两头驴

思年

A wild donkey once met a tame donkey feeding on a hillside. The wild donkey was thin and small.

He spent his life out of doors， sheltering as best he could in the cold weather and eating the sparse hill grass all the year around.

He sometimes had to walk miles to find fresh water and at night there was always danger from prowling wolves.

The tame donkey was sleek and fat. During the summer he fed on the rich meadow grass while in winter he was given corn and hay to eat.

There was always a pail of fresh water for him to drink and at night he was shut safely in a stable. “How lucky you are！” said the wild donkey，“I wish I could live like you.”

A few days later the wild donkey was once more foraging on the hillside. Looking down he saw the tame donkey walking slowly along the road， carrying a heavy load of wood.

As he watched， the tame donkey paused to enrich at a thistle growing by the roadside， immediately his driver began to shout and to beat him with a stick.

“Ive changed my mind about your way of life！” thought the wild donkey， “I see that you have to pay heavily for the corn and hay they gives you.”

有一次，一頭野驴看到一头家驴正在山坡上吃草。生活在野外的野驴又瘦又小。

天气寒冷时，它还得努力找个较好的藏身之处，山上零星的小草就是它平日的食物。

有时，为了找到干净的水源解渴，它不得不跑到几英里外的地方。晚上它还要提防到处觅食的狼群。

可那头家驴却肥肥壮壮的。夏天，牧场里丰美的鲜草可以任它享用。冬天，有人为它准备了谷物和干草。

那儿总有一桶它可以随时饮用的干净水，到了晚上，它可以在牲口棚里放心地过夜。“你太幸运了！”野驴说，“我真羡慕你那种生活。”

数天后，野驴又来到山坡上吃草。它俯身向山下望去，看到家驴正驮着沉重的木头，缓慢地沿着路边走着。

当野驴看着的时候，家驴想停下来吃路边的蓟草，赶驴人马上对它大吼，并用棍子抽打它。

“我不想过你那样的生活了！”野驴心想，“我终于知道了，要得到主人的谷物和干草，你必须付出沉重的代价。”

【Notes】

①tame [teIm] adj. 驯服的，柔顺的

②sparse [spɑ？蘼s] adj. 稀少的，稀疏的

③meadow [？謖med？藜？尬] n. 草地，牧场

④corn [k？蘅？蘼n] n. 谷物，玉米

⑤hay [heI] n. 干草

⑥stable [？謖steIbl] adj. 稳定的，安定的

⑦enrich [In？謖rIt？蘩] vt. 使肥沃，使富足