[摘要]一只獅子在森林里面睡覺，王者之首枕在爪子上。一只膽小的老鼠無意中撞見了獅子，它驚恐萬分，急著逃跑，從獅子的鼻子那里跨了過去。從睡夢中驚醒的獅子生氣地用爪子蓋在了這個小東西的身上。

  A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose.

一只獅子在森林里面睡覺，王者之首枕在爪子上。一只膽小的老鼠無意中撞見了獅子，它驚恐萬分，急著逃跑，從獅子的鼻子那里跨了過去。

Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

從睡夢中驚醒的獅子，生氣地用爪子蓋在了這個小東西的身上，想要殺了它。

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you."

“放了我吧！”可憐的老鼠乞求道。“請讓我走吧，將來我一定會報答你的。”

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

獅子聽了覺得滑稽可笑，想著你這個老鼠怎么可能會幫到我，最后還是沒有計較，放它走了。

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring.

幾天后，獅子在森林里面尋找獵物的時候。被獵人布下的網困住了。它自己無力掙脫，整個森林充斥著它憤怒地咆哮。

The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

老鼠認出了獅子的聲音，迅速找到了被困的獅子，不停地咬著困住獅子的繩子，直到它松開，獅子終于獲得了自由。

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

“我說會報答你的時候，你曾笑話我，現在你看到了吧，哪怕是一只老鼠也是可以幫助一只獅子的。”

A kindness is never wasted.

沒有哪個善舉是白費的。

源自：滬江英語