Chapter 242 The Owl and the Birds（猫头鹰和鸟类）

AN OWL, in her wisdom, counseled the Birds that when the acorn first began to sprout, to pull it all up out of the ground and not allow it to grow. —
一只智慧的猫头鹰告诫鸟类，当橡子刚开始发芽时，要将其全部拔除，并不让其生长。 —

She said acorns would produce mistletoe, from which an irremediable poison, the bird — lime, would be extracted and by which they would be captured. —
她说橡子会产生槲寄生，这是一种无法挽救的毒药，鸟类会从中提取石灰，并被其捕获。 —

The Owl next advised them to pluck up the seed of the flax, which men had sown, as it was a plant which boded no good to them. —
猫头鹰接着建议他们连根拔起人类种下的亚麻种子，因为这是一种对他们没有好兆头的植物。 —

And, lastly, the Owl, seeing an archer approach, predicted that this man, being on foot, would contrive darts armed with feathers which would fly faster than the wings of the Birds themselves. —
最后，猫头鹰看到一个弓箭手走近，预言这个步行的人会设计出装有羽毛的箭矢，比鸟类自己的翅膀飞得更快。 —

The Birds gave no credence to these warning words, but considered the Owl to be beside herself and said that she was mad. —
鸟类不相信这些警告的话，认为猫头鹰是疯了。 —

But afterwards, finding her words were true, they wondered at her knowledge and deemed her to be the wisest of birds. —
但后来，当他们发现她的话是真实的时候，他们惊讶于她的知识，并认为她是最聪明的鸟类。 —

Hence it is that when she appears they look to her as knowing all things, while she no longer gives them advice, but in solitude laments their past folly.
因此，当她出现时，他们便把她当作知道一切的人，虽然她不再给予他们建议，但在孤独中悔过去的愚蠢。