樵夫与赫尔墨斯的内容简介（Mercuryandthe）

While chopping down a tree on the bank of a river, a woodcutter let his ax slip by chance into the water,And it immediately sank to the bottom. This accident upset him so much that he sat down by the side of the stream and lamented his carelessness with bitter tears. Fortunately, Mercury, whose river it was, took pity on him and suddenly appeared. After he heard what had happened, he dived to the bottom of the river and brought back a golden ax. Then he asked the woodcutter whether the ax was his. when the man said no, Mercury dived a second time and brought back a silver one. Again the man said that it was not his. Finally, after diving a third time, Mercury produced the ax that the man had lost.

"That s mine!" said the woodsman, delighted to have recovered his ax. And, so pleased was Mercury with the woodcutters honesty that he promptly gave him the other two as presents.

Later on the woodcutter went to his companions and told them what had happened. One of his friend decided to see whether he would have the same kind of luck. So, he went to the same place as if he in tended to cut wood, and he let his ax slip into the water on purpose. Then he sat down on the bank and pretended to weep. Mercury appeared as he had once before, and upon hearing that the man was crying because he had lost his ax. he dived into the river,When he returned with a golden ax, he asked the man whether it was the ax he had lost.

"Yes, that,s definitely the one," said the man eagerly, and he was about to grab the treasure when Mercury not only refused to give this ax to him but would not even return his own. Thus the man was soundly punished for his lying and impudence.

Honesty is the best policy.

在河边砍树时，一个樵夫偶然让斧头滑到水里，斧头立刻沉到了水底。这次事故使他非常难过，他坐在小溪边痛哭，痛恨自己的粗心大意。幸运的是，河神赫尔墨斯同情他，突然出现在樵夫面前。他听到所发生的事后，潜到河底，带回一把金斧头。然后他问樵夫斧头是不是他的。当那人说不的时候，墨丘利第二次跳入水中，带回了一个银色的斧头。那人又说那不是他的。最后，在第三次潜水后，赫尔墨斯变出了这名男子丢失的斧头。

“那是我的斧头！”樵夫说，他很高兴找到了斧头。而且，墨丘利对樵夫的诚实非常满意，他立即把另外两个斧头作为礼物送给了他。

后来樵夫去找同伴，告诉他们刚才发生了什么事。他的一个朋友想看看他是否会有同样的运气。于是，他又去了同一个地方，就好像他要去砍柴一样，他故意让斧头滑到水里去。然后他坐在岸边假装哭泣。赫尔墨斯像刚才一样出现了，一听说那人因为丢了斧头而哭了。他跳进河里，拿着一把金斧头回来，问那人是不是他丢的斧头。

“是的，肯定是那把，”那人急切地说，他正要去抢金斧头，这时赫尔墨斯不但不肯把斧头给他，甚至连他自己的斧头也不肯还给他。因此，这个人因说谎和厚颜无耻而受到了严厉的惩罚。

诚实是上策。