英语智慧背囊 02-皮匠和银行家

[00:02.07]The Cobbler and the banker皮匠和银行家
[00:04.97]A cobbler passed his time in singing from morning till night;
[00:09.30]it was wonderful to see, wonderful to hear him;
[00:13.37]he was more contented in shoes than anyone else.
[00:17.58]His neighbor, on the contrary, was rolling in wealth,
[00:21.04] sung but little and slept less.
[00:24.00] He was a banker;
[00:25.68]when by chance he fell into a doze at day break,
[00:28.96] the cobbler awoke him with his song.
[00:31.37]The banker complained sadly that Providence had not made sleep a saleable commodity,
[00:37.51]like edibles or drinkables.
[00:39.58]Having at length sent for the songster,
[00:42.32] he said to him, “How much a year do you earn, Master Gregory?”
[00:46.91]　　 “How much a year, sir?”
[00:49.21]said the merry cobbler laughing,
[00:51.27]“I have reckoned in that way,
[00:53.25]living as I do from one day to another;
[00:56.00]somehow I manage to reach the end of the year;
[00:59.00]each day brings its meal.”
[01:01.25]　　 “Well then! How much a day do you earn, my friend? ”
[01:05.74]　　 “Sometimes more, sometimes less;
[01:08.47]but the worst of it is,
[01:09.75]—and, without that our earnings would be very tolerable—
[01:13.33]a number of days occur in the year on which we are forbidden to work.”
[01:17.97]　　The banker, laughing at his simplicity,said,
[01:21.21]“In the future I shall place you above want.
[01:24.25]Take this hundred crowns, preserve them carefully,
[01:27.65]and make use of them in time of need. ”
[01:30.54]　　 The cobbler fancied he saw all the wealth
[01:34.00]which the earth had produced in the past century for the use of mankind.
[01:38.20] Returning home, he buried his money and his happiness at the same time,
[01:43.44]No more singing;
[01:45.17]he lost his voice,
[01:46.75]the moment he acquired that which is the source of so much grief.
[01:51.02]Sleep quitted his dwelling;
[01:53.65]and cares, suspicions, and false alarms took its place.
[01:57.69] All day, his eye wandered in the direction of his treasure;
[02:01.85] and at night, if some stray cat made a noise,
[02:05.14]he would thought the cat was robbing him.
[02:07.75]At length the poor man ran to the house of his rich neighbor;
[02:12.25]“Give me back” he said,
[02:14.44]“sleep and my voice,
[02:16.12] and take your hundred crowns.”