伊索寓言老鼠和狗（城里老鼠与乡下老鼠）

一只城里老鼠拜访了一个住在乡下的亲戚。午餐上，乡下老鼠端上了麦秆、块根和橡果，以及一些凉水作为饮料。城里老鼠细嚼慢咽，吃一点点这个，咬一点点那个，她的行为很清楚地表明，她吃这些简单的食物仅仅是出于礼貌。

饭后，两位好朋友进行了一番长谈，或不如说是城里老鼠向乡下老鼠讲述了她城里的生活。然后她们来到篱笆中一个舒适的洞里，安逸地一觉睡到天亮。在睡梦中，乡下老鼠梦到她是一只城市老鼠，享有她的朋友对她描述的城市生活的所有奢华和快乐。所以第二天当城里老鼠邀请乡下老鼠跟她一起回家去城里时，她欣然同意。

当她们来到城里老鼠住的公馆，她们发现在餐厅的桌子上是一场盛宴的残羹。有甜食和果冻，糕点，以及美味的奶酪，真真的是一只老鼠所能想到的最诱人的食物。但正当乡下老鼠要咬一小口糕点时，她听到一只猫喵喵大叫并吱吱地挠门。两只老鼠大吃一惊，仓皇逃窜到隐蔽点，在那儿吓得大气都不敢出，一动不动呆了很久。当她们终于壮着胆子回到盛宴的时候，门突然开了，仆人们进来收拾桌子，后面还跟着一条看门狗。

乡下老鼠赶紧去城里老鼠的洞里拿回自己的毛毡旅行包和雨伞。

“你或许有我所‬没有的奢华和精致，”她一边匆匆离开一边说，“但我还是更喜欢我乡下的粗茶淡饭和宁静安详。”

平平安安的贫穷好过心惊胆战的富足。

THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE

A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. For lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water for drink. The Town Mouse ate very sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a little of that, and by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple food only to be polite.

After the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town Mouse talked about her life in the city while the Country Mouse listened. They then went to bed in a cozy nest in the hedgerow and slept in quiet and comfort until morning. In her sleep the Country Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse with all the luxuries and delights of city life that her friend had described for her. So the next day when the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go home with her to the city, she gladly said yes.

When they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they found on the table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine banquet. There were sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious cheeses, indeed, the most tempting foods that a Mouse can imagine. But just as the Country Mouse was about to nibble a dainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at the door. In great fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place, where they lay quite still for a long time, hardly daring to breathe. When at last they ventured back to the feast, the door opened suddenly and in came the servants to clear the table, followed by the House Dog.

The Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse's den only long enough to pick up her carpet bag and umbrella.

"You may have luxuries and dainties that I have not," she said as she hurried away, "but I prefer my plain food and simple life in the country with the peace and security that go with it."

Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear and uncertainty.