伊索寓言：馬、牛、狗與人
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
A HORSE, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought shelter and protection from Man. He received them kindly, lighted a fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse make free with his oats, gave the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with meat from his own table. Grateful for these favors, the animals determined to repay him to the best of their ability. For this purpose, they divided the term of his life between them, and each endowed one portion of it with the qualities which chiefly characterized himself.
The Horse chose his earliest years and gave them his own attributes: hence every man is in his youth impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own opinion. The Ox took under his patronage the next term of life, and therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted to labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources. The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man is often snappish, irritable, hard to please, and selfish, tolerant only of his own household, but averse to strangers and to all who do not administer to his comfort or to his necessities.
馬、牛、狗與人
宙斯創造了人，沒給人長壽，卻給了人聰明才智。在冬天，人給自己建造好了房屋，舒適地住在里面。有一天，天氣異常庫冷，還下著雨，馬凍得再忍受不住了，便跑到人那里，請求讓它住在屋內避寒。人說除非馬同意把它的部分壽命送給人，否則就不讓它進門。馬高興地答應了。不久之后，牛也忍受不了寒冬，跑來找人。那人同樣地說，除非牛能把部分壽命送給人，不然就不收留它。牛獻出了部分壽命后，被收留下來。最后，狗凍得幾乎要死了，也跑來把自己的部分壽命送給人，得到住處。這樣，人在宙斯所給的年歲內，純潔而善良；到了馬給的年歲，就吹牛說大話，自命不凡；到了牛給的年歲，開始干事業；而到狗給的年歲，便容易發脾氣，動不動就大吵大鬧。
這故事適用於愛發脾氣的固執的老人。
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