser angrily. "Why, I never touched the gold. I couldn't think of spending any of it."

“買？”守財奴生氣地吼叫道。“噢，我從未碰過這些金子。我根本不願意用它們去買什麼東西。”

The stranger picked up a large stone and threw it into the hole.

那個陌生人撿起一塊很大的石頭，並扔進了守財奴挖的坑裡。

"If that is the case," he said, "cover up that stone. It is worth just as much to you as the treasure you lost!"

“這樣的話，”他建議到，“把那石頭埋起來吧。對你來說，它就跟你那些失竊的財寶一樣值錢。”

A possession is worth no more than the use we make of it.

寓意：一樣東西如果藏著不用就沒有什麼價值。