The Wolf And The Lean Dog
狼和瘦狗
by Aesop
出自《伊索寓言》
A Wolf prowling near a village one evening met a Dog. It happened to be a very lean and bony Dog, and Master Wolf would have turned up his nose at such meager fare had he not been more hungry than usual. So he began to edge toward the Dog, while the Dog backed away.
一天傍晚，一只正在村子附近游荡的狼遇见了一只狗。这只狗瘦骨嶙峋，要不是狼大师这会儿比平常更饿的话，他一定会对这么少的食物不屑一顾的。于是他开始向狗靠近，而狗就往后退。
"Let me remind your lordship," said the Dog, his words interrupted now and then as he dodged a snap of the Wolf's teeth, "how unpleasant it would be to eat me now. Look at my ribs. I am nothing but skin and bone. But let me tell you something in private. In a few days my master will give a wedding feast for his only daughter. You can guess how fine and fat I will grow on the scraps from the table. Then is the time to eat me."
“大人，让我提醒您，”狗说，他的话不时在躲闪狼的撕咬时打断，“现在把我吃掉是多么不愉快啊!看我的肋骨。我瘦得皮包骨头。但是让我私下告诉你一些事情。再过几天，我主人要为他唯一的女儿举行婚宴。你可以猜到我在桌上的残羹剩饭上会长得多好多胖。然后就是吃我的时候了。”
The Wolf could not help thinking how nice it would be to have a fine fat Dog to eat instead of the scrawny object before him. So he went away pulling in his belt and promising to return.
狼不禁想，要是有一条又肥又好的狗来吃，而不是面前这个骨瘦如柴的东西，那该有多好啊!于是他勒紧腰带，答应会再回来。
Some days later the Wolf came back for the promised feast. He found the Dog in his master's yard, and asked him to come out and be eaten.
几天后，狼为了那允诺的美餐又来了。他在狗主人的院子里发现了这只狗，就叫他赶快出来引颈受戮。
"Sir," said the Dog, with a grin, "I shall be delighted to have you eat me. I'll be out as soon as the porter opens the door."
“先生，”狗笑着说，“我很高兴让你吃了我。看门的一开门，我就出去。”
But the "porter" was a huge Dog whom the Wolf knew by painful experience to be very unkind toward wolves. So he decided not to wait and made off as fast as his legs could carry him.
但是“看门的”是一只巨大的狗，狼从痛苦的经历中知道它对狼非常不友好。所以他决定不等了，尽快地离开了。
Do not depend on the promises of those whose interest it is to deceive you.
寓意1：不要信赖那些只会欺骗你的诺言。
Take what you can get when you can get it.
寓意2：过了这个村儿，就没有这个店了。