在古代的民间故事中,《越人遇狗》是一则充满寓意的小品文,它以简洁的语言讲述了一个耐人寻味的故事,并通过生动的情节传递了深刻的道理。以下是原文及其翻译:
原文:
越人善渔,尝于江边设网捕鱼。一日,忽见一犬自远处而来,状甚可怜。越人怜之,遂投鱼与犬食。犬得鱼后,竟不离去,反随越人归家。越人以犬为伴,日久成习。
一日,越人外出捕鱼,忘锁门户。邻人窃入其室,取物而逃。犬吠不止,邻人惧而弃物遁走。越人归,见室中无恙,问犬何故如此。犬摇尾作答,似有功于主人。
越人叹曰:“畜生犹知忠义,况人乎?”自此,待犬愈厚。邻人闻之,亦感愧悔,终成善邻。
翻译:
A man from Yue was skilled at fishing and often set up nets by the river to catch fish. One day, he saw a dog approaching from afar, looking very pitiful. The man felt sorry for it and gave some fish to the dog to eat. After eating the fish, the dog did not leave but followed the man back home instead. Over time, the man grew fond of the dog and treated it as a companion.
One day, when the man went out fishing and forgot to lock his door, a neighbor entered his house secretly and stole things before fleeing. However, the dog barked incessantly, causing the thief to abandon the stolen goods and run away. When the man returned home, he found everything intact and asked the dog why it had acted this way. The dog wagged its tail as if trying to communicate that it had done something good for its owner.
The man sighed and said, "Even animals understand loyalty and righteousness; how much more should humans do so?" From then on, the man treated the dog even better. Upon hearing this story, the neighbor felt ashamed and remorseful, eventually becoming a good neighbor.
这则故事告诉我们,忠诚和正义是跨越物种的精神纽带,无论人还是动物,都应遵循这一原则。同时,它也提醒我们,善行往往能够带来意想不到的回报,而恶行终究难逃良心的谴责。