辋川集

木末芙蓉花,山中发红萼,涧户寂无人,纷纷开且落

By - 陳 思敬

Eagle and the scarab beetle

An eagle was once pursuing a hare. This hare, seeing his position was hopeless, turned to the only creature whom fate offered for help: it was a scarab beetle. The hare begged the beetle to save him. The scarab beetle reassured him, and upon the eagle’s approach the beetle beseeched her not to carry off the hare. But the eagle, disdaining his small size and insignificance, devoured the hare as the beetle looked on.
From that time, the scarab beetle, full of malice, never ceases to search out the places where the eagle builds her nest. And when the eggs are laid, the beetle gets into the nest, hoists himself up and rolls the eggs out of the nest so that they fall and break.

The eagle is consecrated to Zeus, and so the eagle appealed to Zeus to find her a safe sanctuary where she could raise her young. Zeus allowed her to lay her eggs in his lap. But the scarab beetle saw through this trick. He made a pellet of dung, took flight, and when he got above the lap of Zeus he let it fall. Zeus stood up to shake off the dung pellet, and the eggs were thrown to the ground without his thinking.
Since that time, it is said, eagles no longer nest during the season when the scarab beetles appear.
The fable teaches one not to despise anyone. One must say to oneself that there is no being so feeble that he is not capable one day of avenging an insult.
鹰追逐一只野兔,正当兔子走投无路时,也是天缘奇遇,碰巧附近有一只屎壳郎,兔子便跑去向他求救。屎壳郎劝他不必惊慌。正说话时,鹰追踪而至,屎壳郎便恳求她别把兔子抓走。鹰压根儿没拿区区的屎壳郎放在眼里,硬是当着他的面把兔子吞吃了。
从那以后,满腔悲愤的屎壳郎总是四处寻觅筑有鹰巢的所在。只要鹰一产卵,屎壳郎便飞入巢内,用自己的身体把卵纷纷顶出巢外,跌得个稀巴烂。
作为宙斯的圣鸟,鹰就逃到宙斯那里,恳求赐她一个安全场所孵化小鹰。宙斯允许鹰在他衣服的下摆里产卵。屎壳郎识破了这一诡计,就滚了一个粪蛋,飞到宙斯那儿,把它丢进他的衣服下摆。宙斯站起身来抖落粪蛋,没留神把鹰卵也抖掉了。
相传打那以后,每逢有屎壳郎出没的时节,鹰就不孵化小鹰了。
本则寓言劝谕世人,勿生侮慢之心,须知弱者受辱怯意顿消,无不伺机报仇雪耻。

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