第27章 The Tortoise and the Eagle 乌龟和老鹰

A TORTOISE, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds of her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and demanded what reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float her in the air. "I will give you, " she said, "all the riches of the Red Sea." "I will teach you to fly then, " said the Eagle; and taking her up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds suddenly he let her go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces. The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of death: "I have deserved my present fate; for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about on the earth? "

If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.

一只乌龟在海边懒洋洋地晒太阳，并一直向海鸟抱怨自己命运的悲惨，因为没有谁能教它飞翔。这时，有一只老鹰在附近的天空盘旋，听到了乌龟的倾诉之后，就答应帮助它实现愿望，但是要求一定的回报。乌龟非常愉快地答应了，并允诺以红海中的一切财富作为报酬送给老鹰。于是老鹰用双爪把乌龟带到了空中，突然把它扔下，让它自己飞翔。结果，可怜的乌龟掉在石头上，落得粉身碎骨的下场。在临死之前，它后悔不已：我不应该存有奢望，我的生命中本不该有翅膀和云朵，我怎么可能离开地面呢？

如果一个人实现了所有的愿望，那么他离被毁灭也就不远了。