古代寓言原是民间口头创作,文学体裁的一种。含有讽喻或明显教训意义的故事。它的结构简短。主人公可以是人,可以是动物,也可以是无生物。多借用比喻手法,使富有教训意义的主题或深刻的道理在简单的故事中体现,而还需要自己去理解,思考,这就是和西方寓言的不同之处。
《古代寓言·一个洞的“网”》
语有之曰:“有鸟将来,张罗待之,得鸟者一目也。”
今为一目之罗,无时得鸟矣。
——《申鉴》
One-Hole Nets
There is an old saying, "No matter how big a net one may spread, each bird is caught in a single hole."
Now a person was so fascinated by this witticism that he took a number of pieces of string and made separate loops of them by tying the ends together.
Consequently never once did he catch a bird with those "nets."
--Shen Jian
(杨宪益、戴乃迭 译)
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