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An old clock that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen,
農夫廚房里，立著一座半世紀之久的老鐘，
without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped.
老鐘從未向主人抱怨過什么。一年夏天，黎明時分，農夫全家起床的喧嘩之前，鐘突然停了。
Upon this, the dial plate (if we may credit the fable) changed countenance with alarm;
鐘剛停，驚詫不已的鐘的表盤（我們不妨認為這不過是個寓言）馬上拉長了臉，
the hands made a vain effort to continue their course; the wheels remained motionless with surprise;
鐘的指針打算循原有路程邁步，卻發現不過徒勞枉然；齒輪此刻也驚訝地靜止不動；
the weights hung speechless; and each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others.
這邊刻度量衡高高掛著，一聲不吭。每位成員都想將過錯歸咎于他人，
At length the dial instituted a formal inquiry as to the cause of the stagnation, when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice, protested their innocence.
最終，表盤實施正規盤查，以求查明老鐘停止的緣由，與此同時，時針、齒輪以及刻度量衡異口同聲地表明自己的無辜清白。
But now a faint tick was heard below from the pendulum, who spoke thus,I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage;
就在那時，鐘擺下方傳來極為微弱的一聲滴答，那聲音說道，我主動坦白，我是鐘表停止的唯一原因，
and I am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of ticking.
考慮到在座各位，我愿意陳述自己的理由。原因很簡單，我實在厭倦了滴答。
Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged that it was upon the very point of striking.
聽到這話，又恰逢敲鐘的節骨眼上，老鐘頓時怒火中燒。
"Lazy wire!" exclaimed the dial plate, holding up its bands.
“好一個懶惰鐘擺！”表盤也大聲叫著，同時揚起表盤嵌條。
