The Wolf And The Lean Dog

狼和瘦狗

by Aesop

出自《伊索寓言》

A Wolf prowling near a village one evening met a Dog. It happened to be a very lean and bony Dog, and Master Wolf would have turned up his nose at such meager fare had he not been more hungry than usual. So he began to edge toward the Dog, while the Dog backed away.

一天傍晚，一隻正在村子附近遊蕩的狼遇見了一隻狗。這隻狗瘦骨嶙峋，要不是狼大師這會兒比平常更餓的話，他一定會對這麼少的食物不屑一顧的。於是他開始向狗靠近，而狗就往後退。

"Let me remind your lordship," said the Dog, his words interrupted now and then as he dodged a snap of the Wolf's teeth, "how unpleasant it would be to eat me now. Look at my ribs. I am nothing but skin and bone. But let me tell you something in private. In a few days my master will give a wedding feast for his only daughter. You can guess how fine and fat I will grow on the scraps from the table. Then is the time to eat me."

“大人，讓我提醒您，”狗說，他的話不時在躲閃狼的撕咬時打斷，“現在把我吃掉是多麼不愉快啊!看我的肋骨。我瘦得皮包骨頭。但是讓我私下告訴你一些事情。再過幾天，我主人要為他唯一的女兒舉行婚宴。你可以猜到我在桌上的殘羹剩飯上會長得多好多胖。然後就是吃我的時候了。”

The Wolf could not help thinking how nice it would be to have a fine fat Dog to eat instead of the scrawny object before him. So he went away pulling in his belt and promising to return.

狼不禁想，要是有一條又肥又好的狗來吃，而不是面前這個骨瘦如柴的東西，那該有多好啊!於是他勒緊腰帶，答應會再回來。

Some days later the Wolf came back for the promised feast. He found the Dog in his master's yard, and asked him to come out and be eaten.

幾天後，狼為了那允諾的美餐又來了。他在狗主人的院子裡發現了這隻狗，就叫他趕快出來引頸受戮。

"Sir," said the Dog, with a grin, "I shall be delighted to have you eat me. I'll be out as soon as the porter opens the door."

“先生，”狗笑著說，“我很高興讓你吃了我。看門的一開門，我就出去。”

But the "porter" was a huge Dog whom the Wolf knew by painful experience to be very unkind toward wolves. So he decided not to wait and made off as fast as his legs could carry him.

但是“看門的”是一隻巨大的狗，狼從痛苦的經歷中知道它對狼非常不友好。所以他決定不等了，儘快地離開了。

Do not depend on the promises of those whose interest it is to deceive you.

寓意1：不要信賴那些只會欺騙你的諾言。

Take what you can get when you can get it.

寓意2：過了這個村兒，就沒有這個店了。