短篇英文童話故事

　　 井蛙之樂

　　A frog lived in a shallow well.

　　One day, it met beside the well a large soft-shelled turtle which had just crawled up from the sea.

　　The frog bragged1 to the turtle: "Look, how happy I am to live here! When I feel glad, I would bounce for a while near the well; and when I am tired, I would return to the well to sleep and rest for a while by the brick hole. Sometimes, I would quietly soak my whole body in the water, showing only my head and mouth. Sometimes, I would stroll in the soft mud, which is very comfortable. None of those tiny crabs2 and tadpoles3 can compare with me. I am the master of this well, free and unrestrained. Why don't you come often to play in the well?"

　　Hearing this, the turtle was itching4 to go down to take a look. But before he put his left foot into the well, his right foot stumbled. He quickly retreated two steps and told the frog about the sea: "Have you ever seen the sea? The sea is very, very wide, over 1,000 1i. The sea is very, very deep, over 1,000 zhang ***3'/3 metres***. In ancient times, in nine years out of ten there were floods, but the water in the sea did not rise much. Later, in seven years out of eight there were droughts, but the water in the sea did not drop much. Neither big floods nor big droughts can affect the sea. Only living in the sea can you feel real happiness!"

　　Amazed at what the big turtle had said, the frog was dumbstruck.

　　一隻青蛙住在一口淺井裡。

　　有一天青蛙在井邊碰上了一隻剛從海里爬上來的大鱉。

　　青蛙對大鱉誇口說“你看我住在這裡多麼快樂!高興了就在井邊跳躍一陣子疲倦了就回到井裡睡在磚洞邊上休息一會兒。有時候我靜靜地把全身泡在水裡只露出頭和嘴巴有時候在軟綿綿的泥漿裡散散步也很舒服。那些螃琪和蛾鮮它們誰也比不上我。我是這個井的主人自由自在你為什麼不常到井裡來遊玩遊玩呢”

　　大鱉聽了青蛙的話心裡癢癢的準備下去看看。但是它的左腳還沒伸進去右腳就已經絆住了。它連忙後退了兩步把大海的情形告訴青蛙說“你見過大海嗎海很大很大哪止千里;海很深很深哪止千丈。古時候十年裡有九年發大水。但是海里的水漲高不了多少。後來八年裡有七年要大旱可是海里的水也不見得淺了多少。大澇和大旱都影響不了大海。住在大海里才是真正的快樂呢”

　　聽了大鱉的這一番話青蛙非常吃驚呆在那裡無話可說了。

　　 斑鴻說嫋

　　One day, an owl1 flew persistently2 towards the east till it was completelyexhausted3, so it stopped in a forest to take a rest. It happened that a turtledove was also resting there. Hearing the panting of the owl, it asked: "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

　　The owl said: "I am moving to the east."

　　The turtledove asked closely: "Why?"

　　The owl said: "The people in the west all say my cry is unpleasant and dislike me I cannot stay there any longer. I must move to a new place."

　　The turtledove said: "Can you solve your problem by changing a place? In my opinion, no matter where you move to, it won't help."

　　The owl felt rather angry at the words of the turtledove, but it still asked in surprise: "Can you forecast the future?"

　　The turtledove said: "This is very simple. If you don't change your cry, the people in the east will dislike you all the same."

　　一天貓頭鷹一個勁兒地向東方飛去飛得精疲力盡停在樹林裡休息。一隻斑鴻恰巧也在那裡休息聽見貓頭鷹呼味呼味地喘氣就對貓頭鷹說“你這樣急急忙忙地趕路去哪兒呀”

　　貓頭鷹說“我想到東方去住。”

　　斑雞追問“為什麼”

　　貓頭鷹說“西邊的人都說我叫的聲音很難聽都討厭我。在那兒我住不下去了非換個地方不可”

　　斑鴻說“難道換個地方就可以解決問題嗎我看不管你搬到哪裡去都沒有用”

　　貓頭鷹覺得斑塢的話太氣人便驚奇地問“你能未卜先知”

　　斑雞說“這很簡單如果你不改變你的叫聲那麼東邊的人也一樣會討厭你的”

　　 井中撈月

　　A long time ago, there was a Bo Luo Nai City in the State of Jia Shi. Outside the city was a large forest, where 500 macaques lived.

　　One night the 500 macaques wandered around and came to a ni ju lu ***bodhi*** tree. Under the tree was a deep ancient well. The water in the well was very clean and reflected the full moon in the sky.

　　The leading macaque bent1 over the well and watched carefully for a while. Then it jumped onto the edge of the well and said to the others: "Alas2! Today the moon has died and fallen into this well. Let us scoop3 it up together; otherwise the nights will be dark forever."

　　All the macaques tweaked their ears and scratched their cheeks, saying:"The well is so deep. How can we scoop up the moon?"

　　The leading macaque had a sudden brainwave and said: "I have it! I will climb up the tree and grasp a branch, then another one grasps my tail. In this way, one following another in succession4, can't we hang down into the well?"

　　When the other macaques heard this, they jumped with joy. So they linked their heads and tails together, extending5 longer and longer until they almost touched the surface of the well water. At this moment, the branch broke with a big crack and all 500 macaques fell into the ancient well.

　　很久以前在伽屍國有一座波羅奈城。城外有一片大森林森林裡生活著五百隻稱猴。

　　有一天晚上五百隻稱猴到處遊逛來到了一棵尼俱律樹畔。樹下有一口很深的古井井水清悠悠的映出了天上的一輪圓月。

　　領頭的稱猴俯在井邊仔細一陣然後跳到井臺上對大家說“不好了今天月亮死了就落在這口井中。讓我們一起把它撈出來不然的話夜晚就永遠黑暗了。”

　　眾猴聽了個個抓耳撓腮說:“井這麼深怎樣才能把月亮撈起來呢”

　　領頭的稱猴靈機一動說:“辦法有了!我爬上樹抓住樹枝然後另一個抓住我的尾巴這樣一個一個接下去不就可以垂到井裡去了嗎”

　　大家一聽都高興得歡蹦亂跳。於是猴們頭尾相連越接越長眼看就要碰到水面了。這時候只聽見咔嚓一聲巨響樹枝斷了五百隻稱猴統統掉進了古井。