短篇英语寓言故事
在一些小寓言故事里,往往蕴含着深刻的大道理,下面这些是小编为大家推荐的几篇短篇英语寓言故事。
短篇英语寓言故事1：Kind advice is wise advice
Once upon a time, the son of Brahmadatta was ruling righteously(正直地，公正地) in Benares, in northern India. It came to pass(实现，发生) that the King of Kosala made war, killed the King of Benares, and made the queen become his own wife.
Meanwhile, the queen’s son escaped by sneaking1 away through the sewers2(下水道) . In the countryside he eventually raised a large army and surrounded the city. He sent a message to the king, the murderer of his father and the husband of his mother. He told him to surrender the kingdom or fight a battle.
The prince’s mother, the Queen of Benares, heard of this threat from her son. She was a gentle and kind woman who wanted to prevent violence and suffering and killing3. So she sent a message to her son — “There is no need for the risks of battle. It would be wiser to close every entrance to the city. Eventually the lack of food, water and firewood(柴火，木柴) will wear down(磨损，使疲劳) the citizens. Then they will give the city to you without any fighting.”
The prince decided4 to follow his mother’s wise advice. His army blockaded the city for seven days and nights. Then the citizens captured their unlawful king, cut off his head, and delivered it to the prince. He entered the city triumphantly5 and became the new King of Benares.
The moral is: Kind advice is wise advice.
短篇英语寓言故事2:Supernatural turtle
During the 1850's, there was a lot of unrest in Taiwan, so the Emperor sent Xu Shuyan with soldiers to calm everything down. Tang Yian was sent along with him. Tang was anxious to find out how things were with his little brother, Tang Shengan, who was leading troops in Xiamen, across the Taiwan Strait on the mainland1. But communications in those days were poor at best, and during wartime, it was almost impossible to get letters through.
One day four coolies(苦力) came with a huge sea turtle for sale. It was gigantic2, and the price they were asking was high. Tang's subordinate3(下属) Chang thought of buying it, butbalked4 at(回避，畏缩) the price they asked.
The coolies asked Mrs. Tang, but she thought the price was too high, too. Just as the coolies were about to take it away, Mrs. Tang saw the turtle looking at her with a sad expression in its eyes. It was crying. She felt sorry for it, so even though the price was high, she bought it. She talked it over with her husband, and he decided5 to set it free in the ocean the next day.
The turtle was so huge that it took four coolies to bring it in, but when Tang happened to move it the next morning, he found it was so light that he could carry it himself.
'This is no ordinary turtle,' he thought. Silently, he sent a message to the turtle. 'I believe that you must be a supernatural(神奇的) turtle. Whether or not you are, I am going to set you free in the ocean today, the eighth of September. If you do have powers, I would appreciate it very much if you could have my brother, Tang Shengan, now leading troops in Xiamen, write a letter to me. Have you got that?'
Then he set the turtle free. It seemed happy to be back in the water! It frolicked in the waves. As it swam away, it looked back over its shoulder and nodded at Tang three times. It seemed to be saying "Thank you".
A month later, a letter came from Tang Shengan, saying that everything was all right. The letter was dated September 8.
Could it be a coincidence? or had the turtle understood Yian's telepathic(心灵感应的) message and somehow passed it on to Shengan? Perhaps this was how the turtle expressed itsgratitude6 for its life.
The Wang brothers had done their country a great service during those troubled times, but they had had enough of fighting and military glory. They retired7 to lead quiet lives in the country. They often told their neighbors this story, to remind people that animals love their lives, and that by helping8 animals, sometimes you can help yourself, too.
短篇英语寓言故事3:A Handful of Clay
There was a handful of clay in the bank of a river. It was only common clay, coarse(粗糙的，下等的) and heavy; but it had high thoughts of its own value, and wonderful dreams of the great place which it was to fill in the world when the time came for its virtues1 to be discovered.
Overhead, in the spring sunshine, the trees whispered(低声地说) together of the glory whichdescended2 upon them when the delicate blossoms and leaves began to expand, and the forest glowed the fair, clear colors, as if the dust of thousands of rubies3 and emeralds(绿宝石，翡翠) were hanging, in soft clouds, above the earth.
The flowers, surprised with the joy of beauty, bent4 their heads to one another, as the windcaressed5 them, and said: "Sisters, how lovely you have become. You make the day bright."
The river, glad of new strength and rejoicing in the unison6(齐奏) of all its waters, murmured to the shores in music, telling of its release from icy fetters7, its swift flight from the snow-clad mountains, and the mighty8 work to which it was hurrying --- the wheels of many mills to be turned, and great ships to be floated to the sea.
Waiting blindly in its bed, the clay comforted itself with lofty(崇高的) hopes. "My time will come," it said. "I was not made to be hidden forever. Glory and beauty and honor are coming to me in due season."
One day the clay felt itself taken from the place where it had waited so long. A flat blade of iron passed beneath it, and lifted it, and tossed it into a cart with other lumps of clay, and it was carried far away, as it seemed, over a rough and stony9 road. But it was not afraid, nor discouraged, for it said to itself: "This is necessary. The path to glory is always rugged10(粗糙的，崎岖的) . Now I am on my way to play a great part in the world."
But the hard journey was nothing, compared with the tribulation11(磨难，忧患) anddistress12 that came after it. The clay was put into a trough and mixed and beaten and stirred and trampled13(蹂躏，践踏) . It seemed almost unbearable14. But there wasconsolation15 in the thought that something very fine and noble was certainly coming out of all this trouble. The clay felt sure that, if it could only wait long enough, a wonderful reward was in store for it.
Then it was put upon a swiftly turning wheel, and whirled around until it seemed as if it must fly into a thousand pieces. A strange power pressed it and molded it, as it revolved16, and through all the dizziness and pain it felt that it was taking a new form.
Then an unknown hand put it into an oven, and fires were kindled17(点燃，照亮) about it --- fierce and penetrating18 --- hotter than all the heats of summer that had ever brooded upon the bank of the river. But through all, the clay held itself together and endured its trials, in the confidence of a great future. "Surely," it thought, "I am intended for something very splendid, since such pains are taken with me. Perhaps I am fashioned for the ornament19(装饰) of a temple, or a precious vase for the table of a king."
At last the baking was finished. The clay was taken from the furnace(火炉) and set down upon a board, in the cool air, under the blue sky. The tribulation was passed. The reward was at hand.
Close beside the board there was a pool of water, not very deep, not very clear, but calm enough to reflect, with impartial20(公平的，公正的) truth, every image that fell upon it. There for the first time, as it was lifted from the board, the clay saw its new shape, the reward of all its patience and pain, the consummation of its hopes --- a common flower-pot, straight and stiff, red and ugly. And then it felt that it was not destined21 for a king's house, nor for a palace of art, because it was made without glory or beauty or honor; and it murmured against the unknownmaker22, saying, "Why hast thou made me thus?"
Many days it passed in sullen23(愠怒的) discontent. Then it was filled with earth, and something --- it knew not what --- but something rough and brown and dead-looking, was thrust into the middle of the earth and covered over. The clay rebelled at this new disgrace. "This is the worst of all that has happened to me, to be filled with dirt and rubbish. Surely I am a failure."
But presently it was set in a greenhouse, where the sunlight fell warm upon it, and water wassprinkled(洒，撒) over it, and day by day as it waited, a change began to come to it. Something was stirring within it --- a new hope. Still it was ignorant, and knew not what the new hope meant.
One day the clay was lifted again from its place, and carried into a great church. Its dream was coming true after all. It had a fine part to play in the world. Glorious music flowed over it . It was surrounded with flowers. Still it could not understand. So it whispered to another vessel24 of clay, like itself, close beside it, "Why have they set me here? Why do all the people look toward us?" And the other vessel answered, "Do you not know? You are carrying a royal
12scepter(王权) of lilies. Their petals25 are white as snow, and the heart of them is like pure gold. The people look this way because the flower is the most wonderful in the world. And the root of it is in your heart."
Then the clay was content, and silently thanked its maker, because, though an earthen vessel, it held so great a treasure.
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