The Ant and the Grasshopper
螞蟻和蚱蜢
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.
夏日的一天,一只蚱蜢正在一塊莊稼地上蹦來跳去,無憂無慮地唱著歌。 這時,一只螞蟻從它身邊爬過。螞蟻正十分費勁地拖著一個玉米棒子,它是要把玉米棒子拖回到螞蟻巢里面去。
“過來跟我聊聊天吧,”蚱螞說,“用不著那么辛苦地工作吧?”
“我正幫忙收集過冬用的糧食,”螞蟻說,“我建議你也去收集點糧食。”
“為了過冬用不著這么費勁吧?”蚱螞說,“我們現(xiàn)在有大把的糧食”。
螞蟻沒有聽它的,而是繼續(xù)辛苦地拖著糧食往回趕。
冬天來了,蚱螞沒有糧食,都快要餓死了。 這時,蚱螞看到螞蟻們正分發(fā)他們在夏天時收集并儲存起來的玉米和谷物。 蚱螞明白了: 什么事都要提早做好準備,將來才有好的結(jié)果。