The Labourer and the Nightingale
工人与夜莺
A Labourer lay listening to a Nightingale's song throughout the summer night.
整个夏天的夜晚,工人都是在躺着听夜莺的歌声中度过的。
So pleased was he with it that the next night he set a trap for it and captured it.
他十分喜欢夜莺的歌声,于是,一天晚上,工人设陷阱抓住了夜莺。
"Now that I have caught thee," he cried, "thou shalt always sing to me."
“既然我抓住你了,你就得一直为我唱歌,”他叫道。
"We Nightingales never sing in a cage." said the bird.
“我们夜莺是绝不会在笼子里唱歌的。”那只鸟说。
"Then I'll eat thee." said the Labourer.
“那我就吃了你。”工人说。
"I have always heard say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel."
“我总听人讲,烤夜莺是一餐绝佳的美味。”
"Nay, kill me not," said the Nightingale; "but let me free, and I'll tell thee three things far better worth than my poor body."
“不,不要杀我!”夜莺央求道,“放了我,我会告诉你三件意义远远超过我这芝麻块大的身体的事情。”
The Labourer let him loose, and he flew up to a branch of a tree and said:
工人将夜莺松开,它飞上枝头,说:
"Never believe a captive's promise; that's one thing.
“第一,千万不要信一个俘虏的承诺;
Then again: Keep what you have.
第二,抓住你现时所拥有的;
And third piece of advice is: Sorrow not over what is lost forever."
第三,千万不要为永远失去的东西难过。
Then the song-bird flew away.
然后,夜莺就飞走了。