The Wolf and the Fox in the Well

Why does Aesop give to the fox the reputation of excelling in all tricks of cunning? I have sought for a reason, but cannot find one. Does not the wolf, when he has need to defend his life or take that of another, display as much knowingness as the fox? I believe he knows more, and I dare, perhaps with some reason, to contradict my master in this particular.

伊索为什么把狡诈诸般伎俩中最擅长者的名声赐给了狐狸呢？我曾苦苦思索其中的缘由，却始终找不到答案。难道狼在需要保全自己性命或夺取他人性命之时，展现出的机敏就不及狐狸吗？我相信它懂得更多，我也斗胆——或许有几分道理——在这一点上要反驳我的老师。

Nevertheless, here is a case where undoubtedly all the honour fell to the dweller in burrows.

不过，这里确有一个案例，其中的荣耀无疑全都落到了那位穴居者的头上。

One evening a fox, who was as hungry as a dog, happened to see the round reflection of the moon in a well, and he believed it to be a fine cheese. There were two pails which alternately drew up the water. Into the uppermost of these the fox leapt, and his weight caused him to descend the well, where he at once discovered his mistake about the cheese. He became extremely worried and fancied his end approaching, for he could see no way to get up again but by some other hungry one, enticed by the same reflection, coming down in the same way that he had.

一天傍晚，一只饿得像狗一样的狐狸，碰巧看见月亮在一口井里的圆圆倒影，便以为那是一块上好的奶酪。井边有两只水桶交替汲水。狐狸跳进了上面那只桶里，它的重量使桶沉了下去，落到井底，这才发现自己对奶酪的判断是个大错误。它变得万分焦虑，以为自己大限将至，因为它看不出还有什么办法能爬上去，除非有另一只同样饥饿的家伙，被同样的倒影所诱惑，像它一样跳下来。

Two days passed without any one coming to the well. Time, which is always marching onward, had, during two nights, hollowed the outline of the silvery planet, and Reynard was in despair.

两天过去了，没有一个人来到井边。时光总是不停地向前流逝，两个夜晚过去，那银色星球的轮廓渐渐被侵蚀，雷纳德陷入了绝望。

At last a wolf, parched with thirst, drew near, to whom the fox called from below, "Comrade, here is a treat for you! Do you see this? It is an exquisite cheese, made by Faunus from milk of the heifer Io. If Jupiter were ill and lost his appetite he would find it again by one taste of this. I have only eaten this piece out of it; the rest will be plenty for you. Come down in the pail up there. I put it there on purpose for you."

终于，一只口渴难耐的狼走近了，狐狸便从井底朝它喊道：“伙计，这里有份美味等着你呢！你看见了吗？这是一块用牧神浮努斯用母牛伊俄的奶做成的绝顶好奶酪。若是朱庇特生了病、没了胃口，只要尝一口这个，胃口立刻就能恢复。我只吃了一小块而已，剩下的够你尽情享用了。从上面那只桶下来吧。我特意把它放在那儿等你呢。”

A rigmarole so cleverly told was easily believed by the fool of a wolf, who descended by his greater weight, which not only took him down, but brought the fox up.

这番话编得如此巧妙，那愚蠢的狼轻易就信以为真，它凭着自己更重的体重下降，这一沉不仅把它带了下去，还把狐狸给带了上来。

We ought not to laugh at the wolf, for we often enough let ourselves be deluded with just as little cause. Everybody is ready to believe the thing he fears and the thing he desires.

我们不该嘲笑这只狼，因为我们自己也常常因同样微不足道的理由而受骗上当。每个人都乐于相信自己所惧怕的事，也乐于相信自己所渴望的事。