When prince Smolensky's art had found a way to curb¹ the foe²'s presumptuous³ heart. The modern Vandals snared⁴ to ruin and left them Moscow town to their undoing⁵.

 

Then all, the great and small, each blessed soul alive, Packed up without an hour's delay and from the walls of Moscow streamed away like swarm⁶ of bees that leaves the hive.

 

A crow upon a roof that slowly cleaned her beak⁷ surveyed the tumult⁸, perched apart.

 

'Why, friend, it's surely time to start?' called out a hen upon a cart, 'Stands at the gate, even while I speak, our ruthless foe.'

 

'And where's the harm in that for me?' The augur⁹ bird replies: 'I'll hold my own, you'll see; You chicken-hearts, that want to, go! But folk will neither roast nor stew¹⁰ a crow. We'll get on well enough, our guests and I, who knows but I may find some dainty snacks of food, a bit of cheese, a bone or something good? Good luck, dear Henny, on the road! Good-bye!'

 

So Crow, she stayed behind. What else? Why, stead of snacks her board to embellish¹¹, When, in Smolensky's clutch, the French took in their belts, they cooked the crow as well, to give their soup a relish¹².

 

As blind, as foolish often do human reckonings show. You're close on Fortune's heels; you think you'll catch the jade¹³, And when the last accounts are made, you're in the soup, just like our crow.

 

当年，斯摩凌斯奇公爵为打击敌人狂妄的气焰设下奇谋，给新的汪达尔布下天罗地网，撤出墨西哥来消灭他们。

 

于是所有居民，不分贵贱，人人刻不容缓地收拾行李，涌出莫斯科好像涌出蜂房。

 

一只乌鸦独自待在屋里，慢慢的擦洗着嘴巴，俯瞰着下面的一片慌乱。

 

“怎么啦，朋友，是该走的时候了？”一只母鸡从大车上对它说：“咱们残酷的敌人，说话间就要到门口了！”

 

“这对我有什么妨碍？”，这预言家答道：“我决定留在这里，你们这些胆小鬼才想走，走你们的吧！可不会把乌鸦烤了煮了，我跟客人们会相处的很好，说不定我还会分点好吃的呢，一小片奶酪呀，一块骨头呀，或者其他什么好东西。再见，亲爱的凤冠鸡，祝你一路平安。”

 

乌鸦真的留下来了。后来怎么样呢？当法兰西人在斯摩棱斯基的围困中束紧裤带时，乌鸦没有尝到好东西，而法兰西客人照样煮了它，为他们的羹汤添点滋味。

 

一个人在算盘时常常愚蠢而盲目，你紧紧追求幸福，自以为一定能获得至宝，可归根结底一算，却和这个乌鸦一样，成了别人的羹汤。

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