【英】《伊索寓言》第16集：The Wolf and the Lamb

On a hot day, a thirsty wolf came to a spring that ran near a grassy pasture. The wolf began lapping at the water when he heard a soft sound nearby. He raised his head and saw a lamb lapping at the water farther down the stream.

“How dare you muddy the water where I am drinking?” the wolf demanded, taking a step closer to the sheep.

“Oh, I didn’t,” the lamb said. “I am downstream of you. If the water is muddy, I cannot be the one who made it so.”

“Well, then,” the wolf said, licking his lips as he stepped closer. “Why do you not call me ‘sir’?I believe you’re the same rude lamb I met here last year!”

“I could not have been that rude creature, sir,” the lamb said. “I am only six months old.”

“I don’t care,” the wolf shouted as he leaped at the lamb. “If it wasn’t you, it was someone just like you!”

The lamb fled in terror until the sheepdog chased the wolf away. The dog scolded the lamb for talking to the wolf.

“I only wanted to explain why he should not attack me,” the lamb said, trembling.

The dog shook his head and said, “A bully does not need an excuse to do whatever he wishes. His nature is reason enough.”