漁夫的笛聲 The Fisherman Piping

  A FISHERMAN skilled in music took his flute and his nets to the seashore.  Standing on a projecting rock, he played several tunes in the hope that the fish, attracted by his melody, would of their own accord dance into his net, which he had placed below.  At last, having long waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea, made an excellent haul of fish.  When he saw them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said: "O you most perverse creatures, when I piped you would not dance, but now that I have ceased you do so merrily."

  有一個會吹簫的漁夫，帶著他心愛的簫和漁網(wǎng)來到了海邊。他先站在一塊突出的巖石上，吹起簫來，心想魚聽到這美妙音樂就會自己跳到他的前面來的。他聚精會神地吹了好久，毫無結(jié)果。他只好將簫放下，拿起網(wǎng)來，向水里撒去，結(jié)果捕到了許多的魚。他將網(wǎng)中的魚一條條地扔到岸上，并對亂蹦亂跳的魚說：“喂，你們這些不識好歹的東西！我吹簫

時，你們不跳舞，現(xiàn)在我不吹了，你們倒跳了起來。”這故事適用于那些做事不擇時機的人們。