Ngụ ngôn Aesop được cho là do Aesop, một nhà văn Hy Lạp cổ đại thu thập và edit lại. Aesop là tác giả của rất nhiều câu chuyện ngụ ngôn nổi tiếng trên thế giới và đã được truyền khẩu và được sưu tập qua nhiều thế kỷ và bằng nhiều ngôn ngữ khác nhau Nó có những nét tương đương với ngụ ngôn Âu Châu là lấy con vật làm biểu tượng trong cốt truyện kể để mang theo lời khuyên về đạo đức trong cuộc sống.
Sói Sói!!!
Bữa thứ hai dân làng đang làm việc nó cũng chạy về làm vẻ lo sợ la toáng lên:
Đến một ngày nọ, trời chạng vạng tối thằng bé sắp lùa cừu về thì một con sói hung tợn xồ bắt cừu. Lần này thằng bé hoảng sợ thật tình chạy về làng la rất lớn:
Không ai còn tin những kẻ hay nói dối ngay cả khi họ nói thật.
The Shepherd Boy &
the Wolf
A
Shepherd Boy tended his master's Sheep near a dark forest not far from the
village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do to amuse
himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd's pipe. One day as he
sat watching the Sheep and the quiet forest, and thinking what he would do
should he see a Wolf, he thought of a plan to amuse himself.
His
Master had told him to call for help should a Wolf attack the flock, and the Villagers
would drive it away. So now, though he had not seen anything that even looked
like a Wolf, he ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice,
"Wolf! Wolf!"As he expected, the Villagers who heard the cry dropped
their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they got there
they found the Boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.
A
few days later the Shepherd Boy again shouted, "Wolf! Wolf!" Again
the Villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.
Then
one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were
creeping out over the pasture, a Wolf really did spring from the underbrush and
fall upon the Sheep.In terror the Boy ran toward the village shouting
"Wolf! Wolf!" But though the Villagers heard the cry, they did not
run to help him as they had before. "He cannot fool us again," they
said.
The
Wolf killed a great many of the Boy's sheep and then slipped away into the
forest.
·
Liars
are not believed even when they speak the truth.
The Frogs & the Ox
An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud.
The old Frog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and sisters what had become of him.
"A great big monster," said one of them, "stepped on little brother with one of his huge feet!"
"Big, was he!" said the old Frog, puffing herself up. "Was he as big as this?"
"Oh, much bigger!" they cried
The Frog puffed up still more.
He could not have been bigger than this," she said. But the little Frogs all declared that the monster was much, much bigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more until, all at once, she burst.
-
Do not attempt the impossible.
Nhưng chưa hết cơn vui mừng thì có một con chuột già lụ khụ run run đứng lên:
Belling the Cat
The Mice once
called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the
Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so
they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they
lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their
dens by night or day.
Many plans were
discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last a very young Mouse
got up and said:
"I have a
plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful.
All we have to
do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we
will know immediately that our enemy is coming."
All the Mice
were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the
midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:
"I will
say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question:
Who will bell the Cat?"
·
It is one
thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do
it
The Tortoise & the Ducks
The Tortoise,
you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot
leave home. They say that Jupiter punished him so, because he was such a lazy
stay-at-home that he would not go to Jupiter's wedding, even when especially
invited.
After many
years, Tortoise began to wish he had gone to that wedding. When he saw how
gaily the birds flew about and how the Hare and the Chipmunk and all the other
animals ran nimbly by, always eager to see everything there was to be seen, the
Tortoise felt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too, and
there he was with a house on his back and little short legs that could hardly
drag him along. One day he met a pair
of Ducks and told them all his trouble.
"We can help you to see the world," said the Ducks. "Take
hold of this stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the air
where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or you will be
sorry." The Tortoise was
very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly with his teeth, the two Ducks took
hold of it one at each end, and away they sailed up toward the clouds.Just then
a Crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the strange sight and cried: "This must surely be the King of
Tortoises!"
"Why certainly—" began the Tortoise. But as he
opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his hold on the stick, and
down he fell to the ground, where he was dashed to pieces on a rock.
·
Foolish
curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune.
The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse
A
Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. For lunch the
Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water
for drink. The Town Mouse ate very sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a
little of that, and by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple
food only to be polite.
After the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town Mouse
talked about her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. They then
went to bed in a cozy nest in the hedgerow and slept in quiet and comfort until
morning. In her sleep the Country Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse with all
the luxuries and delights of city life that her friend had described for her.
So the next day when the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go home with her
to the city, she gladly said yes.
When they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they found
on the table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine banquet. There were
sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious cheeses, indeed, the most tempting
foods that a Mouse can imagine. But just as the Country Mouse was about to
nibble a dainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at the
door. In great fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite
still for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. When at last they ventured
back to the feast, the door opened suddenly and in came the servants to clear
the table, followed by the House Dog.The Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse's den only long enough to pick up
her carpet bag and umbrella. "You
may have luxuries and dainties that I have not," she said as she hurried
away, "but I prefer my plain food and simple life in the country with the
peace and security that go with it."
Poverty
with securitys better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.
Khổ nỗi cành cây cao quá và chùm nho lại treo vắt vẻo tận ngoài khiến cáo thèm và lay hoay không biết tính sao?
The Fox & the Grapes
A
Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained
along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and
the Fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.
The
bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time
he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and
took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried,
but in vain.
Now
he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.
"What
a fool I am," he said. "Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch
of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for."
And
off he walked very, very scornfully.
The Wolf & the Crane
A Wolf had been
feasting too greedily, and a bone had stuck crosswise in his throat. He could
get it neither up nor down, and of course he could not eat a thing. Naturally
that was an awful state of affairs for a greedy Wolf.
So away he
hurried to the Crane. He was sure that she, with her long neck and bill, would
easily be able to reach the bone and pull it out.
"I will
reward you very handsomely," said the Wolf, "if you pull that bone
out for me."
The Crane, as
you can imagine, was very uneasy about putting her head in a Wolf's throat. But
she was grasping in nature, so she did what the Wolf asked her to do.
When the Wolf
felt that the bone was gone, he started to walk awa.
"But what
about my reward!" called the Crane anxiously.
"What!"
snarled the Wolf, whirling around. "Haven't you got it? Isn't it enough
that I let you take your head out of my mouth without snapping it off?"
Expect
no reward for serving the wicked.
The Lion & the Mouse
A Lion lay
asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse
came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across
the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the
tiny creature to kill her.
"Spare
me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will
surely repay you."
The Lion was
much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and
finally let the Mouse go.
Some days
later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils
of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry
roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the
net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it
parted, and soon the Lion was free.
"You
laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see
that even a Mouse can help a Lion."
A
kindness is never wasted.
Đêm đến, Gà theo thói quen tìm cây rừng nào thích hợp để trú. Có một cây cổ thụ cao to gần đó cho gà đậu trên cành. Thân cây lại có một lỗ bộng vừa cho Chó ẩn thân. Thật là vừa ý cho đôi bạn đánh một giấc ngon lành qua đêm.
VỎ QUÝT DÀY CÓ MÓNG TAY NHỌN
The Dog, the Cock, & the Fox
A Dog and a
Cock, who were the best of friends, wished very much to see something of the
world. So they decided to leave the farmyard and to set out into the world
along the road that led to the woods. The two comrades traveled along in the
very best of spirits and without meeting any adventure to speak of.
At nightfall
the Cock, looking for a place to roost, as was his custom, spied nearby a
hollow tree that he thought would do very nicely for a night's lodging. The Dog
could creep inside and the Cock would fly up on one of the branches. So said,
so done, and both slept very comfortably.
With the first
glimmer of dawn the Cock awoke. For the moment he forgot just where he was. He
thought he was still in the farmyard where it had been his duty to arouse the
household at daybreak. So standing on tip-toes he flapped his wings and crowed
lustily. But instead of awakening the farmer, he awakened a Fox not far off in
the wood. The Fox immediately had rosy visions of a very delicious breakfast.
Hurrying to the tree where the Cock was roosting, he said very politely:
"A hearty
welcome to our woods, honored sir. I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you
here. I am quite sure we shall become the closest of friends."
"I feel
highly flattered, kind sir," replied the Cock slyly. "If you will
please go around to the door of my house at the foot of the tree, my porter
will let you in."
The hungry but
unsuspecting Fox, went around the tree as he was told, and in a twinkling the
Dog had seized him.
Those
who try to deceive may expect to be paid in their own coin.
Đại bàng từ trên không lao xuống hai chân đầy móng vuốt cắp con cừu cái và bay vút lên trời với đôi cánh lực lưỡng. Nó sẽ mang con mồi to lớn này về tận ổ.
Con quạ xám ở xa nhìn hình ảnh này mà ước ao có được sức mạnh đại bàng. Nó cũng bắt chước bay vút xuống, lông lá nó xé gió bay tung toé, rồi lại quắp chân trên lưng một con cừu đực to tướng. Khổ nỗi khi bay lên chân nó mắc vào bộ lông xoăn tít của cừu? Không nhấc con cừu to tướng lên được chút nào chân Quạ còn dính cứng không còn bay được? Cừu đực không hay rằng có con Quạ đang lay hoay mãi trên lưng mình, một kẻ manh tâm định cắp nó lên như Đại Bàng kia?
Người chăn cừu đứng xa mục kích hết mọi việc. Ông chạy lại bắt ngay con quạ cắt bớt đôi cánh. Tối đó ông mang con quạ xám về nhà cho bầy con chơi.
Bầy con nhao nhao cười:
-Con chim gì buồn cười vậy bố? Bố gọi nó là chim gì vậy?
-Đó là con quạ xám thôi các con ơi! Nhưng các con hỏi nó thì nó sẽ tự cho nó là ĐẠI BÀNG cho xem ./.
* PHẢI THỰC TẾ ĐỪNG HOANG TƯỞNG VÀ TỰ CAO MÀ ĐÁNH GIÁ QUÁ CAO THỰC LỰC CUẢ BẠN
The Eagle & the Jackdaw
An Eagle, swooping down on powerful wings,
seized a lamb in her talons and made off with it to her nest. A Jackdaw saw the
deed, and his silly head was filled with the idea that he was big and strong
enough to do as the Eagle had done. So with much rustling of feathers and a
fierce air, he came down swiftly on the back of a large Ram. But when he tried
to rise again he found that he could not get away, for his claws were tangled
in the wool. And so far was he from carrying away the Ram, that the Ram hardly
noticed he was there. The Shepherd saw the fluttering
Jackdaw and at once guessed what had happened. Running up, he caught the bird
and clipped its wings. That evening he gave the Jackdaw to his children. "What a funny bird this is!"
they said laughing, "what do you call it, father?" "That is a
Jackdaw, my children. But if you should ask him, he would say he is an
Eagle."
Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers.
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