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LESSON 28
第28課
stock
股票
spirit
精神
humble
卑微的
gloomy
悲觀的
sundial
日晷
folly
愚蠢
steeple
尖塔
stupid
愚蠢的
boasting
吹噓
modesty
謙虛
THE CLOCK AND THE SUNDIAL
時鐘與日晷
One gloomy day, the clock on a church steeple, looking down on a sundial, said, "How stupid it is in you to stand there all the while like a stock!"
在一個陰霾的日子里，教堂塔尖上的時鐘俯視著下面的日晷，說：“你真傻，就像樹干似的一直站在那里！”
You never tell the hour till a bright sun looks forth from the sky, and gives you leave.
只有當明亮的太陽從空中直射到你，并且給予許可時，你才會計時，否則，你永遠也不可能說出時間。
I go merrily round, day and night, in summer and winter the same, without asking his leave.
而我就在愉快地繞行，無論春夏秋冬，都在夜以繼日地工作，從來不需要得到太陽的允許。
I tell the people the time to rise, to go to dinner, and to come to church.
我能告訴人們何時該起床，何時該出去吃飯，何時該到教堂來了。
Hark! I am going to strike now; one, two, three, four.
聽！我現在該報時了；一，二，三，四。
There it is for you. How silly you look! You can say nothing.
這是給你聽的。你看上去多么愚蠢呀！什么也不會說！
The sun, at that moment, broke forth from behind a cloud,and showed, by the sundial, that the clock was half an hour behind the right time.
就是那時，太陽從一片云彩后面噴薄而出，通過日晷顯示出時鐘走慢了半個小時。
The boasting clock now held his tongue, and the dial only smiled at his folly.
正在吹噓的時鐘這下可住了嘴，日晷轉盤只是對它笑了笑而已。
MORAL.Humble modesty is more often right than aproud and boasting spirit.
寓意——謙虛、謙卑往往比浮夸的驕傲與吹噓更真實確切。
