古代寓言原是民间口头创作，文学体裁的一种。含有讽喻或明显教训意义的故事。它的结构简短。主人公可以是人，可以是动物，也可以是无生物。多借用比喻手法，使富有教训意义的主题或深刻的道理在简单的故事中体现，而还需要自己去理解，思考，这就是和西方寓言的不同之处。

《古代寓言·雁奴》

雁奴，雁之最小者，性尤机警。每群雁夜宿，雁奴独不瞑，为之伺察。或微闻人声必先号鸣，群雁则杂然相呼引去。后乡人益巧设诡计，以中雁奴之欲。于是先视陂薮雁所常处者，阴布大网，多穿土穴于其傍。日未入，人各持束缊并匿穴中，须其夜艾；则燎火穴外，雁奴先警，急来其火。群雁惊视无见，复就栖焉。于是三燎三灭，雁奴三叫，众雁三惊；已而无所见，则众雁谓奴之无验也，互唼迭击之，又就栖然。少选，火复举，雁奴畏众击，不敢鸣。乡人闻其无声，乃举网张之，率十获五。

——《景文集》

The Wild Goose Sentry

The smallest and the most alert of a flock of wild geese is often chosen to keep vigil for the others during the night. At the slightest untoward sound it raises the alarm and the flock starts from their sleep and make off.

So some wild goose hunters once devised a scheme to outwit the sentry. First they marked the haunt of the flock, spread an enormous net there and hid themselves in holes dug nearby.

As night fell, the flock descended and went to sleep. The hunters lit a torch. As soon as the sentry gave the warning, they extinguished the torch. The flock, startled to their feet, found it all quiet and went back to sleep. The trick was repeated three times. On the third occasion the flock decided the sentry was inefficient and pecked him by way of chastisement. Then they went back to sleep.

After some time, the hunters again lit the torch. This time the sentry remained silent. Hearing no stir among the flock, the hunters drew in the net, bagging more than half the birds.

Work of Jing Wen

（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译）

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