伊索寓言——一捆木柴

原文：

    A Husbandman who had a quarrelsome family ,after having tried in vain to reconcile them by words ,thought he might more readily prevail by an example .So he called his sons and bid them lay a bundle of sticks before him .Then ,having tied them into a fagot, he told the lads ,one after the other ,to take it up and break it .They all tied ,but tried in vain .Then untying the fagot ,he gave them the sticks to break one by one .This they did with the greatest ease .Then said the father:"Thus you ,my sons ,as long as you remain united ,are a match for all you enemies ;but differ and separate ,and you are undone."
    Union is strength.

译文：

    一个农夫，家庭不和睦，用言语劝告大家和好，总是无效，最后他想，用实际例子可能容易说服他们。于是他把儿子都叫来，吩咐他们抱一捆火柴放在他的面前。他把火柴捆成一捆，接着叫这些孩子挨次拿起来折断它，一个个都试过了，但都没有折断，接着他解了捆，一根一根地给他们折，他们都轻而易举地折断了。这时父亲说："孩子们，只要我们团结一致，你们就能对付一切敌人；但是如果意见不合，各自东西，那么你们一定要失败。"
    团结就是力量。

词汇：   

Husbandman 农夫

fagot 一捆

a match for ……的对手