ELEPHANTS TO THE RESCUE

　　送水的象

　　Some two thousand years ago， in a river in ancient India， there was a pond full of fish. They lived happily in the clear water. They jumped and swam or just floated around enjoying their watery home.

　　約兩千多年前，古印度有一條小河，其中有個滿是魚兒的水塘。魚兒們在清澈的水里快樂地生活著。它們時時水中跳躍、穿梭或浮在水面上，盡情徜徉在它們的水上家園。

　　Then for a long time it didn't rain. Every day some more water evaporated，until the pond had almost dried up. If the pond dried up， all of the fish would die under the hot， dry sun.

　　已經有很長的一段時間沒下雨了。每天都有越來越多的水被蒸發掉，最后池塘基本上都干了。如果池塘干涸，所有的魚將會被烈日曬死。

　　The sun kept beating down on the dry earth. An old man happened to walk by the pond. He saw the water was almost gone. His heart filled with mercy. He went straight to the king and said， "The water in the fish's pond is almost dry， and the fish are in great danger. If it pleases your majesty， you might send twenty elephants to tote water to save those fish."

　　太陽持續地烤著干旱的大地。一個老人碰巧經過池塘。他看到水差不多沒了，心里充滿了悲憫。他徑直找到國王， 說，"魚塘里的水差不多干了，魚兒們的處境十分危險。如果陛下樂意，請您分派二十頭大象運水過去救救這些魚吧。"

　　The king was a Buddhist， so as soon as he heard the old man's request， he said， "It is wonderful that you have such a kind and merciful heart. Go to the royal elephant stables and take as many elephants as you feel you need to to the water to save those poor， suffering fish."

　　國王是個佛教徒，聽完老人的請求，說道，"您有一顆善良慈悲的心靈，這真是太好了。去御象廄領象吧，你覺得需要多少頭就領多少頭。"

　　When the old man heard the king's reply， he took his two sons to the royal elephant stables and selected twenty of the best elephants. Then he went to the breweries and borrowed as many skins as he could ―― in India in those days， liquor was stored and transported in skins. Then the three of them led the twenty elephants to the biggest river in the region， and filled all the skins with water. The twenty royal elephants carried the heavy skins full of water to the fish pond， and they poured all the water into the pond.

　　老人聽到國王的答復后，就帶著他的兩個兒子去了皇家象廄，挑選了二十頭最健壯的大象。然后他去釀酒廠并且借了盡可能多的皮囊――在那時候的印度，酒是用皮囊裝運的。然后他們三個帶領著那二十頭大象去這個地區最大的河邊，將皮囊都裝滿了水。二十頭御象把這些裝滿了水的沉重的皮囊運到魚塘后，他們把所有的水倒進池里。

　　After many trips， the pond was full again， just as it had been before the drought. The fish in the pond were saved！ They leapt and played and swam back and forth.

　　這樣運了很多趟，池子又滿了，就像沒有干涸前一樣。池子里的魚得救了！它們在水里跳躍、玩耍、來回穿梭。

　　When the old man saw how happy the fish were， and watched the ripples on the water's surface， all of the worries and sadness that the long years had gathered in his tired old heart were immediately swept away.

　　當老人看到魚兒是那么的歡快，水面上蕩起陣陣漣漪，他蒼老疲憊的心中積聚的多年的憂愁和哀傷都被一掃而空。

　　As the day turned into night， he and his sons cheerfully led the twenty elephants back to the royal stables and went to tell their king the good news.

　　夜幕降臨時，他和他的兒子們高高興興地把那二十頭大象帶回了象廄，并且向國王匯報了這個好消息。

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