A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to him: but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him nothing more to eat, and said, ‘I want you no longer, so take yourself off out of my stable; I shall not take you back again until you are stronger than a lion.’ Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.
一位农夫养了一匹马，这匹马曾是他忠实的得力助手；但如今它已年老力衰，无法再劳作。于是农夫不再给它任何食物，并说：‘我不再需要你了，自己离开我的马厩吧；除非你变得比狮子还强壮，否则我绝不会再接纳你。’说完，他打开门，将马赶了出去。
The poor horse was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in the wood, seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain. Presently a fox met him: ‘What’s the matter, my friend?’ said he, ‘why do you hang down your head and look so lonely and woe-begone?’ ‘Ah!’ replied the horse, ‘justice and avarice never dwell in one house; my master has forgotten all that I have done for him so many years, and because I can no longer work he has turned me adrift, and says unless I become stronger than a lion he will not take me back again; what chance can I have of that? he knows I have none, or he would not talk so.’
那匹可怜的马非常忧郁，在树林里徘徊，寻找一处能躲避寒风冷雨的小小庇护所。不久，一只狐狸遇见了它：‘朋友，出什么事了？’狐狸问道，‘你为什么耷拉着脑袋，看起来如此孤独和悲伤？’‘唉！’马回答说，‘正义与贪婪从不共处一室；我的主人早已忘记了我多年来为他所做的一切，只因为我再也无法干活，他就把我赶走了，还说除非我变得比狮子还强壮，否则绝不让我回去。我哪来的机会做到这一点呢？他心里清楚我根本不可能做到，否则就不会那样说了。']}
However, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, ‘I will help you; lie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be dead.’ The horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the lion who lived in a cave close by, and said to him, ‘A little way off lies a dead horse; come with me and you may make an excellent meal of his carcase.’ The lion was greatly pleased, and set off immediately; and when they came to the horse, the fox said, ‘You will not be able to eat him comfortably here; I’ll tell you what--I will tie you fast to his tail, and then you can draw him to your den, and eat him at your leisure.’
然而，狐狸劝他振作精神，说：‘我来帮你；你躺在那里，把身体绷直，假装死去。’马照做了，狐狸便径直走到住在附近洞穴里的狮子那里，对他说：‘不远处有一匹死马；跟我来，你可以美美地享用它的尸体。’狮子非常高兴，立刻动身；当他们来到马身边时，狐狸说：‘你在这里吃得不舒服；我有个主意——我把你绑在马尾巴上，然后你就可以把它拖回你的洞穴，慢慢享用。’
This advice pleased the lion, so he laid himself down quietly for the fox to make him fast to the horse. But the fox managed to tie his legs together and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he could not set himself free. When the work was done, the fox clapped the horse on the shoulder, and said, ‘Jip! Dobbin! Jip!’ Then up he sprang, and moved off, dragging the lion behind him. The beast began to roar and bellow, till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright; but the horse let him sing on, and made his way quietly over the fields to his master’s house.
这番话让狮子十分高兴，于是它安静地躺下，任由狐狸将它绑在马上。然而，狐狸却将狮子的四条腿捆在一起，绑得又紧又牢，任凭狮子如何用力也无法挣脱。事情办妥后，狐狸拍了拍马的肩头，喊道：‘驾！多宾！驾！’马立刻跃起，拖着狮子扬长而去。那野兽开始咆哮怒吼，吓得林中的鸟儿四散飞逃；但马儿不为所动，任由它叫喊，自己则不慌不忙地穿过田野，回到了主人的家。
‘Here he is, master,’ said he, ‘I have got the better of him’: and when the farmer saw his old servant, his heart relented, and he said. ‘Thou shalt stay in thy stable and be well taken care of.’ And so the poor old horse had plenty to eat, and lived--till he died.
“他在这儿，主人，”他说，“我已经制服了他。”农夫看到他的老仆人，心软了，便说：“你留在马厓里，会得到妥善照顾。”于是那匹可怜的老马吃到了足够的食物，一直活到去世。