狐狸和烏鴉原文及翻譯

原文：

A crow had snatched a goodly piece of cheese out of a window, and flew with it into a high tree, intent on enjoying her prize. A fox spied the dainty morsel, and thus he planned his approaches, "Oh, crow, "said he, "how beautiful are thy wings ! how bright thine eye! How graceful thy neck! Thy breast is the breast of an eagle ! thy claws-I beg pardon-thy talons, are a match for all the beasts for the field, oh, that such a bird should be dumb, and want only a voice."the crow, pleased with the flattery, and chuckling to think how she would surprise the fox with her caw, opened her mouth. Down dropped the cheese! Snapping it up, the fox observed, as he walked away, that whatever he had remarked of her beauty, he had said nothing yet of her brains.

Men seldom flatter without some private end in view, and they who listen to such music may expect to have to pay the piper.

譯文：

一隻烏鴉從一個窗戶裏叼出了一快相當大的乾酪，飛上了一棵高數，一心想享享口福，吃掉她奪來的這快東西，一隻狐狸發現了這塊美味的食物，就計劃去接近她，"哦，烏鴉"他說，"你的翅膀多麼漂亮啊！你的眼睛多麼明亮啊，你的脖子多麼嬌美！你的胸脯和鷹一樣！你的爪子，請原諒我，你的鐵爪足以和所有的`野獸對抗，哦，多麼可惜，這樣一隻鳥竟是一隻啞巴，只缺少一副喉嚨了！"烏鴉聽了這甜言蜜語，心理很高興，他得意地心裏想，如果我哇哇地叫起來將使狐狸感到多麼驚奇，於是他就張開了嘴。乾酪拍地掉下去了！狐狸叼起乾酪，一邊走開，一邊批評地說，不論他怎麼吹噓她的美貌，可是他還沒談論他的智慧。

諂媚人的人很少是沒有自私打算的，而傾聽這種音樂的人則勢必要出錢。