One day an old Crane stood in the shallows of a lotus pond with a very dejected look upon his long face. A Crab¹ nearby noticed the troubled look on the old bird, and asked:

一天， 一只老鹤站在荷花池里的浅水处，它那张长长的脸上一副沮丧的射神情。附近的一只蟹注意到老鹤的一脸忧愁，问道：

“There are fish in this pond. How is it that you stand there as if you have given up the thought of ever eating?”

“这个池塘里有鱼。你怎么呆呆地在那儿，好像再也不想吃鱼了。“

“I am sad,” said the old Crane,” because I heard a terrible piece of news today.

“我很伤心，”老鹤说，“今天我听到了一个可怕的消息。

I overheard the fishermen in town saying that tomorrow they will come to this pond and drain it of every fish and every shell to the last periwinkle.

我听城里的渔夫们说，他们明天要来捕光所有的鱼和甲壳类动物，连个螺蛳也不剩，那样我就死定了，因为我没有东西吃了。

When that happens, I am doomed² for I shall have nothing to live on. My appetite has left me ever since and I am now resigning myself to dying of hunger.”

从那时起我就没胃口了，我现在就是顺其自然，等着饿死。”

The fish in the pond overheard the Crane, and they said to each other in their distress³:

池塘里的鱼听到鹤的话，很是忧伤地相互说道：

“Since he and we have a common enemy in the fishmen perhaps the wise Crane can advise us what to do.”

“他和我们的共同敌人是渔夫，或许聪明的鹤能告诉我们该怎么办。”

They swam up to the long-legged bird and said:” Sir Crane, can you tell us how we may save ourselves from this terrible plight⁴?”

他们游到长腿鹤跟前，说道： “鹤先生，你能告诉我们怎样才能逃脱这场可怕的灾难吗？”

“There is only one way,” said the Crane,” you must get to another pool before it is too late.”

“只有一个办法，”鹤说，“你们必须及早到另一个池塘里去。”

“But how can we do that?” asked the fish.

“可是，我们该怎么去呢？ ”鱼问。

“There is a protected pool nearby,” said the Crane, “ and if you wish I will carry you there one by one.”

“附近有一个被保护的池塘，”鹤说。“要是你们愿意，我可以逐个把你们送过去。 ”

The poor fish consulted among themselves and said:” Since there is nothing else we can do to save ourselves, we must make an alliance with our foe⁶.”

可怜的鱼儿彼此商量后，说：“要想活命咱们没有别的办法，只有和敌人结为同盟了。 ”

And they agreed to let the Crane transport them one by one to the pool where they would be safe.

于是，他们同意由鹤把它们逐一送到安全的池塘。

The wicked Crane took the fish, one by one, to a lonely spot nearby, where he devoured⁷ them. He returned for more, reporting that all the others were now safe and happy in another pool.

这只阴险邪恶的鹤把鱼一条一条地衔到附近一个偏僻的地方，把它们吃掉了。然后又回来衔更多的鱼，还说那些鱼在另一个池塘里很安全快乐。

Finally all the fish were gone, and the Crab said;” Sir Crane, take me also to that pool, for I wish to be with my friends the fish.”

最后，鱼都给衔走了，蟹说：“鹤先生，也把我带到那个池塘里去吧，我想和我的鱼朋友们在一起。 ”

The greedy Crane, who loved Crab meat, carefully lifted the ten-legged creature and carried him off to the spot where he had devoured all the fish.

这只贪婪的哦鹤很喜欢蟹肉，他小心地衔着这个十条腿的动物，把蟹带到他吃鱼的地方去。

But when the Crab saw all the bones on the ground and realized how cunning the Crane had been, he thought to himself;”

蟹看到地上的骨头，立刻明白了鹤是多么的狡猾，他心想：

I am undone⁸! Yet when the wise are attacked, even if they see no hope of saving themselves, they still do not give up, but die fighting.”

“我完了，但是智者被攻击时，即使没有生存的希望，也绝不会放弃，宁愿战斗而死。”

Whereupon the Crab fastened his pincer-like fore⁵ claws upon the Crane’s throat and tore at it until the Crane perished.

想到此，蟹用他钳子般的前蟹扼紧鹤的喉咙，不停地撕咬，直到鹤咽气为止。