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一天，狮子在享受美餐的时候不小心被一根骨头卡住了喉咙。他疼痛难忍，再也吃不下去了，就在那里走过来走过去，走过去又走回来,痛得嗷嗷直叫。 附近树枝上栖息着一只啄木鸟，他听到了狮子痛苦的叫声，问道：“朋友，是什么东西让你这么痛苦啊？’’狮子把自己疼痛的原因告诉了啄木鸟，啄木鸟说："我可以把骨头从你喉咙里弄出来,朋友，但我不敢把头伸进你嘴中，只怕进去以后就再也出不来了。我担心你会把我吃了。”"噢，啄木鸟，千万别害怕，"狮子说，“我不会吃你的。请你快救救我吧！" "让我想想怎么救你，”啄木鸟说，“请你张大嘴。”狮子按啄木鸟说的去做了，但琢木鸟心里琢磨:“谁知道这头狮子能做出什么事来，我还是小心为好。” 于是,啄木鸟就在狮子上下颌之间支了一根木棒，这样狮子就不能合上口了。 然后啄木鸟跳进了狮子口中，用他的硬喙啄骨头的一端。他啄了两次，骨头掉了出来。啄木鸟又跳出了狮子口，啄了一下支撑狮子口的木棒，木棒也掉了出来。这时狮子能合上口了。 狮子顿时感到一阵轻松，但他对啄木鸟连个"谢"字都没说。 夏末的一天,啄木鸟对狮子说:"我想请你帮我做点事情。” “帮你做点事情？”狮子说，“你是说想再叫我为你做点事情？我已经为你做过很多事了！休想再让我为你做什么事情！别忘了你、在我口中的那次,我可是放过了你。你只能指望我为你做这么多了。” 啄木鸟没再说什么,但从那天起，他见了狮子总是离得远远的。 The Woodpecker and the Lion One day while a Lion was eating his dinner a bone stuck in his throat. It hurt so that he could not finish his dinner. He walked up and down, up and down, roaring with pain. A Woodpecker sat on a branch of a tree near-by, and hearing the Lion, he said, “Friend, what ails you?” The Lion told the Woodpecker what the matter was, and the Woodpecker said, “I would take the bone out of your throat, friend, but I do not dare to put my head into your mouth, for fear I might never get it out again. I am afraid you might eat me." “O Woodpecker, do not be afraid，” the Lion said. “I will not eat you. Save my life if you can!” “I will see what I can do for you,” said the Woodpecker. "Open your mouth wide. The Lion did as he was told, but the Woodpecker said to himself, “Who knows what this Lion will do? I think I will be careful.” So the Woodpecker put a stick between the Lion's upper and lower jaws so that he could not shut his mouth. Then the Woodpecker hopped into the Lion's mouth and hit the end of the bone with his beak. The second time he hit it, the bone fell out. The woodpecker hopped out of the Lion’s mouth and hit the stick so that it fell out too. Then the Lion could shut his mouth. At once the Lion felt very much better, but not one word of thanks did he say to the Woodpecker. One day later in the summer, the Woodpecker said to the Lion, “I want you to do something for me. “Do something for you?” said the Lion. “You mean you want me to do something more for you. I have already done a great deal for you. You cannot expect me to do any- thing more for you. Do not forget that once I had you in my mouth, and I let you go. That is all that you can ever expect me to do for you.” The Woodpecker said no more，but he kept away from the Lion from that day on. |
