寓教于乐，启迪人生
A Woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe, glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water.As he stood by the water's edge lamenting his loss, Mercury appeared and asked him the reason for his grief. On learning what had happened, out of pity for his distress, Mercury dived into the river and, bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost.
The Woodman replied that it was not, and Mercury then dived a second time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his. "No, that is not mine either," said the Woodman. Once more Mercury dived into the river, and brought up the missing axe. The Woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor warmly; and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes. When the Woodman told the story to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good fortune and determined to try his luck for himself. So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived to let his axe drop into the water.
Mercury appeared as before, and, on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion. Without waiting to be asked whether it was his or not, the fellow cried, "That's mine, that's mine," and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize: but Mercury was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declinedto give him the golden axe, but also refused to recover for him the one he had let fall into the stream.
有一个樵夫在河边砍树，突然，他的斧子飞离了树干，从手中落入水里。当他站在水边悲叹他丢失的斧子时，墨丘利出现了，问他为什么如此伤心。了解缘由后，出于对樵夫的同情，墨丘利跳进河里，捞上来一把金光闪闪的斧子，问樵夫这是不是他掉进河里的那把。樵夫说不是。于是，墨丘利第二次跳进河中，又捞起来一把银光发亮的斧子，问是不是他的。“不，那也不是我的。”樵夫答道。
墨丘利再次跳进河里，这次捞上来的正是樵夫掉的那把。樵夫看到失而复得的斧子欣喜若狂，对墨丘利感激万分；而墨丘利也非常赞赏樵夫的忠厚老实，于是就把另外两把斧子作为礼物送给了他。
当樵夫把自己的经历讲述给同伴听时，其中一个人对他的好运气十分嫉妒，决定也去碰碰运气。于是，他去河畔砍树，并故意将自己的斧子丢入河水中。墨丘利像以前一样出现了，知道他的斧子落入水中后，他与上次一样跳进河里捞起一把金斧子。没等到墨丘利问他，这个人就叫道：“那是我的，是我的。”并伸出手急切地想拿到那把斧子，但墨丘利对他的不诚实十分恼怒，不仅拒绝把金斧子送给他，就连他自己丢在水中的那把也没有还给他。
寓意
“知足常乐”是这则故事给我们最好的教训。一个容易满足的人不会贪求，因此他会发现自己拥有的其实比失去的要多很多，这也是他快乐的源泉。然而当一个人起了贪念，准备做一些违背良心的事情来获得好处时，往往事与愿违，到最后什么也得不到！
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