顶好和顶坏的菜

顶好和顶坏的菜 古代希腊的那个善于讲寓言的伊索，他早先是人家的奴隶。有一回，他的主人请客，叫他预备一桌顶好的菜，别人家所办不到的。 客人来了。宾主入席之后伊索送上来第一道菜，是一盘红烧的猪舌头。隔了一会，第二道菜送上来了，又是一盘舌头，不过是羊的不是猪的，烧法改了干炸。接着送上来第三，四道菜，那是一盘舌头，不过是其他兽类的了，烧法又改了花样。 主人再也忍不住了，责问伊索道：“我没有对你说过，叫你预备一桌顶好的菜吗？为什么送上来的只是一些猪舌头，羊舌头？” 伊索回答道：“世间还有比舌头更好的东西吗？舌头是知识学问的泉水。靠着舌头，一切知识学问都会在世间传来传去。” 主人听了伊索的答辩觉得满意，但不再说什么话。 散席的时候，主人约客人明天再来聚餐。又吩咐伊索道：“今天的菜你以为顶好的了。明天我要你预备一桌顶坏的菜别人家所办不到的。” 第二天，客人来了。宾主入席之后，伊索送上来第一道菜，仍旧是一盘烧的猪舌头。接着送上来第二，第三，第四道菜，也完全和上一天相同。席上的客人都觉着奇怪。主人呢，不但觉得奇怪，简直生气了。 主人对伊索呵斥道：“怎么又只是一些舌头！你说舌头是顶好的菜，为什么到了今天便变成顶坏的菜呢？” 伊索回答道：“世间还有比舌头更坏的东西吗？凡是顶坏的事情，哪一件没有舌头的份？奸谋，诡计，说谎，营私，哪一件不是舌头的罪恶？” 主人听了伊索的答辩，又觉得满意，于是宾主尽欢而散。￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥ Aesop’s FablesAesopi LinguaHere is today's distich by John Owen, with an English translation by Thomas Harvey, 4:214. The poem refers to a famous incident from the folkloric Life of Aesop, when Aesop's master tells him to serve the best food for every course at a feast; Aesop serves a dish of tongues for the first course, and tongues for the next course and then tongues again. When his master challenges him, Aesop explains that the tongue is the best thing because of all the good things that can be accomplished through the power of human language. Frustrated, his master orders Aesop to do just the opposite for the next feast; he asks Aesop to serve the worst food. Again, Aesop brings out a dish of tongues, and then tongues for the next course, and tongues again. His master is enraged, but Aesop then explains about all the dreadful things that are brought about as a result of human language. So Aesop proved that the human tongue is the best thing and the worst, too.Aesopi LinguaHumano membrum non est in corpore linguaNobiliusve bona, mobiliusve mala.AESOP’S TONGUENo Member is, that doth to man belongMore Noble, or Ignoble, than the Tongue.Here is the vocabulary:Aesopus - Aesoplingua - tongue, languagehumanus - humanmembrum - membernon - not, nosum - be, existin - in, intocorpus - bodynobilis - nobleve - orbonus - goodmobilis - moving, ficklemalus - bad