A TORTOISE, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds of her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. —
一只乌龟在太阳下发呆，抱怨没有人教她飞翔的可怜命运。 —

An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and demanded what reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float her in the air. —
一只鹰在附近盘旋，听到她的抱怨，并询问如果他带她上天漂浮，她会给他什么报酬。 —

“I will give you,” she said, “all the riches of the Red Sea.” “I will teach you to fly then,” said the Eagle; —
她说：“我会给你红海的所有财富。”“那我就教你飞翔，”鹰说。 —

and taking her up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds suddenly he let her go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces. —
他用爪子抓起她，几乎把她带到云端，突然放手，她坠落在一座高山上，撞碎了壳。 —

The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of death: —
乌龟在临死的瞬间叫道： —

“I have deserved my present fate; —
“我对现在的命运心服口服； —

for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about on the earth?’
因为我和翅膀、云彩有什么关系，我在地上行动都困难重重？”

If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.
如果男人拥有他们所有的愿望，他们往往会陷入困境。