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从前，有一只公鸡站在谷仓外的围墙上，拍打着翅膀，“喔喔喔"地打鸣。这时，一只狐狸路过这里。 “日安，”狐狸雷纳德说，“你的嗓音听起来甜美动听，但你能不能用一条腿站立，一边眨眼一边打鸣呢？" “噢，当然能了。"公鸡说，"而且我还能做得很漂亮呢。”说着，他就单腿站立，"喔喔喔”地叫起来，但是他只有一只眼睛眨着。做完这些以后，他挺直了身子，扑扇着翅膀，好像自己干得很漂亮的样子。 "老实说，你干得非常漂亮。”雷纳德说，"几乎像教堂里牧师讲道一样漂亮。但是你能不能用单腿站立，而且同时眨动双眼？我认为这一点你就做不到了。” "谁说我不能？”公鸡急了，用一条腿撑起身体,眨巴着两只眼睛，准备鸣叫。然而，在他叫出声之前，雷纳德一跃而上，一口咬住了他的喉咙，又把他扔到自己背上，一溜烟跑回了树林。 到了一棵古老的云杉树下，雷纳德把公鸡扔到地上，前爪踩在鸡胸上，正要咬上一口，公鸡说话了："你是一个野蛮的异教徒，雷纳德，真正的基督徒饭前是一定要祷告的。 但雷纳德可不是异教徒，他也不想做异教徒。所以他把前爪从鸡胸上松开,横放在自己胸前，准备做饭前祈祷。就在这时，只听“扑”的一声，公鸡飞到了一棵树上！ “你还是逃不出我的掌心！"雷纳德心想。他离开了一小会儿，回来时爪里抓着几张碎木片，那是樵夫劈柴时留下的。公鸡向下偷看了几眼,想弄清楚他拿的是什么东西。 “你拿的是什么东西？”他问。 “这是我刚刚收到的信件，雷纳德说，"你能不能帮我念念，因为我斗大的字不识一个." "我很乐意为你读信，但是现在我不敢念，"公鸡说，"因为我看见猎人走过来了，我还看见他背着猎枪，挎着子弹袋。” 雷纳德听公鸡提到猎人，赶忙脚底擦油,溜了！ Reynard and the Cock Once upon a time there was a cock who stood on the barnyard fence and crowed and flapped his wings. Then the fox came by. "Good-day," said Reynard. "I have heard you crowing so nicely, but can you stand on one leg and crow, and wink your eyes?" "Oh, yes,” said the cock, " I can do that very well.，’ So he stood on one leg and crowed, but he winked only with one eye, and when he had done that he made himself big and flapped his wings, as though he had done a great thing. “Very pretty, to be sure，” said Reynard. "Almost as pretty as when the parson preaches in church, but can you stand on one leg and wink both your eyes at once? I hardly think you can.” “Can’t I though!” said the cock, and stood on one leg, and winked both his eyes and crowed. But Reynard caught hold of him, took him by the throat, and threw him on his back, so that he was off to the wood before he had crowed his crow out, as fast as Reynard could lay legs to the ground. When they had come under an old spruce fir, Reynard threw the cock on the ground, and set his paw on his breast, and was going to take a bite. "You are a heathen, Reynard!，’ said the cock. "Good Christians say grace before they eat." But Reynard would be no heathen, no indeed. So he let go his hold, and was about to fold his paws over his breast, and say grace—but pop! Up flew the cock into a tree. “You shan’t get off for all that,” said Reynard to himself. So he went away, and came again with a few chips which the woodcutters had left. The cock peeped and peered to see what they could be. "What is that you have there?" he asked. "These are letters I have just got,” said Reynard, "won’t you help me to read them, for I don't know how to read writing?” "I’d be so happy, but I dare not read them now," said the cock, “for here comes a hunter— I see him, I see him with his pouch and gun.” When Reynard heard the cock chattering about a hunter, he took to his heels as fast as he could. |
