A frog that watched a bullock grazing near resolved she'd try her best to match his girth and height. She was an envious¹ frog. See how she puffs² and swells³ and strains with all her might.

 

"Come, tell me, quickly dear, am I as big as he?" she asks a froggy friend.

 

"Oh no, my dear, not nearly."

 

"Now just you watch me stretch! Look close, and tell me clearly. Well, then! You see? I'm filling out?"

 

"It don't seem much to me."

 

"Well -- now?"

 

"Just like you were at first."

 

At last her wild attempts the bounds of nature passed, she never swelled⁴ to bullock's size, but strained so hard, she cracked and burst.

 

She's not the first, and not the last. No wonder, when the little shop man tries to match the splendor⁵ of the Provost's board. And Hodge the farmer's son spends money like a lord.

 

一只蛤蟆看见一只牯牛正在附近吃草，就想和他比试肥壮和大小；她是一只嫉妒心很强的蛤蟆。瞧，她正用尽全力喘息、鼓气，挺肚皮呢。

 

“你看，蛤蟆姐姐，告诉我，我是不是和牯牛一样大了？”她问朋友。

 

“噢，没那么大，亲爱的，你还差得远呢。”

 

“你再瞧瞧，现在我鼓得更大了，看仔细点，跟我说清楚。嘿，你看，怎么样？我越来越大了吧？”

 

“看起来和刚才没什么区别啊。”

 

“呃——那现在呢？”

 

“还是和原来的你一样。”

 

最后，蛤蟆狂妄的行为超过了她的限度；她的肚皮永远不可能膨胀到牯牛那般大小；由于用力过猛，她的肚皮胀破了。

 

它不是第一个，也不是最后一个；小市民想和大富翁比比豪华，农夫的儿子花钱像个王侯，这不足为奇。

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