A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose.
一只狮子在森林里面睡觉，王者之首枕在爪子上。一只胆小的老鼠无意中撞见了狮子，它惊恐万分，急着逃跑，从狮子的鼻子那里跨了过去。

Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.
从睡梦中惊醒的狮子，生气地用爪子盖在了这个小东西的身上，想要杀了它。

"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you."
“放了我吧！”可怜的老鼠乞求道。“请让我走吧，将来我一定会报答你的。”

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.
狮子听了觉得滑稽可笑，想着你这个老鼠怎么可能会帮到我，最后还是没有计较，放它走了。

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring.
几天后，狮子在森林里面寻找猎物的时候。被猎人布下的网困住了。它自己无力挣脱，整个森林充斥着它愤怒地咆哮。

The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.
老鼠认出了狮子的声音，迅速找到了被困的狮子，不停地咬着困住狮子的绳子，直到它松开，狮子终于获得了自由。

"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."
“我说会报答你的时候，你曾笑话我，现在你看到了吧，哪怕是一只老鼠也是可以帮助一只狮子的。”

A kindness is never wasted.
没有哪个善举是白费的。

 

（翻译：林浔鸥）