The Fox as Herdsman
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A woman looking for a herdsman turns down a growling bear and a howling wolf, then hires a fox with a lovely singing voice — a choice that explains a curious mark every fox still carries.
Once on a time there was a woman who went out to hire a herdsman, and she met a bear.
从前有一个女人出去雇一个牧人，她遇见了一只熊。
“Whither away, Goody?” said Bruin.
“大娘，你上哪儿去啊？”布鲁因问道。
“Oh, I’m going out to hire a herdsman”, answered the woman.
“哦，我正要去雇个牧人呢。”女人答道。
“Why not have me for a herdsman?” said Bruin.
“怎么不雇我做牧人呢？”布鲁因说。
“Well, why not?” said the woman. “If you only knew how to call the flock; just let me hear?”
“好啊，为什么不呢？”女人说。“要是你知道该怎么招呼羊群的话，让我听听看？”
“OW, OW!” growled the bear.
“嗷，嗷！”熊咆哮了一声。
“No, no! I won’t have you”, said the woman, as soon as she heard him say that, and off she went on her way.
“不行，不行！我不能雇你。”女人一听这声音便说道，说完就继续赶路了。
So, when she had gone a bit further, she met a wolf.
于是，她又往前走了一段，遇见了一只狼。
“Whither away, Goody?” asked the Wolf.
“大娘，你上哪儿去啊？”狼问道。
“Oh!” said she, “I’m going out to hire a herdsman.”
“哦！”她说，“我正要去雇个牧人呢。”
“Why not have me for a herdsman?” said the Wolf.
“怎么不雇我做牧人呢？”狼说。
“Well, why not? if you can only call the flock; let me hear?” said she.
“好啊，为什么不呢？要是你只要会招呼羊群的话，让我听听看？”她说。
“UH, UH!” said the Wolf.
“呜，呜！”狼叫道。
“No, no!” said the woman; “you’ll never do for me.”
“不行，不行！”女人说，“你可不适合我。”
Well, after she had gone a while longer, she met a fox.
好吧，她又走了一阵子，遇见了一只狐狸。
“Whither away, Goody?” asked the Fox.
“大娘，你上哪儿去啊？”狐狸问道。
“Oh, I’m just going out to hire a herdsman”, said the woman.
“哦，我正要去雇个牧人呢。”女人说。
“Why not have me for your herdsman?” asked the Fox.
“怎么不雇我做你的牧人呢？”狐狸问道。
“Well, why not?” said she; “if you only knew how to call the flock; let me hear?”
“好啊，为什么不呢？”她说，“要是你知道该怎么招呼羊群的话，让我听听看？”
“DIL-DAL-HOLOM”, sung out the Fox, in such a fine clear voice.
“迪尔—达尔—霍龙！”狐狸用一种十分清亮悦耳的声音唱了起来。
“Yes; I’ll have you for my herdsman”, said the woman; and so she set the Fox to herd her flock.
“好，我就雇你做我的牧人。”女人说；于是她便让狐狸去替她放羊。
The first day the Fox was herdsman he ate up all the woman’s goats; the next day he made an end of all her sheep; and the third day he ate up all her kine. So, when he came home at even, the woman asked what he had done with all her flocks?
狐狸当牧人的头一天，就把女人的山羊全吃光了；第二天，又把她的绵羊全部吃个精光；第三天，他又把她的牛全吃了。所以当他傍晚回家时，女人问他把她的牲畜都怎么样了？
“Oh!” said the Fox, “their skulls are in the stream, and their bodies in the holt.”
“哦！”狐狸说，“它们的脑袋在小溪里，身体在树林里。”
Now, the Goody stood and churned when the fox said this, but she thought she might as well step out and see after her flock; and while she was away the Fox crept into the churn and ate up the cream. So when the Goody came back and saw that, she fell into such a rage, that she snatched up the little morsel of the cream that was left, and threw it at the fox as he ran off, so that he got a dab of it on the end of his tail, and that’s the reason why the fox has a white tip to his brush.
这时，大娘正站在那儿打黄油，听狐狸这么一说，她想不妨出去看看她的牲畜怎么样了；就在她离开的时候，狐狸溜进了搅乳桶，把奶油吃了个精光。大娘回来一看这情形，气得暴跳如雷，一把抓起剩下的一点点奶油，朝正在逃跑的狐狸扔了过去，正好打在了它尾巴尖上，这就是为什么狐狸的尾巴尖是白色的缘故。
