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. —
一匹马、一头公牛和一只狗，因寒冷而陷入困境，寻求人类的庇护和保护。人类友善地接待了它们，生起了火，给它们取暖。 —

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. —
他让马随意享用燕麦，给公牛提供了充足的干草，用自己餐桌上的肉喂养了狗。 —

Grateful for these favors, the animals determined to repay him to the best of their ability. —
动物们对这些恩惠感激不尽，决定以最大的能力回报他。 —

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. —
为了这个目的，它们将人类的一生分成了几个部分，并给每一部分赋予它们各自最主要的特征。 —

The Horse chose his earliest years and gave them his own attributes: —
马选择了他的早年，并赋予了这段时间他自己的特点： —

hence every man is in his youth impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own opinion. —
因此，每个人在青年时期都是冲动的、固执己见的和顽固的。 —

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. —
公牛承担了人类的中年，因此中年的人喜欢工作，致力于劳动，并坚决致力于积累财富和节省资源。 —

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.
狗是生活的终点，所以老人经常暴躁、易怒、难以取悦和自私，只对他自己的家有宽容心，却厌恶陌生人和那些不能满足他的舒适和需求的人。