城市老鼠與鄉下老鼠
A country mouse once invited her cousin from the town to come and stay. She lived in a simple hole under a hedge, and she gave her guest the best food she had: some grains of barley, a few dried peas and a piece of cheese rind.
The town mouse nibbled politely, but she wasn't impressed. "How can you live like this?" she said. "Come back to town with me, and I'll show you what real food is like."
So the two mice set off for the town. Late that night, they arrived at a grand house, where the remains of a dinner party were still on the table: cakes, jelly, cheese, fruit and much more. The country mouse could hardly believe her eyes.
But they had only just started eating when the door flew open and two servants came in. The mice scurried into a hole in the wall and hid there, their hearts pounding. When the servants had gone, the mice crept out again – but then they heard a dog barking, and they had to run for their lives once more.
The country mouse had had enough. "Thank you for the dinner, cousin," she said, "but I'm going home. I'd rather eat plain food in peace than enjoy a feast in fear."
A simple life without worry is better than a rich life full of fear.
從前，一隻鄉下老鼠邀請住在城裡的表姊來家裡作客。鄉下老鼠住在樹籬下一個簡陋的洞裡，牠拿出家裡最好的東西招待客人：幾粒大麥、幾顆乾豌豆，還有一塊起司皮。
城市老鼠很有禮貌地吃了幾口，心裡卻不以為然。「你怎麼能過這種日子？」牠說，「跟我回城裡去吧，我讓你見識見識什麼才是真正的美食。」
於是，兩隻老鼠一起出發到城裡去。那天深夜，牠們來到一棟豪華的大宅，餐桌上還擺著晚宴剩下的東西：蛋糕、果凍、起司、水果，還有好多好多。鄉下老鼠簡直不敢相信自己的眼睛。
可是牠們才剛開始吃，門就被猛然推開，兩個僕人走了進來。兩隻老鼠趕緊鑽進牆上的一個洞裡躲起來，心臟怦怦狂跳。等僕人走了，牠們又悄悄溜出來——就在這時，又傳來了狗叫聲，牠們只好再一次拚命逃跑。
鄉下老鼠受夠了。「表姊，謝謝你的晚餐，」牠說，「可是我要回家了。我寧可安安穩穩地吃粗茶淡飯，也不要提心吊膽地吃大餐。」
簡單又安心的生活，勝過富有卻擔驚受怕的日子。