A KIND OFFICIAL

　　一個仁慈的官員

　　Pan was a county magistrate. He was honest and kind. He was always nice to the people in his county and to the animals there as well. He made a law that nobody in the county could make a living by fishing in the rivers and lakes there. Anybody who got caught doing that would be arrested for committing a crime. Even though a lot of people there had made their living that way before， they knew that their magistrate was a kind man， so they didn't complain at all. They obeyed his law， and everything went well in his county.

　　潘是一個縣的縣令。他既善良又正直。他對鄉親們都很和善，也很善待動物。他制訂了一條法令，那個縣所有的人都不允許靠在江湖里打魚為生。不管是誰，如果被抓到這么做的話，那么就會因為犯罪而被逮捕。盡管那個地方以前有很多人就是這樣謀生的，但是他們都知道他們的縣官是一個很仁慈的人，所以他們都毫無怨言。他們都遵守這條法令，縣里秩序井然。

　　Everything went so well that when another， bigger county needed a magistrate， the government decided to send Pan to take over. When the people in his old county heard Pan was being promoted， they were happy for him， and proud， too，but they also felt sorry. Would their new magistrate be as nice？

　　另外一個更大的縣需要一個縣令，他們的政府看到這個縣治理得那么好，就決定讓潘來接管他們的縣。當原來那個縣里的人們知道潘升官后，他們為他感到高興自豪，但是又覺得很遺憾。下一任縣令會不會和他一樣好呢？

　　When the time finally came for Pan to leave， the road was crowded with all the people who had come to see him off. There were men and women and boys and girls. There were old folks so aged that they had to be held up by their grandchildren. There were babies so little that they had to be carried by their parents. They had all come to say goodbye to Pan.

　　潘離任的日子終于來了，街上人山人海，男女老少都來送他。上至孫子攙扶著來的老人，下至父母抱著來的小孩。他們都是來向潘告別的。

　　One man stepped forward from the crowd and knelt down before Pan. Very formally， with both hands， he presented Pan with ten ounces of silver. "This is a small token of my sincere appreciation. I hope that your honor will accept."

　　一個人從人群中走出來，跪在潘面前。他非常嚴肅地，用兩手向潘獻上十盎司的銀子，"這是表示我誠摯謝意的一點意思，希望大人能收下。"

　　"I will do no such thing，" huffed Pan. "I told you all that you shouldn't prepare any gifts for me. Didn't you get that straight？"

　　"我不能這么做，"潘生氣了，"我告訴過你們所有人，不要為我準備任何禮物的。你難道不知道嗎？"

　　"This is different. I used to be a thief， but then I got caught. I thought I was doomed， because thieves usually get their heads chopped off. But you didn't put me to death. Instead， you told me to change my ways.

　　"這不同。我過去是個小偷，被人抓住了。我想我死期到了，因為小偷一般都會被砍頭。但是您沒判我死刑，而是叫我要痛改前非。"

　　"I really did change my ways. I was so touched by your kindness that I decided not to do bad things anymore. I learned a trade. I even got married， and now I'm raising a family. "Everything I have today is due to your kindness. If you hadn't been so kind， now I would be a headless corpse， rotting in the grave. This is why I have come to show my gratitude."

　　"我確實改過了。我深深地被您的仁慈打動，決定從此再也不干壞事。我學了一門手藝，還結了婚，現在我養活全家。我能得到這一切，都是因為您的善心。如果您不是那么仁慈，我現在就是墳墓里腐爛的一具無頭尸體了。這就是我要表示謝意的原因。"

　　Of course Pan wouldn't think of accepting his gift， but this shows what a kind official he was.

　　潘當然不想收下他的禮物，但是這正體現了他確實是一個善良的官員。

　　People living near the lakes and rivers of the county heard sobbing and crying coming from the water. The fish knew their good days were over， and once again they would be caught and tortured to feed people.

　　Even a fish or a crab values its life， and feels sorry when its protector leaves it.

　　住在江湖邊的人們都聽到了水里傳來的嗚咽哭泣聲。水族們都知道自己的好日子一去不返了，它們將再會被捕捉、被虐待、被人們吃掉。就算是魚蟹也知道珍惜自己的生命，所以當它們的保護者離開時，感到很傷心。

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