中国故事（双语）24：Good or bad？塞翁失马焉知非福​

24、Good or bad？

塞翁失马焉知非福

Long ago, an old man and his son lived in a faraway town near the Chinese border. They farmed the land and lived a mostly peaceful life.

One night, there was a terrible storm. Wind lashed the trees. An old elm crashed into the barn door. The frightened horse ran out of the barn, heading toward the hills. The old man and his son looked all over for the horse. They walked through the dark fields, holding torches. They calledtothe horse and scattered sweet hay. Still, they could not find him.

The entire time the old man kept saying, “Perhaps losing our horse isn’t such a bad thing.” His son kept quiet. He didn’t understand his father.

They asked everyone about the missing horse. The townspeople answered politely, saying that they hadn’t seen the horse, but would look out for him. They all pitied the old man and his son. “It must be terrible to lose such a beautiful animal,” they said. But the old man insisted that losing the horse might not be a bad thing. The townspeople grew quiet.

They didn’t understand the old man.

Indeed, it turned out to not be such a bad thing. The horse returned the next day, bringing with it a beautiful female horse. The townspeople congratulated the old man, telling him that he had good luck. The old man, however, responded, “Perhaps my horse returning is not such a good thing after all.” The townspeople grew quiet. They didn’t understand the old man.

As the days passed, the old man’s son came to love the new horse. He rode it every day. When they raced, they flowed like the wind over the grass. But one day, as the old man’s son was riding the horse, a large bird suddenly flew in front of them. The terrified horse stood up on two legs, pawing the air. The old man’s son reached for his horse’s mane but grabbed only air. He flew off the horse’s back.

He slammed into the hard ground. His leg broke. The old man ran to his son and carried him back to the house.

The townspeople expressed their sympathy to the old man. They were all very sorry. His son would never be able to walk without pain again.

Yet unlike the townspeople, the old man said, “Maybe this is not such a bad thing after all.” The townspeople grew quiet. They didn’t understand the old man.

A few months later, the Emperor of China passed through the town with his soldiers. There was a war raging near the border. All the able￾bodied young men had to join the army. What the Emperor didn’t say was that most of the young men would die in the fight. 

However, because the old man’s son was handicapped, he could not fight. He didn’t have to join the army. Instead, he stayed home. He helped tend crops on the family farm.

“See?” the old man said to the townspeople. “It all worked out in the end.

My horse running away brought back the second horse. And that second horse stopped my son from going off to his death. So, in the end, it was good and lucky that these things happened.” The townspeople cheered the old man’s wisdom. At last, they understood him.

The moral of this story is that even the worst things can have positive effects. There is a similar idiom in English. It is “Every cloud has a silver lining.”

The End

Question:  Describe a time when something that seemed bad actually helped you out.

核心词汇

border n. 边境

lash v. （风、雨）猛烈打击

elm n. 榆木

barn n. 谷仓

scatter v. 分散

hay n. （作饲料用的）干草

entire adj. 整个的，全部的

insist v. 坚持

female adj. 女性的，母的

terrify v. 使害怕

paw v. 用爪子抓（或扒）

mane n. （马）鬃，（狮）鬣

grab v. 抓取，攫取

slam v. 砰地关上（门或窗）

able-bodied adj. 体格健全的，强壮的

rage v. （战争）激烈进行

handicapped adj. 残疾的

tend v. 照料，照顾

crop n. 谷物

wisdom n. 智慧

moral n. 寓意

idiom n. 习语

以下翻译来自百度翻译：

很久以前，一位老人和他的儿子住在中国边境附近的一个遥远的小镇上。他们耕种土地，过着平静的生活。

一天晚上，有一场可怕的暴风雨。风猛烈地吹着树。一棵老榆树撞上了谷仓的门。那匹受惊的马跑出谷仓，向山上跑去。老人和他的儿子到处寻找那匹马。他们手持火把穿过黑暗的田野。他们把马叫来，撒下甘美的干草。但是，他们还是找不到他。

老人一直在说，“也许失去我们的马不是件坏事。”他的儿子保持沉默。他不理解他的父亲。

他们向大家打听那匹失踪的马。镇上的人礼貌地回答说，他们没有看到那匹马，但会注意他的。他们都同情老人和他的儿子。“失去这么漂亮的动物一定很可怕，”他们说。但是老人坚持说，失去这匹马可能不是一件坏事。镇上的人都安静下来了。

他们不理解这位老人。

事实证明，这并不是一件坏事。第二天，这匹马回来了，带来了一匹漂亮的母马。镇上的人向老人祝贺，说他运气好。然而，老人回答说：“也许我的马回来并不是一件好事。”镇上的人都安静了下来。他们不理解这位老人。

日子一天天过去，老人的儿子爱上了这匹新马。他每天都骑着它。当他们比赛时，他们像风一样在草地上飞舞。但是有一天，当老人的儿子骑马时，一只大鸟突然飞到他们面前。那匹受惊的马两条腿走路站起来，用爪子抓着空气。老人的儿子伸手去抓马的鬃毛，但只抓住了空气。他从马背上飞走了。

他砰地一声撞在坚硬的地面上。他的腿断了。老人跑向他的儿子，把他带回了家。

镇上的人对这位老人表示同情。他们都很抱歉。他的儿子再也不能不痛地走路了。

然而，与城里人不同的是，老人说：“也许这毕竟不是件坏事。”城里人变得安静了。他们不理解这位老人。

几个月后，中国皇帝带着他的士兵穿过了这个城镇。边境附近爆发了一场战争。所有有能力的￾体格健壮的年轻人不得不参军。皇帝没有说的是，大多数年轻人都会在战斗中死去。

然而，由于老人的儿子是残疾人，他不能战斗。他不必参军。相反，他呆在家里。他帮助照料家庭农场的庄稼。

“看到了吗？”老人对镇上的人说。“最后一切都解决了。

我跑开的马带回了第二匹马。第二匹马阻止了我儿子的死亡。因此，最终，这些事情发生了，真是幸运。”镇上的人们为老人的智慧欢呼。他们终于明白了他的意思。

这个故事的寓意是，即使是最糟糕的事情也会产生积极的影响。英语中有一个类似的成语。这是“每一朵云都有一线希望。”