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4.  The Mouse Merchant   以鼠起家的商人

　　—— Diligence and Gratitude  勤奋和感恩

　　Once upon a time, an important adviser to a certain king was on his way to a meeting with the king and other advisers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dead mouse by the roadside. He said to those who were with him, "Even from such small beginnings as this dead mouse, an energetic young fellow could build a fortune. If he worked hard and used his intelligence, he could start a business and support a wife and family."

从前，有个国王的重要谋臣去参加国王召集其他谋臣举行的议事会。他忽然瞥见路边有只死老鼠。就对随从的人说：“即使从这只微不足道的死鼠作为开端，一个能干的年青人也可创造一笔财富。加上勤奋工作，善用才智，就能开创事业，维持一家老小的生活。”

　　A passer-by heard the remark. He knew this was a famous adviser to the king, so he decided to follow his words. He picked up the dead mouse by the tail and went off with it. As luck would have it, before he had gone even a block, a shopkeeper stopped him. He said, "My cat has been pestering me all morning. I'll give you two copper coins for that mouse." So it was done.

路旁的一个行人听到了这话。他知道这个谋臣深得国王宠信，因此决定试一试。这个人用手勾着死老鼠的尾巴，就上路了。说来也是运气，他还未走完一个街区，一家商铺的店主就叫住了他，说：“我的猫整个早晨都缠着我，烦死了。我用两个铜币来换你那条死鼠吧。”于是这位行人将死鼠卖给了店主。

　　With the two copper coins, he bought sweet cakes, and waited by the side of the road with them and some water. As he expected, some people who picked flowers for making garlands were returning from work. Since they were all hungry and thirsty, they agreed to buy sweet cakes and water for the price of a bunch of flowers from each of them. In the evening, the man sold the flowers in the city. With some of the money he bought more sweet cakes and returned the next day to sell to the flower pickers.

行人用这两枚铜币买了数个甜饼，然后拿着饼，并准备了些饮用水，到路旁守候。不出所料，一些采摘鲜花做花环的手艺人正收工回家。他们饥渴交加，都用一束鲜花来换取甜饼和水。晚上，行人就在城里卖这些花。他用卖花赚得的钱买了更多的甜饼，次日又在路旁卖给那些采花人?/P>

　　This went on for a while, until one day there was a terrible storm, with heavy rains and high winds. While walking by the king's pleasure garden, he saw that many branches had been blown off the trees and were lying all around. So he offered to the king's gardener that he would clear it all away for him, if he could keep the branches. The lazy gardener quickly agreed.

就这样过了一段时间。有一天，狂风呼啸，忽然下起了暴雨。行人走到国王的御花园旁，他看见四周到处是被狂风吹落的树枝。于是向管理御花园的人说，他愿意负责清扫，但要求带走这些树枝。懒散的管园人立即答应了。

　　The man found some children playing in a park across the street. They were glad to collect all the branches and brush at the entrance to the pleasure garden, for the price of just one sweet cake for each child.

这个行人看见有些小孩在街对面的场地上玩耍。他给每个小孩一个甜饼，孩子们全都高高兴兴地帮他把散落的树枝收集到了御花园入口处。

　　Along came the king's potter, who was always on the lookout for firewood for his glazing oven. When he saw the piles of wood the children had just collected, he paid the man a handsome price for it. He even threw into the bargain some of his pots.

这时国王的陶器制作师走过来，他一直留心寻找供陶器上釉炉燃烧的柴火。当他看见御花园门口由孩子们收集的成堆树枝时，就以优厚的价格向行人买了这些柴火。甚至还把他做的一些陶罐也给了行人。

　　With his profits from selling the flowers and the firewood, the man opened up a refreshment shop. One day all the local grass mowers, who were on their way into town, stopped in his shop, He gave them free sweet cakes and drinks. They were surprised at his generosity and asked, "What can we do for you?" He said there was nothing, for them to do now, but he would let them know in the future.

行人用卖花和柴火所赚的钱开了一家小食店。一天，当地的割草工都来到镇上，在行人的小食店打尖。行人免费为他们提供了甜饼和水。这些割草工对行人这种慷慨举动很惊讶，就问道：“我们可以帮你做些什么？”行人说现在还没有事，以后需帮忙时会告诉他们的。

　　A week later, he heard that a horse dealer was coming to the city with 500 horses to sell. So he got in touch with the grass mowers and told each of them to give him a bundle of grass. He told them not to sell any grass to the horse dealer until he had sold his. In this way he got a very good price.

一星期后，听说一个马贩子将带着500匹马来这座城市卖。行人就和那些割草工取得联系，请他们每人给他送一捆草来。并且吩咐，在自己把草料全部卖给马贩子之前，请他们不要把草卖给马贩子。这样，行人的草料当然卖了个好价钱。

　　Time passed until one day, in his refreshment shop, some customers told him that a new ship from a foreign country had just anchored in the port. He saw this to be the opportunity he had been waiting for. He thought and thought until he came up with a good business plan.

又过了段时间，一天，店里的一些食客告诉行人，有艘外国船刚抵达港口。行人明白这是他苦苦等待的机会。他左思右想，终于想出一个绝妙的生意点子。

　　First, he went to a jeweler friend of his and paid a low price for a very valuable gold ring, with a beautiful red ruby in it. He knew that the foreign ship was from a country that had no rubies of its own, where gold too was expensive. So he gave the wonderful ring to the captain of the ship as an advance on his commission. To earn this commission, the captain agreed to send all his passengers to him as a broker. He would then lead them to the best shops in the city. In turn, the man got the merchants to pay him a commission for sending customers to them.

首先，他去一个做宝石生意的朋友那儿，以低价买了枚镶有红宝石的极珍贵的金戒指。他获悉那艘外国船只所在的国家不出产红宝石，而且金子也十分昂贵。因此，他就把这只美丽的戒指当作预付佣金，送给船长。为了得到这枚戒指，船长同意让这位行人担任船上所有乘客的购物游览向导。然后，行人就带着这些乘客去城中最好的商店。同时，他也获得了受惠商家支付的佣金。

　　Acting as a middle man in this way, after several ships came into port, the man became very rich. Being pleased with his success, he also remembered that it had all started with the words of the king's wise adviser. So he decided to give him a gift of 100,000 gold coins. This was half his entire wealth. After making the proper arrangements, he met with the king's adviser and gave him the gift, along with his humble thanks.

就这样，行人作为中间人，陆续为好几艘抵达该城港口的外国船上的乘客提供向导服务，赚了不少钱。他仍然记得现在所取得的成功都源于听从了国王谋臣说过的那番话。因此，他决定将十万金币作为礼物送给那位谋臣。这笔钱相当于他的一半家产。安排妥当后，行人就去拜见谋臣，将礼物送给他，同时诚恳地表达了感激之情。

　　The adviser was amazed, and he asked, "How did you earn so much wealth to afford such a generous gift?" The man told him it had all started with the adviser's own words not so long ago. They had led him to a dead mouse, a hungry cat, sweet cakes, bunches of flowers, storm damaged tree branches, children in the park, the king's potter, a refreshment shop, grass for 500 horses, a golden ruby ring, good business contacts, and finally a large fortune.

这位谋臣很惊讶，他问：“你送我如此丰厚的礼物，你是怎样赚得这笔财富的呢？”行人就由那次听到谋臣所说的话开始，从头至尾讲述了一切经过：死鼠、饿猫、甜饼、鲜花、被暴风雨损折的树枝、玩耍的孩童、国王的制陶师、小食店、够500匹马吃的草料、镶红宝石的金戒指、顺畅的生意往来、最终获得的一大笔财富。

　　Hearing all this, the royal adviser thought to himself, "It would not be good to lose the talents of such an energetic man. I too have much wealth, as well as my beloved only daughter. As this man is single, he deserves to marry her. Then he can inherit my wealth in addition to his own, and my daughter will be well cared for."

听毕行人的讲述，谋臣暗自思忖：“失去这么精明能干的人是非常不智之举。我很富有，但只有一个心爱的女儿。正好这个年青人还未成家，把女儿嫁给他完全值得。那么他除了自己的财产外，还可继承我的家产，女儿跟着他，一定会过上幸福生活。”

　　This all came to pass, and after the wise adviser died, the one who had followed his advice became the richest man in the city. The king appointed him to the adviser's position. Throughout his remaining life, he generously gave his money for the happiness and well being of many people.

这件婚事进行得相当顺利，谋臣去世后，当初采用他的建议的行人就成了这座城市最富有的人。在其余生，他一直乐善好施，尽力帮助别人。

　　The moral is:With energy and ability,great weath comes even from small beginnings.

这则故事告诉我们：即使从很贫微的开端，善用自己的才能，勤奋做事，也可获得丰饶的财富。