文言文 宋人有耕田者.田中有株,兔走觸株,折頸而死.因釋其耒而守株,冀復得兔.兔不可復得,而身為宋國笑.今欲以先王之政,治當世之民,皆守株之類也.
白話文 宋國有一個農(nóng)民,每天在田地里勞動.一年四季,早上天一亮就起床,扛著鋤頭往田野走；傍晚太陽快落山了,又扛著鋤頭回家.他實在是很辛苦.有一天,這個農(nóng)夫正在地里干活,突然一只野兔從草叢中竄出來.野兔見到有人而受了驚嚇.它拼命地奔跑,不料一下子撞到農(nóng)夫地頭的一截樹樁子上,折斷脖子死了.農(nóng)夫放下手中的農(nóng)活,走過去撿起死兔子.他非常慶幸自己的好運氣.晚上回到家,農(nóng)夫把死兔交給妻子.妻子做了香噴噴的野兔肉,兩口子有說有笑美美地吃了一頓.第二天,農(nóng)夫照舊到地里干活,可是他再不像以往那么專心了.守株待兔他干一會兒就朝草叢里瞄一瞄、聽一聽,希望再有一只兔子竄出來撞在樹樁上.就這樣,他心不在焉地干了一天活,該鋤的地也沒鋤完.直到天黑也沒見到有兔子出來,他很不甘心地回家了.第三天,農(nóng)夫來到地邊,已完全無心鋤地.他把農(nóng)具放在一邊,自己則坐在樹樁旁邊的田埂上,專門等待野兔子竄出來.可是又白白地等了一天.后來,農(nóng)夫每天就這樣守在樹樁邊,希望再撿到兔子,然而他始終沒有再得到.而農(nóng)夫地里的野草卻越長越高,把他的莊稼都淹沒了.農(nóng)夫因此成了宋國人議論的笑柄.[2]現(xiàn)在如果還要用以前的方法來治理現(xiàn)在的人民,就象守著一棵樹等兔子來撞一樣.
守株待兔的英譯文
Staying by a Stump Waiting for More Hares To Come and Dash Themselves Against It
This story took place more than 2,000 years ago,in the Warring States period（475-221 B.C.）.Tradition has it that in the State of Song at that time there was a man who was famous for staying by a stump waiting for more hares to come and dash themselves against it.
He was a yong farmer,and his family had been farmers for generations.Year after year and generation after generation,farmers used to sow in spring and harvest in autumn,beginning to work at sunrise and retiring at sunset.In good harvest years,they could only have enough food to eat and enough clothing to wear.If there was a famine due to crop failure,they had to go hungry.
This young farmer wanted to improve his life.But he was too lazy and too cowardly.Being lazy and cowardly over everything,he often dreamed of having unexpected blessings.
A miracle took place at last.One day in late autumn,when he was ploughing in the field,two groups of people were hunting nearby.As shoutings were rising one after another,scared hares were running desperately.Suddenly,a blind hare dashed itself headlong against the stump of a dead tree in his field and died.
That day,he ate his fill.