寓教于乐，启迪人生——命运女神和乞丐 Fortune and the Beggar
贪婪之人的欲望是永远无法满足的，而一旦受陷于贪欲也将难以自拔。多少人因为贪婪，不惜铤而走险，一次次地伸出罪恶之手，最终葬送了自己的前程，甚至生命。所以，多想想自己所拥有的，凡事抱有感恩之心，才能拥有快乐和幸福的人生。
一个乞丐，身上背着一个破旧的褡裢，拖着沉重的步伐，经过一座房子。他上下打量着房子，虽然他一贫如洗，但仍按捺不住自己的好奇心：一些人可以随心所欲地修建华丽的住宅，过着富足、奢侈和安逸的生活，可无论钱袋装得多满，他们却从来不知足。
A wretched beggar,carrying a ragged old wallet,was creeping along from house to house;and,as he grumbled at his lot,he kept wondering that folks who lived in rich apartments,and were up to their throats in money and in the sweets of indulgence, should be always unsatisfied, however full their pockets might be, and that they should go so far as often to lose all they have, while unreasonably craving for,andlaying their hands on, new riches.
“事实上，常常会发生这种事，如果贪婪，他们总会试图增加自己的财富，但得到的财富最终还是会失去！
“例如，这座房子先前的主人，做生意一帆风顺，且越做越大。但他却没有就此罢手，也不愿就此度过一生，于是他把生意出让，得到了足够多的财富。到了春天，他投了大笔钱到华丽的海船上，希望得到大堆大堆的金子。然而他的船队沉入了海底，他们带去的财宝也都被大海吞没。现在船沉入了海底，而他还在发呆。他所有的发财梦都破灭了，他不知道该怎么做了。”
"Here,for instance," he says," the former master of this house succeeded in trading prosperously,and made himself enormously rich by commerce.Byt then,instead of stopping ,and handing ocer his business to another,and spending the rest of his years in peace, he took to equipping ships for the sea in the spring .He expected to get mountains of gold;but the ships were smashed, and his treasures were swallowed up by the waves.Now they all lie at the bottomof the sea,and he has found his riches melt away like those in areams .Another man became one of the farmers of the spirit-tax,and so gained amillion.That was a trifle:he wanted to double it.So he plunged up to his ears in speculations,and was utterly ruined.In short,instances ofthis are countless. And quite right too: a man should use discretion."
“另一个人是做期货的，刚开始看起来要赚大钱。但他太贪婪，想赚两倍的钱，便不顾一切后果地投入，因此不久就上了法庭。
“你可以找出成千上万这样的人。总之，他们都是自作自受，活该！”
慢着，乞丐！看，没想到命运女神出现了。她站在那里，温柔而诚恳地对乞丐说：“朋友，我想了很久，不知怎样帮你。我有一大堆金元宝，打开你的袋子，我要让它装满金元宝！但是，每个进入袋子的金元宝都是纯金，一旦你的袋子承受不了而使它们掉到地上的话，这些金元宝就会变成一堆垃圾！记住我的忠告，这是我帮你的条件！你的袋子已经破旧不堪了，别装得太满！切记，一定不要多装！”
乞丐激动得喘不过气来，这简直太神奇了。他觉得自己似乎要飘起来了。他把袋子口张得大大的，于是金光闪闪的金币下雨一样流进他的袋子里，袋子比以前重了一倍。
At this moment Fortune suddenly appeared to the beggar,and said:"Lidten! I have long wished to help you.Here is a lot fo ducats I have found.Hold out your wallet,and Iwill fill it with them;but only on this condition:-All shall be gold that falls into the wallet;but if falls out of the wallet to the ground,it shall all become dust.Consider this well.I have warned you beforehand.Ishall keep strictly to my compact.Your waller is old;don't overload it beyond its powers."
Our beggar is almost too overjoyed to breathe.He scarcely feels the ground beneath his feet.He opens his wallet,and with generous hand a golden stream of ducats is poured into it.Thewallet soon becomes rather heavy.
“够了吗？”
“不，不够！”
“袋子要撑破了！”
“没事！”
“你现在和大财主一样富有了！”
“再多点，再给一把！有地方装！”
“不能装了！你的袋子要破了！你看不见吗？”
“再给点儿！”
但是，看，袋子破了！金币滚到地上不见了。命运女神也消失了。乞丐除了袋子之外，还是两手空空。乞丐仍旧是乞丐。
"Is that enough?"
"Not yet."
"Isn't it cracking?"
"Never fear."
"Consider,you're quite a croesus."
"There,it's full.Take care:the wallet is going to burst."
"Just a little more;just add a handful."
But at that moment the wallet split;the treasure fell through and turned to dust;and Fortune disappear-ed.The beggar had nothing but his empty wallet,and rmained as poor as before.
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大耳朵编辑：appleyang
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