AN OWL, in her wisdom, counseled the Birds that when the acorn first began to sprout, to pull it all up out of the ground and not allow it to grow. —
一只智慧的猫头鹰告诫鸟类，当橡子刚开始发芽时，要将其全部拔除，并不让其生长。 —

She said acorns would produce mistletoe, from which an irremediable poison, the bird — lime, would be extracted and by which they would be captured. —
她说橡子会产生槲寄生，这是一种无法挽救的毒药，鸟类会从中提取石灰，并被其捕获。 —

The Owl next advised them to pluck up the seed of the flax, which men had sown, as it was a plant which boded no good to them. —
猫头鹰接着建议他们连根拔起人类种下的亚麻种子，因为这是一种对他们没有好兆头的植物。 —

And, lastly, the Owl, seeing an archer approach, predicted that this man, being on foot, would contrive darts armed with feathers which would fly faster than the wings of the Birds themselves. —
最后，猫头鹰看到一个弓箭手走近，预言这个步行的人会设计出装有羽毛的箭矢，比鸟类自己的翅膀飞得更快。 —

The Birds gave no credence to these warning words, but considered the Owl to be beside herself and said that she was mad. —
鸟类不相信这些警告的话，认为猫头鹰是疯了。 —

But afterwards, finding her words were true, they wondered at her knowledge and deemed her to be the wisest of birds. —
但后来，当他们发现她的话是真实的时候，他们惊讶于她的知识，并认为她是最聪明的鸟类。 —

Hence it is that when she appears they look to her as knowing all things, while she no longer gives them advice, but in solitude laments their past folly.
因此，当她出现时，他们便把她当作知道一切的人，虽然她不再给予他们建议，但在孤独中悔过去的愚蠢。