小慧慧和小米娜的生活札記

寓言故事中英文版---警鼓

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楚厲王曾經通令人民：「假如國家有急事，鼓聲就是信號。你們聽到鼓聲時，就要準備保衛國家。」

有一次，厲王喝醉酒，戲擊大鼓。人民一聽到鼓聲，便齊集城門前，準備與敵人決一死戰。

厲王派使者去安定民心。使者說：「這不是真警報，只因厲王喝醉酒，誤擊大鼓而已。國家並沒有急事，你們安分歸家罷。」

過了幾個月，楚國突然發生事變，四處都可以聽到蓬蓬的鼓聲，但人民都不去理它，以為這又是假警報。

The War  Drum

King Li of Chu once issued an order to his people, "If our country is in emergency, beatings of the war drum will be our signal. When you hear the drum, be prepared to fight for your country."

One time the King got drunk and casually struck the war drum for fun. At the sound of the war drum, the people assembled at the city gate. They were ready to go to war.

The King sent an envoy to calm them. "It was a false alarm," announced the King's envoy. "The King was drunk when he struck the war drum. There is no emergency. Rest assured and go home."

A few months later there was a real emergency. Frantic beatings of the war drum were heard everywhere, but the people paid no attention to the signal, thinking that it was another false alarm.

轉自：《翀仔寓言網》@