ants were once men and made their living by tilling the soil. but, not content with the results of their own work, they were always eating
1 eyes upon the crops and fruits of their neighbours, which they stole, whenever they got the chance, and added to their own store. at last their
2 made jupiter so angry that he changed them into ants. but, though their forms were changed, their nature remained the same: and so, to this day, they go about among the cornfields and gather the fruits of others' labour, and store them up for their own use.
you may punish a thief, but his
3 4.
很久很久以前,蚂蚁本来是人,以耕地为生。但是,他们不满足于自己的劳动所得,总是盯着邻居的水果和庄稼羡慕不已,只要一有机会,他们就会偷邻居的食物,放在自己的储藏室。后来,他们的贪婪让朱庇特十分生气,便把他们变成了现在的蚂蚁。然而,虽然他们的模样改变了,本性却依然未变。直到现在,他们仍然会到别人的田里采集人家的劳动成果,贮存起来留作自己的食物。
你可以惩罚小偷,但他们的恶习依然如故。