本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2013-5-30 07:15 编辑
投石难收
荷叶/译
有一位少妇喜欢传邻里间的闲话。有些事很好笑,听过这些事的人又添油加醋地讲给自己的朋友听。结果,许多好人因此而很痛苦。
村里一老者听到了这件事,想阻止她继续传邻居的闲话,就想出了一个办法。一天,老者在路上遇到这位少妇,说:“闺女,我想请你帮忙做一件事。我这儿有一袋小石子,在你回家的路上,把它们投入四面八方,越远越好。投完以后,回来告诉我一声。”听到这里,少妇很吃惊,但这事很易做,她也就答应了。 当少妇回来时,老者又说:“闺女,我想请你再帮我一个忙。沿原路返回,把你扔掉的石子捡回来。”少妇说:“这不可能,我只能找到部分石子,给你带回,不可能找回全部。” “太对了!”老者说,“那些石子就像你传的闲话。扔石子容易捡回难。编故事容易收回难,因为它们口口相传,以讹传讹。切记,三思而后传。切记!” 老者的话这位少妇谨记终生,她再也没有传闲话。 附:原文 There was a young woman who liked to tell stories about her neighbours. Some stories are funny and the young woman told them to make people laugh. The people who heard the stories always told them to their friends trying to make them funnier and funnier. As a result, many good people suffered because of those stories. An old man of the village where the young woman lived knew about it. He wanted her to stop telling stories about their neighbours. He thought up a good plan. “Daughter, ” he said when he met her one day. “I want to ask you to do one thing for me. I have here a bag of small stones. On your way home throw them as far as you can in all sides. When you finish, come back and tell me.” The young woman was surprised to hear this. But it was easy and she agreed to do what the old man asked. When the young woman came back, the old man said, “Daughter, I want to ask you to do one more thing for me. Go along the same road and pick up all the stones you have thrown away.” “But it’s impossible! ” said the young woman. “I can find some of the stones and bring them back to you, but I can’t find all of them. ” “That’s true, ” said the old man, “Those stones are like the stories that you tell about your neighbours. It’s not difficult to throw around small stones, but it’s impossible to find them all. It’s easy to make up stories about your neighbours, but it’s impossible to take them back because they go from mouth to mouth and become worse and worse. Remember this! First think, and then speak. Remember this always! ” The young woman remembered this for the rest of life. |