乡下姑娘和牛奶桶 The Country Girl and the Milky Pail - 伊索

The Country Girl and the Milky Pail
乡下姑娘和牛奶桶 

By Aesop
作者：伊索

    A country girl was walking to the market one day，carrying a pail of milk on her head．As she walked along she began to daydream．“When I have sold the milk I shall get enough money to buy some eggs，”she thought．“I can put them to hatch under the broody hen and I shall have at least a dozen chicks to sell at the market．They will be ready just at the right time，when poultry are really expensive to buy，so I'll have enough money to buy a new dress．”
    有一天，一个乡下姑娘去赶集，头上顶着一桶牛奶。她走着走着，开始做起了白日梦。“我卖了这桶牛奶，我就有足够的钱买鸡蛋，”她想。“我可以把蛋放在抱窝母鸡的身子下边，那我起码就会有一打小鸡到集市上去卖。这些小鸡孵出来会正当时，那时家禽能卖个好价钱，这样我就有足够的钱买一条新裙子。”

    “I wonder what colour of a dress I should buy，”she thought．“Green，I think．That suits me best．With a big，deep frill at the hem. Oh，I'll look so beautiful that all the boys at the fair will want to dance with me．”
    “我该买什么颜色的裙子呢？”她在想，“绿色的吧，我想那最适合我，带有很大的深色褶边。哦，穿上去一定很漂亮，集市上所有的男孩都会想和我一起跳舞呢。”

    “I'll have nothing to do with them，though，”she said to herself．“I'll just toss my head and walk away，no matter how they plead with me．”
    “我才不会理他们呢，”她自言自语道。“我会把头一甩就走开，随他们怎么恳求我，我也不理。”

    She gave her head a disdainful toss at the thought．
    想到这里，她把头不屑地甩了一下。

    Unfortunately she had quite forgotten that she was carrying a pail of milk on her head．Down fell the pail，spilling the fresh，creamy milk all over the road．“Oh my beautiful green dress，”she wailed．“Oh my chickens！Oh my good fresh eggs！Oh my milk！”
    不幸的是，她完全忘了头顶上还有一桶牛奶。哗啦一声，牛奶桶掉了下来，乳白色的鲜牛奶全都洒到了路上。“哎呀，我漂亮的绿裙子呀，”她哭喊着，“哎呀，我的小鸡呀！我的鸡蛋呀！我的牛奶呀！”

    It was too late．The milk had all trickled away among the stones. With nothing left to sell at the market the girl carried her empty bucket sadly home．
    一切都太迟了。牛奶已经从石头缝里流掉了。没有东西可以拿到集市上卖了，姑娘非常伤心，只好带着空桶回家了。

    Don't count your chickens until they are hatched．
    蛋未孵化别先数小鸡。[切勿指望得过早。]

1.pail n.桶
2.daydream v.做白日梦
3.hatch v.（蛋）孵化，孵出
    - The eggs are about to hatch.这些蛋就要孵化了。
4.broody adj.想孵卵的，要抱窝的
5.poultry n.家禽
6.frill n. 饰边，褶边
7.hem n.遮边，下摆
8.fair n.集市
9.disdainful adj.鄙视的，不屑的
    - She's always been disdainful of people who haven't been to college.她总是瞧不起那些未念过大学的人。
10.spill v.溢出，洒落
    - An oil spill could be devastating for wildlife.溢出的油对野生动物来说可能是毁灭性的。
11.creamy adj.米色的，米黄色的
12.wail v.大声哭叫，号啕大哭
    - The wind wailed all night.风整夜地哀号。
13.trickle v.滴，淌，涓涓地流