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One day an old Crane stood in the shallows of a lotus pond with a very dejected look upon his long face. A Crab nearby noticed the troubled look on the old bird, and asked:
一天， 一只老鶴站在荷花池里的淺水處，它那張長長的臉上一副沮喪的射神情。附近的一只蟹注意到老鶴的一臉憂愁，問道：
“There are fish in this pond. How is it that you stand there as if you have given up the thought of ever eating?”
“這個池塘里有魚。你怎么呆呆地在那兒，好像再也不想吃魚了。“
“I am sad,” said the old Crane,” because I heard a terrible piece of news today.
“我很傷心，”老鶴說，“今天我聽到了一個可怕的消息。
I overheard the fishermen in town saying that tomorrow they will come to this pond and drain it of every fish and every shell to the last periwinkle.
我聽城里的漁夫們說，他們明天要來捕光所有的魚和甲殼類動物，連個螺螄也不剩，那樣我就死定了，因為我沒有東西吃了。
When that happens, I am doomed for I shall have nothing to live on. My appetite has left me ever since and I am now resigning myself to dying of hunger.”
從那時起我就沒胃口了，我現在就是順其自然，等著餓死。”
The fish in the pond overheard the Crane, and they said to each other in their distress:
池塘里的魚聽到鶴的話，很是憂傷地相互說道：
“Since he and we have a common enemy in the fishmen perhaps the wise Crane can advise us what to do.”
“他和我們的共同敵人是漁夫，或許聰明的鶴能告訴我們該怎么辦。”
They swam up to the long-legged bird and said:” Sir Crane, can you tell us how we may save ourselves from this terrible plight?”
他們游到長腿鶴跟前，說道： “鶴先生，你能告訴我們怎樣才能逃脫這場可怕的災難嗎？”
“There is only one way,” said the Crane,” you must get to another pool before it is too late.”
“只有一個辦法，”鶴說，“你們必須及早到另一個池塘里去。”
“But how can we do that?” asked the fish.
“可是，我們該怎么去呢？ ”魚問。
“There is a protected pool nearby,” said the Crane, “ and if you wish I will carry you there one by one.”
“附近有一個被保護的池塘，”鶴說。“要是你們愿意，我可以逐個把你們送過去。 ”
The poor fish consulted among themselves and said:” Since there is nothing else we can do to save ourselves, we must make an alliance with our foe.”
可憐的魚兒彼此商量后，說：“要想活命咱們沒有別的辦法，只有和敵人結為同盟了。 ”
And they agreed to let the Crane transport them one by one to the pool where they would be safe.
于是，他們同意由鶴把它們逐一送到安全的池塘。
The wicked Crane took the fish, one by one, to a lonely spot nearby, where he devoured them. He returned for more, reporting that all the others were now safe and happy in another pool.
這只陰險邪惡的鶴把魚一條一條地銜到附近一個偏僻的地方，把它們吃掉了。然后又回來銜更多的魚，還說那些魚在另一個池塘里很安全快樂。
Finally all the fish were gone, and the Crab said;” Sir Crane, take me also to that pool, for I wish to be with my friends the fish.”
最后，魚都給銜走了，蟹說：“鶴先生，也把我帶到那個池塘里去吧，我想和我的魚朋友們在一起。 ”
The greedy Crane, who loved Crab meat, carefully lifted the ten-legged creature and carried him off to the spot where he had devoured all the fish.
這只貪婪的哦鶴很喜歡蟹肉，他小心地銜著這個十條腿的動物，把蟹帶到他吃魚的地方去。
But when the Crab saw all the bones on the ground and realized how cunning the Crane had been, he thought to himself;”
蟹看到地上的骨頭，立刻明白了鶴是多么的狡猾，他心想：
I am undone! Yet when the wise are attacked, even if they see no hope of saving themselves, they still do not give up, but die fighting.”
“我完了，但是智者被攻擊時，即使沒有生存的希望，也絕不會放棄，寧愿戰斗而死。”
Whereupon the Crab fastened his pincer-like fore claws upon the Crane’s throat and tore at it until the Crane perished.
想到此，蟹用他鉗子般的前蟹扼緊鶴的喉嚨，不停地撕咬，直到鶴咽氣為止。
