双语·《伊索寓言》 挤奶女工和奶桶

THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL

A farmer's daughter had been out to milk the cows, and was returning to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head. As she walked along, she fell a-musing after this fashion: “The milk in this pail will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter and take to market to sell. With the money I will buy a number of eggs, and these, when hatched, will produce chickens, and by and by I shall have quite a large poultry-yard. Then I shall sell some of my fowls, and with the money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown, which I shall wear when I go to the fair; and all the young fellows will admire it, and come and make love to me, but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them.” Forgetting all about the pail, and suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air vanished in a moment!

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

挤奶女工和奶桶

一个农夫的女儿挤完了牛奶，把奶桶顶在头顶上往回走。她一边走一边开心地想：“这桶里的奶可以用来做奶油，我可以做成黄油拿到市场上去卖，有了钱我就可以买些鸡蛋回来，然后孵出小鸡来，鸡生蛋，蛋生鸡，我就能有一个很大的家禽场。然后我就可以卖掉一些鸡，拿卖鸡的钱来给自己买条新裙子。我穿着新裙子去市场，所有的年轻人都会眼前一亮，跑来向我求爱，我会高傲地甩开头，不理他们。”她一直想着这些，忘了头顶上的奶桶，想着想着就做出了相应的动作，甩了一下头，于是奶桶从她头上滚落，所有的奶都洒了出来，她刚才空想出来的一切，全都一瞬间消失了。

训诫：不要过早乐观。