有一天，池塘来了只大象，七只小盲鼠不知其为何物，出于好奇，他们分别对这个“怪东西”进行了各自的探索。红盲鼠跑到大象的腿上探索，告知大家这是一根柱子；绿盲鼠跑到大象的鼻子上探索，于是它说这是一条蛇；黄盲鼠探索的是大象的尖牙，于是它断定这是一根长矛；紫盲鼠呢，爬的是大象的背，所以它觉得是一个巨大的悬崖……
每只老鼠争论不休。直到白盲鼠带它们把大象从头到脚溜了一圈，它们终于得出了真正的答案。
one day seven blind mice were surprised to find a strange something by their pond.
一天七只盲老鼠惊奇地发现在它们的池塘旁有一个奇怪的东西。
“what is it?” they cried, and they all ran home.
“这是什么？”它们大叫着，然后全部跑回了家里。
on monday, red mouse went first to find out.
星期一，红老鼠第一个出去探索。
“it’s a pillar,” he said.
no one believed him.
“那是一根柱子。”它说。
但是没人相信它。
on tuesday, green mouse set out.
he was the second to go.
星期二，绿老鼠出发了。
它是第二个去的。
“it’s a snake,” he said.
“那是一条蛇。”它说。
“no,” said yellow mouse on wednesday.
“不对，”星期三的时候黄老鼠说。
“it’s a spear.”
he was the third in turn.
“那是一支长矛。”
它是第三个探索的。
the fourth was purple mouse.
he went on thursday.
第四个去的是紫老鼠。
它是在星期四去的。
“it’s a great cliff,” he said.
“那是一个巨大的峭壁。”它说。
orange mouse went on friday, the fifth to go.
橙老鼠在星期五出发了，它是第五个去的。
“it’s a fan,” he cried. “i felt in move.”
“那是一把扇子，”它大喊道，“我感觉它在动呢。”
the sixth to go was blue mouse.
第六个去的是蓝老鼠。
he went on saturday and said,
“it’s nothing but a rope.”
它在星期六去的，它说，“那不过就是一根粗绳。”
but the others didn’t agree.
they began to argue.
“a snake!” “a rope!” “a fan!” “a cliff!”
until on sunday, white mouse,
the seventh mouse,
went to the pond.
但是其它老鼠都不认同。
它们开始争吵。
“一条蛇！”“一根绳子！”“一个扇子！”“一个峭壁！”
直到星期天，白老鼠，第七只老鼠，去了池塘。
when she came upon the something,
she ran up one side,
and she ran down the other.
she ran across the top and from end to end.
当它遇到那个东西时，她从这边跑上，那边跑下，它从顶部一直跑到底部。
“ah,” said white mouse.
“now i see. the something is as sturdy as a pillar,
supple as a snake,
wide as a cliff,
sharp as a spear,
breezy as a fan,
stringy as a rope,
but altogether the something is…
“啊，”白老鼠说，“现在我知道了，那个东西既像柱子一样结实，又像蛇一样柔软，像峭壁一样宽广，像长矛一样尖锐，也像扇子一样带风，还像绳索一样细密，把它们综合在一起，它就是……”
an elephant!”
and when the other mice ran up one side and down the other, across the something from end to end, they agreed. now they saw, too.
“一只大象！”当其它老鼠也从那个东西身上这边跑上、那边跑下，从头跑到脚，它们认同了。现在它们也明白了。
the mouse moral:
knowing in part may make a fine tale,
but wisdom comes from seeing the whole.
老鼠的寓言：
只知道事物的部分可能会臆想出一个好的故事，但是真正的智慧来源于从整体去判断。
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