英语寓言故事：炼狱能成天堂
摘要：先前他没有经历溺水的危险，所有不珍惜在船上的安全。就象一个人只有感受到病痛的折磨时，方知健康的可贵一样。
A king was embarked on board a ship, which also carried a slave.
The boy had never been at sea, nor experienced the inconvenience of a ship.
国王带着一个奴隶乘坐在一条船上
奴隶从未出过海，也从未经历过坐船之苦。
炼狱能成天堂
He set up a weeping and wailing, and all his limbs were in a state of trepidation, and, howevermuch they soothed him, he was not to be pacified.
他开始哭泣、悲号，四肢不停地颤抖。人们想尽办法安抚他，但他仍无法平静。
The king’s pleasure party was disconcerted by him; but they offered no help.
国王原本愉快的心情被他搅得不安起来，但人们却束手无策。
On board that ship there was a physician. He said to the king; “If you will order it, I canmanage to silence him.”
一个医师也在船上，他对国王说：“如果允许让我一试的话，我有办法让他平静。”
The king replied, “It will be an act of great favor.”
国王说道：“那就太好了。”
The physician directed that they throw the boy into the sea, and after he had plungedrepeatedly, they seized him by hair of the head and drew him close to be ship,
医师吩咐他们把奴隶扔到海里，让他反复沉浮几次后，才抓住他的头发把他拖到船边
where he grabbed the rudder with both hands and, scrambling up on to the deck, slunk into acorner and sat down quiet.
他双手紧紧抓住船舷，爬上甲板，缩到一个角落里坐下来，不再吭声了。
The king, pleased with what he saw, said, “What art is there in this?”
国王很满意，问道：“这是什么道理?”
The physician replied, “Originally he had not experienced the danger of being drowned, andundervalued the safety of being in a ship;
医师回答说：“先前他没有经历溺水的危险，所有不珍惜在船上的安全
just as a person is aware of the preciousness of health only when he is overtaken with thecalamity of sickness.”
就象一个人只有感受到病痛的折磨时，方知健康的可贵一样。”
小偷和他的母亲
A young man was caught stealing, and sentenced to death three days later.
一个小偷被抓住了，被判处死刑，三天后执行。
He wanted to speak with his mother before the execution. Of course this was granted.
他想在行刑前与他的母亲话别，得到了允许。
When his mother came to him, he said, "I want to tell you something." He said something butshe could not hear.
当他妈妈来到他的面前，他说：“告诉你一件事。”他轻轻说了一遍，但是她听不到;等她走近些，
He whispered again, and when she came close to him, she put her ear to his mouth. He nearlybit off her ear. All the bystanders were horrified.
小偷又轻声说了一遍。母亲将耳朵贴近时，儿子突然咬住母亲的耳朵，差点撕下来，周围的人都惊呆了。
"It is to punish her," he said. "When I was young I began stealing little things, and broughtthem home to mother. "Instead of punishing me, she laughed and said, ‘It will not be noticed.‘It is because of her that I am here today."
“这是对她的惩罚，”小偷说，“我小时候小偷小摸，把偷的东西带回家时，她不但不惩罚我，反而笑着说‘别让人看见。’就是因为她我才落个今天这样的下场。”
农夫和儿子
A Farmer being on the point of death,wished to insure from his sons the same attention to hisfarm as he had himself given it.
一个农夫在临终时，希望他的儿子们和自己一样勤耕他的田地。
He called them to his bedside, and said, "My sons, there is a great treasure hidden in one of myvineyards."
他叫他们来到床前说：“孩子们，在我葡萄园里的某个地方，藏着一大笔的财物。”
The sons after his death took their spades and mattocks, and carefully dug over every portionof their land.
他的儿子们在他死后，都拿了铁锹和锄头，小心地在田地的各处翻掘着。
They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labour by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.
但他们找不到任何财物，然而葡萄却因此生长得很茂盛，成为他们劳动的报酬。