The Crow and the Pitcher

It was the hottest summer anyone could remember.The sun blazed down like a giant fireball in the sky.The earth was crackedand dry.The grass had turned brownand brittle.The streams had dried up,and the ponds were nothing but patches of cracked mud.Every animal in the land was suffering from the terrible heat.

那是大家记忆中最炎热的一个夏天。太阳像一个大火球一样炙烤着大地。土地干裂了，草变得枯黄焦脆，小溪干涸了，池塘也变成了一片片开裂的泥巴。地上所有的动物都在酷热中煎熬。

A Crow had been flying for hours,searching desperately for water.His black feathers were dustyand ruffled.His beak was dry.His throat felt like sandpaper."Water," he croaked to himself."I must find water.Just one drop.Please,just one drop."

一只乌鸦已经飞了好几个钟头了，拼命地找水喝。他黑色的羽毛上沾满了灰尘，乱糟糟的。他的喙干巴巴的，喉咙像砂纸一样。"水，"他沙哑地对自己说，"我必须找到水。哪怕只有一滴。求求你，哪怕只有一滴。"

He flew over the dried-up riverbed where he used to drink.Nothing.He flew over the empty pondwhere he used to splash with his friends.Nothing but dust.He flew over the fieldswhere the farmers used to water their crops.Nothing but withered plants."Is there no water left in the whole world?" he thought.His wings were growing tired.His head was spinning.He felt so weakthat he could barely stay in the air.

他飞过曾经喝过水的干涸河床，什么都没有。他飞过曾经和朋友们一起戏水的空池塘，除了灰尘什么都没有。他飞过农夫们曾经浇灌庄稼的田野，除了枯萎的植物什么都没有。"难道全世界都没有水了吗？"他想。他的翅膀越来越累，头也开始发晕。他虚弱得几乎飞不住了。

Just as he was about to give up,something caught his eye.Down below,in the shade of a small tree,he spotted a Pitcher.It was a tall,old-fashioned water jug,made of clay."A pitcher!" the Crow gasped."Maybe there is water inside!Maybe this is my lucky day!"

就在他快要放弃的时候，一样东西映入了他的眼帘。在下方一棵小树的树荫里，他看到了一个水罐。那是一个老式的陶土水罐，高高的。"一个水罐！"乌鸦激动地喘着气说，"说不定里面有水！说不定今天是我的幸运日！"

The Crow swooped down and landed beside the Pitcher.His heart was pounding with hopeand excitement.He peered inside.And there,at the very bottom of the Pitcher,he saw it.Water!Real,clear,beautiful water!But there was a terrible problem.The Pitcher was talland narrow,and the water was very low.The Crow pushed his beak as far as it would go into the Pitcher,straining with all his might,but he could not reach the water.The neck was too long.The water was too deep.He could see it,smell it,almost taste it,but he could not drink it.

乌鸦俯冲下去，落在了水罐旁边。他的心因希望和兴奋而怦怦直跳。他探头往里一看——就在罐底，他看见了水。是水！真正的、清澈的、美丽的水！可是有一个大麻烦。水罐又高又窄，里面的水非常少。乌鸦把嘴尽力往水罐里伸，用尽了全身的力气，可还是够不到水。罐口太深，水面太低。他看得见，闻得到，几乎尝得到，但就是喝不到。

The Crow tried to push the Pitcher over.He shoved it with his shoulder.He pushed it with his head.He tried to knock it down with his wing.But the Pitcher was too heavy.It barely wobbled."Come on!" he cried."Fall over!Please fall over!" But the Pitcher stood firmand still.

乌鸦想把水罐推倒。他用肩膀撞，用头顶，用翅膀去碰。可水罐太重了，几乎动都没动一下。"快点！"他喊道，"倒下来！求求你快倒下来！"可水罐仍然稳稳地立在那里。

The Crow tried to poke a hole in the side of the Pitcher with his beak.He peckedand peckedand pecked.But the clay was hardand thick.His beak made not even a scratch.He tried to climb onto the rim of the Pitcher to lower himself in.But the rim was too narrow,and he nearly fell inside."If I fall in," he thought,"I will drown before I can drink.What a terrible way to go!"

乌鸦想用嘴在罐身上戳个洞。他啄呀啄呀啄呀，可是陶土又硬又厚，连一丝划痕都留不下。他又想爬到罐沿上，把身子放下去。可是罐沿太窄，他差点掉进罐里去。"要是我掉进去，"他想，"还没喝到水就先淹死了。那死得也太惨了！"

The Crow stepped back.His head was throbbing.His throat was burning.He was so tiredand so thirstythat he wanted to cry.But crows cannot cry.They can only think."There must be a way," he said to himself."I am not going to give up.I am a clever bird.My grandmother always said I was the smartest of all her grandchildren.Think,Crow,think!"

乌鸦退后一步。他的头突突地疼，喉咙火辣辣地烧。他又累又渴，真想大哭一场。可乌鸦不会哭，他们只能思考。"一定有个办法的，"他对自己说，"我不会放弃。我是一只聪明的鸟。我奶奶总说我是她所有孙子孙女里最聪明的一个。想想，乌鸦，快想想！"

The Crow closed his eyes and took a deep breath.He thought of all the things he had seen in his life.He thought of the riversand the rains.He thought of floating sticksand sinking stones.And then,like a bolt of lightning,an idea struck him."Pebbles!" he shouted."That's it!Pebbles!If I drop pebbles into the Pitcher,the water will rise!It will rise higherand higher until I can reach it!It's so simple!Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

乌鸦闭上眼睛，深深吸了一口气。他想起了自己一辈子见过的各种事情，想起了河流和雨水，想起了漂浮的树枝和下沉的石头。突然，像一道闪电，一个主意击中了他。"小石子！"他大叫起来，"就是这个！小石子！要是我把小石子扔进水罐里，水就会升上来！水会越升越高，直到我能够到！太简单了！我怎么没有早点想到呢？"