A Goatherd, driving his flock from their pasture at eventide, found some Wild Goats mingled² among them, and shut them up together with his own for the night.

黄昏时分，牧羊人赶着他的羊群放牧归来时，发现有几只野山羊也夹杂在其中。他把它们和自己的羊关在一起，过了一夜。

The next day it snowed very haid , so that he could not take the herd¹ to their usual feeding places, but was obliged to keep them in the fold.

第二天，下起了大雪，牧羊人不能带着羊群去它们以往吃草的地方了，只得让它们呆在羊栏里。

He gave his own goats just sufficient food to keep them alive, but fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope of enticing³ them to stay with him and of making them his own.

他给自己的样的食物刚好能填饱它们的肚子，而喂那几只野山羊的食物要丰盛得多，想以此来引诱它们留下来，归他自己所有。

When the thaw⁴ set in, he led them all out to feed, and the Wild Goats scampered⁵ away as fast as they could to the mountains.

冰雪刚一融化，那几只野山羊便拼命地向上里跑去。

The Goatherd scolded them for their ingratitude⁶ in leaving him, when during the storm he had taken more care of them than of his own herd.

牧羊人责怪它们弃他而去是忘恩负义，说暴风雪期间他对它们的照顾比对自己的羊还要多。

One of them, turning about, said to him;" That is the very reason why we are so cautious; as you treat us better than the Goats you have had so long, it is plain also that if others come after us, you will in the same manner prefer them to ourselves."

一只野山羊听到后，转过头来对他说：“这正是我们小心提防你的原因。既然你对我们比对跟了你那么长时间的羊都好，那么，很显然，如果我们之后又有羊加入的话，你又会同样地去喜欢它们而忽略我们的。”