小偷和看門狗

The Thief and the Housedog

A thief came in the night to break into a house. He brought with him several slices of meat in order to pacify the housedog, so that he would not alarm his master by barking. As the thief threw him the pieces of meat, the dog said, “If you want to stop my mouth, you will be greatly mistaken. This sudden kindness at your hands will only make me more watchful, lest under these unexpected favors to myself, you have some private ends to accomplish for your own benefit, and for my master’s injury.”

【日積月累】

pacify vt. 使平靜，安慰，撫慰

【參考譯文】

小偷和看門狗

一個小偷在夜晚闖進了一家房子。他拿出了隨身帶著的幾片肉為了討好看門的狗，好讓狗不叫，以免驚醒狗的主人。正當小偷扔著幾片肉的時候，狗說，“如果你認為這樣能夠堵住我得嘴，那你就大錯特錯了。你手上拿來的突如其來的好處僅僅會使我更加專心，以防在你不期然的給我恩惠的情況下，你就已經得到了自己的利益，而我的主人確受傷了。”

【人生啟迪】

看門狗在小偷的誘惑下絲毫沒有動搖，依然盡忠職守，保護了主人的財產。不怕誘惑的好品質值得我們學習。在現實生活中，有些人往往因為一點小小的恩惠就去做違背自己職責的事，東窗事發之后又悔不當初，可是已經太晚了。