《拉封丹寓言》是世界上最伟大的寓言故事集之一。“狮子的宫廷”、“猫和老鼠”、“卖牛奶的女人和奶罐”、“算卦的女人”、“老鼠和大象”和“狼和猎人”等脍炙人口的故事,伴随了一代又一代人的美丽童年、少年直至成年。该书自首次出版三百多年以来,已被译成世界上几十种文字,并不断地被改编成漫画、动画片、儿童剧等。本书选用其中最著名的英文译本之一,精选了其中61个寓言故事,并配以法国著名画家多雷的插画。无论作为语言学习的课本,还是作为通俗的文学读本,本书对当代中国的大、中学生都将产生积极的影响。为了使读者提高阅读速度和阅读水平,在每篇英文故事的开始部分增加了中文导读。
让·德·拉封丹(Jean de La Fontaine),法国著名诗人,被誉为“法国的荷马”,出生于法国香槟省的夏托蒂埃里,父亲是位从事森林管理的小官吏。受家庭环境的影响,拉封丹从小就对诗歌怀有浓厚的兴趣。1641年,拉封丹去巴黎学习神学,后又改学法律,1652年接替父职,后于1657年携家定居巴黎。1668年,拉封丹发表了《寓言诗》第1集(1~6卷),这使他一举成名,并奠定了在法国文坛的地位。随后于1678—1679年间,拉封丹发表了《寓言诗》的第2集(7~11卷)。1694年,他发表了《寓言诗》的最后一集,即第12卷。此外,拉封丹著名的作品还有《故事诗》 (1664—1685)和韵文小说《普叙赫和库比德的爱情》(1669)等。1684年,拉封丹当选为法兰西学院院士。1695年4月13日,拉封丹病逝于巴黎。
1.患瘟疫的动物/The Animals Sick of the Plague 1
2.不幸的婚姻/The Ill-Married 7
3.隐居的老鼠/The Rat Retired from the World 12
4.苍鹭/The Heron 16
5.少女/The Maid 20
6.愿望/The Wishes 26
7.狮子的宫廷/The Lion’s Court 31
8.秃鹫与鸽子/The Vultures and the Pigeons 34
9.马车和苍蝇/The Coach and the Fly 38
10.卖牛奶的女人和奶罐/The Dairywoman and the Pot of Milk 42
11.神父与死尸/The Curate and the Corpse 47
12.追求幸福女神的人和卧床等幸福女神的人/The Man Who Ran
after Fortune, and the Man WhoWaited for Her in His Bed 51
13.两只公鸡/The Two Cocks 58
14.人对幸福女神的忘恩和不道义/The Ingratitude and Injustice of
Men Towards Fortune 62
15.算卦的女人/The Fortune-Tellers 66
16.猫、黄鼠狼和小兔子/The Cat, the Weasel, and the Young Rabbit 71
17.蛇头和蛇尾/The Head and the Tail of the Serpent 75
18.月亮里的动物/An Animal in the Moon 79
19.死神和将死的人/Death and the Dying 86
20.补鞋匠和金融家/The Cobbler and the Financier 91
21.狮子、狼和狐狸/The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox 96
22.寓言的力量/The Power of Fables 101
23.人和跳蚤/The Man and the Flea 107
24.女人和秘密/The Women and the Secret 110
25.帮主人带着食物的狗/The Dog That Carried His Master's Dinner 114
26.爱开玩笑的人和鱼/The Joker and the Fishes 118
27.老鼠和牡蛎/The Rat and the Oyster 122
28.熊和园艺爱好者/The Bear and the Amateur Gardener 126
29.两个朋友/The Two Friends 132
30.公猪、山羊和绵羊/The Hog, the Goat, and the Sheep 136
31.提尔西斯和阿玛朗特/Thyrsis and Amaranth 140
32.母狮的葬礼/The Funeral of the Lioness 147
33.老鼠和大象/The Rat and the Elephant 153
34.占星/The Horoscope 157
35.驴和狗/The Ass and the Dog 164
36.帕夏和商人/The Pashaw and the Merchant 168
37.学问的用途/The Use of Knowledge 174
38.朱庇特和雷霆/Jupiter and the Thunderbolts 178
39.猎鹰和阉鸡/The Falcon and the Capon 183
40.猫和老鼠/The Cat and the Rat 187
41.激流和河/The Torrent and the River 192
42.教育/Education 195
43.两条狗和死驴/The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass 198
44.德谟克利特和阿布德拉人/Democritus and the People of Abdera 203
45.狼和猎人/The Wolf and the Hunter 208
46.背信弃义的受托人/The Faithless Depositary 214
47.两只鸽子/The Two Doves 221
48.猴子和豹子/The Monkey and the Leopard 229
49.橡子和南瓜/The Acorn and the Pumpkin 233
50.小学生、教书先生和园主/The Schoolboy, the Pedant, and the
Owner of a Garden 237
51.雕刻家和朱庇特的塑像/The Sculptor and the Statue of Jupiter 241
52.变成少女的老鼠/The Mouse Metamorphosed into a Maid 245
53.出卖智慧的傻子/The Fool Who Sold Wisdom 252
54.牡蛎和诉讼人/The Oyster and the Litigants 256
55.狼和瘦狗/The Wolf and the Lean Dog 259
56.不能过度/Nothing Too Much 263
57.大蜡烛/The Wax-Candle 267
58.朱庇特和航海者/Jupiter and the Passenger 270
59.猫和狐狸/The Cat and the Fox 274
60.丈夫、妻子和盗贼/The Husband, the Wife, and the Thief 279
61.财富和两个人/The Treasure and the Two Men 283