A WORKMAN, felling wood by the side of a river, let his axe drop — by accident into a deep pool. —
一个工人在河边砍木头时，他的斧子不小心掉进了一个深潭。 —

Being thus deprived of the means of his livelihood, he sat down on the bank and lamented his hard fate. —
由于失去了谋生的手段，他坐在岸边对自己的命运感到悲伤。 —

Mercury appeared and demanded the cause of his tears. —
水神出现了，并询问他哭泣的原因。 —

After he told him his misfortune, Mercury plunged into the stream, and, bringing up a golden axe, inquired if that were the one he had lost. —
工人告诉他自己的不幸后，水神跳进水里，拿出一把金斧头，问这是不是他丢失的那把斧子。 —

On his saying that it was not his, Mercury disappeared beneath the water a second time, returned with a silver axe in his hand, and again asked the Workman if it were his. —
当他说不是的时候，水神第二次消失在水下，手上拿着一把银斧头再次问工人是否是属于他的。 —

When the Workman said it was not, he dived into the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been lost. —
当工人说不是时，水神第三次潜入水中，找到了丢失的斧子。 —

The Workman claimed it and expressed his joy at its recovery. —
工人要求回收，并对找回的斧子表示高兴。 —

Mercury, pleased with his honesty, gave him the golden and silver axes in addition to his own. —
水神对他的诚实感到高兴，给了他金斧头和银斧头，除了他自己的斧子。 —

The Workman, on his return to his house, related to his companions all that had happened. —
工人回到家后，把发生的一切告诉了他的伙伴们。 —

One of them at once resolved to try and secure the same good fortune for himself. —
其中一个立刻决定尝试争取同样的好运。 —

He ran to the river and threw his axe on purpose into the pool at the same place, and sat down on the bank to weep. —
他跑到河边故意把斧子扔进水池，在岸边坐下哭泣。 —

Mercury appeared to him just as he hoped he would; —
水星正如他所期望的那样出现在他面前； —

and having learned the cause of his grief, plunged into the stream and brought up a golden axe, inquiring if he had lost it. —
在了解到他的悲伤原因后，水星跳入水中并拿出一把金斧子，询问是否是他丢失的。 —

The Workman seized it greedily, and declared that truly it was the very same axe that he had lost. —
工人贪婪地抓住它，并宣称这真是他丢失的那把斧子。 —

Mercury, displeased at his knavery, not only took away the golden axe, but refused to recover for him the axe he had thrown into the pool.
水星对他的欺诈感到不满，不仅带走了金斧子，还拒绝为他找回他扔进水池的那把斧子。