第1个回答 2022-07-14
There was once a king of Scotland whose name was Robert Bruce. He had to be both brave and wise, for the times in which he lived were wild and rude. The king of England was at war with him, and had led a great army into Scotland to drive him out of the land.
从前有一位苏格兰国王名叫罗伯特·布鲁斯。生活在既野蛮又粗鲁的时代，他必须智勇双全。英格兰国王与他交战，率领大军长驱直入把他赶出了苏格兰。
Battle after battle had been fought. Six times had Bruce led his brave little army against his foes（敌人） and six times had his men been beaten, and driven into fight. At last, his army was scattered（溃散的）, and he was forced to hide himself in the woods and in lonely places among the mountains.
战斗打了一场又一场。布鲁斯曾六次带领小部队英勇抗敌，但六次都败下阵来，只得被迫卷入战事。最终部队被打得落花流水，他被迫藏身在山林深处。
One day, as he lay thinking, he saw a spider over his head, making ready to weave her web. He watched her as she toiled（艰难地行走） slowly and with great care. Six times she tried to throw her frail（脆弱的） thread from one beam（梁） to another, and six times it fell short.
一天， 他正躺着想心事，正好看到头顶有一只蜘蛛正准备织网。蜘蛛慢慢移动，小心翼翼。 蜘蛛有六次试着把丝从一个梁搭在另一个梁上，六次都不够长。
“Poor thing!” said Bruce. “You, too, know what it is to fail.” But the spider did not lose hope with the sixth failure. With still more care, she made ready to try for the seventh time. Bruce almost forgot his own troubles as he watched her swing herself out upon the slender line.
“可怜的家伙！”布鲁斯说，“原来你也尝过失败的滋味。” 但是蜘蛛并没有因为第六次失败就放弃希望。它竟然更加小心翼翼地准备好要进行第七次尝试。 布鲁斯看着蜘蛛把自己的身体荡出去落在细细长长的丝上，几乎忘记了自己的烦恼。
Would she fail again? No! The thread was carried safely to the beam, and fastened there. “I, too, will try a seventh time!” cried Bruce. He arose and called his men together. He told them of his plans, and sent them out with messages of cheer to his disheartened（沮丧的） people.
这次它还会失败吗？不会！蜘蛛丝安全地搭到了房梁上，被固定了起来。 “我也要再试第七次！”布鲁斯喊道。 他站起身来，召集所有手下，把作战计划告诉了他们，并派他们把这振奋人心的消息传递出去，传递给心灰意冷的人民。
Soon there was an army of brave Scotchmen around him. Another battle was fought, and the King of England was glad to go back into his own country. After that day, no one by the name of Bruce would ever hurt a spider. The lesson that the little creature had taught the king was never forgotten.
很快布鲁斯身边就集结了一支由英勇的苏格兰人组成的部队。又经过一场战争，英格兰国王终于心服口服地滚回老家去了。 那天之后，凡是名叫布鲁斯的人都坚决不伤害蜘蛛。那只小家伙带给国王的启示，人们从未忘记。