狐貍和葡萄
饑餓的狐貍看見葡萄架上掛著一串串晶瑩剔透的葡萄,口水直流,想要摘下來吃,但又 摘不到.看了一會兒,無可奈何地走了,他邊走邊自己安慰自己說：“這葡萄沒有熟,肯定 是酸的.” 這就是說,有些人能力小,做不成事,就借口說時機未成熟.
Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked, 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves.

掉在井里的狐貍和公山羊
一只狐貍失足掉到了井里,不論他如何掙扎仍沒法爬上去,只好呆在那里.公山羊覺得 口渴極了,來到這井邊,看見狐貍在井下,便問他井水好不好喝?狐貍覺得機會來了,心中 暗喜,馬上鎮(zhèn)靜下來,極力贊美井水好喝,說這水是天下第一泉,清甜爽口,并勸山羊趕快 下來,與他痛飲.一心只想喝水信以為真的山羊,便不假思索地跳了下去,當(dāng)他咕咚咕咚痛 飲完后,就不得不與狐貍一起共商上井的辦法.狐貍早有準(zhǔn)備,他狡猾地說：“我倒有一個 方法.你用前腳扒在井墻上,再把角豎直了,我從你后背跳上井去,再拉你上來,我們就都 得救了.”公山羊同意了他的提議,狐貍踩著他的后腳,跳到他背上,然后再從角上用力一 跳,跳出了井口.狐貍上去以后,準(zhǔn)備獨自逃離.公山羊指責(zé)狐貍不信守諾言.狐貍回過頭 對公山羊說：“喂,朋友,你的頭腦如果像你的胡須那樣完美,你就不至于在沒看清出口之 前就盲目地跳下去.” 這故事說明,聰明的人應(yīng)當(dāng)事先考慮清楚事情的結(jié)果,然后才去做.
The Fox and the Goat
One fine, hot day, Fox fell into an old abandoned well. The water was chin-high and muddy, and the well's walls were green with moss, much too slippery to climb. Fox being Fox, he did not bother to worry about his fate or blame himself for being clumsy. Instead he began immediately to scheme about how to get out of this predicament.
Before long, when Fox heard the clop-clop of Goat passing by, he began to sing-tra-la-la!-and to splash water about. Soon a gray nose appeared at the well's rim.
"What are you doing down there?" called Goat.
"Just cooling off," the brazen Fox said. "This water is so perfectly delicious that I may just stay here enjoying myself all afternoon. But I'm a generous fellow, you know, and I am willing to share the fun. Would you like to join me?"
"Gee, thanks!" said Goat. Without a second's hesitation, he jumped into the water. However, when he stood on the bottom of the well, he regretted his hasty leap.
"Fox," he accused, "you told me it was pleasant down here!"
"You must have misunderstood me," said Fox. "But don't worry; I know how to get us out of this place, if you like." He smiled a foxy smile. "Just stand with your front hooves against the wall while I get up on your shoulders and climb out, and then I'll lower a rope so you can escape as well."
"They say we goats should watch out for foxes," said Goat, "but I can't imagine why. You're so clever!" And he did just as Fox asked him.
Fox clambered up onto Goat's shoulders and out of the well. As he stood once again in the sunshine, he thought about lowering the well's rope, but it seemed an unnecessary bother. Besides, he decided, that silly goat needed to learn a lesson. So Fox shook the water off, fluffed up his fur, and off he went on his merry way.
Do you know what lesson the goat needed to learn?
Look before you leap!