勤勞的小紅母雞

下面這個英語故事告訴我們，只有付出才有收穫，不勞而獲、坐享其成的人沒有資格享受別人辛勤耕耘的果實。

　　Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat.

　　很久很久以前有一隻小紅母雞，她與一隻豬，一隻鴨子和一隻貓生活在一起。

　　They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked to keep clean and tidy. The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all day.

　　他們住在一個漂亮的小房子裡，小紅母雞喜歡保持清潔整齊。她每天辛勤地勞動。

　　The others never helped. Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside, the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.

　　別人都不肯幫忙。儘管他們說他們想要這樣做，但是他們太懶了。小豬喜歡在泥裡打滾，鴨子常常整日在池塘上戲水，而小貓喜歡曬著太陽酣睡。

　　One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn

　　一天小紅母雞在花園裡勞動，她發現了一粒玉米種子。

　　"Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.

　　“誰來種這粒玉米種子?”她問道 。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小豬咕嚕嚕地說道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鴨子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”曬著太陽的小貓呼嚕嚕地說道。

　　So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn.

　　所以小紅母雞出去找了一塊好的土地，她用腳刨了刨地，種好了玉米種子。

　　During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden colour. The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting.

　　夏天玉米長高了。它先是長出又高又綠的一株杆子，然後在太陽下變得成熟，直至變成可愛的金黃色。

　　小紅母雞看到該是收割的時候了。

　　"Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.

　　“誰來幫我收割玉米?”小紅母雞問道。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小豬咕嚕嚕地說道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鴨子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”曬著太陽的小貓呼嚕嚕地說道。

　　"Very well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen. Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.

　　“那好吧，我自己收割，”小紅母雞說道。她小心翼翼地砍下玉米杆子，剝下玉米粒。

　　"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.

　　“誰來把玉米送去磨坊，好把它磨成粉?”小紅母雞問道。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小豬咕嚕嚕地說道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鴨子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”曬著太陽的小貓呼嚕嚕地說道。

　　So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.

　　於是小紅母雞吧玉米送去磨坊，要磨匠把玉米磨成粉。