第五十三篇: 渴望国王的青蛙 Frogs Longing for a King

How much better it would have been for the frogs if they had been satisfied with their life!

如果这些青蛙对它们的生活满意的话那该多好啊！

There once lived many frogs in a great pond under a bridge. They had an excellent home and all the food they wished, but they were not satisfied. They made speeches in the pond. They said they should have a king.

从前有许多青蛙（frog）住在桥（bridge）下的一个大池塘（pond）里。他们有极好的（excellent）家，还有很多喜欢的食物，但它们并不满意（satisfied）。他们在池塘里发表演讲（speech）。它们说它们应该有个国王。

Then they asked the God to give them a king. The God gave them a big piece of wood. The wood did not move at all, so the frogs went to ask the God to give them a king which could take action. The God sent them an eel, but the frogs thought the eel was too small and did not look like a king, so the eel was not welcome in the pond. Then the frogs went to the God again for the last time. The frogs were given a stork as their king. They believed the stork was great, which could rule over them, so they showed honor to the stork. But the stork ate all the frogs one by one until there was hardly any frog left in the whole pond.

然后它们请求上帝（the God）给它们一个国王。上帝给了它们一大截木头（wood）。木头根本不（not…at all）动，于是这些青蛙去找上帝，要求给它们一个能够采取行动（take action）的国王。上帝给它们送来一条鳗鱼，但青蛙们认为鳗鱼太小了，看起来不像（look like）个国王，因此这条鳗鱼在池塘里不受欢迎（not welcome）。然后它们又去找上帝了，最后一次，上帝给了它们一只白鹤当它们的国王。它们认为这只白鹳很伟大，可以统治它们，于是它们对白鹳表示尊敬（honor）。但这只白鹳却把所有的青蛙一个接着一个吃掉了，整个池塘几乎没有（hardly any）青蛙了。