狮子和鳄鱼是冤家对头吗？
狮子抓捕鳄鱼，反被鳄鱼咬伤，结果如何？请看惠言童话第10集《狮子和鳄鱼》。
编辑寄语
受疫情影响，自3月16日起，大纽约地区学校陆续关闭，孩子们在家，除了上网课外，各种活动受到限制。如何帮助孩子们度过这个非常时期的枯燥生活，让家长们十分操心。惠言先生在征得参与创作者和组织者同意后，主动向我们编辑部提议，把他正在筹划出版的《惠言童话》18篇绘画本稿子赠给我们网站连载，可以让孩子们在网上看到和听到这些故事，有助于提高他们的中文阅读和听力水平。
故事文稿是基于惠言先生前几年在《世界日报》上发表的故事修改的，中美两地34个孩子们参加了插画稿创作，上海五里桥文化中心张炜玮主任组织“音之魅”诵读沙龙的语言艺术家们创作了9个朗诵作品。希望这些生动有趣的故事、童趣洋溢的图画和美妙的朗诵艺术作品，能伴随孩子们度过新冠疫情这个困难时期。对此，我们向惠言先生；英文稿的校阅者Jason Kenny先生和赵蒙皓女士；上海五里桥文化中心及“音之魅”诵读沙龙语言艺术家们；参与画稿创作的孩子们及其家长表示衷心感谢！
本网站将于5月4日（周一）起，每逢周一、三、五连载推出，每次一篇《惠言童话》故事，大约持续六周，欢迎大家下载收看收听。
10. 狮 子 和 鳄 鱼
The Lion and the Crocodile
文： 惠言
画： Steve Wang（汪友豪13岁，图1-9）；虞琛（10岁，图10-18）
英文校阅： Jason Kenny & 赵蒙皓
中文朗诵： 采莲
英文朗诵： Steve Wang（汪友豪)
10.狮子和鳄鱼中文朗诵
10.狮子和鳄鱼英文朗诵
有一年非洲草原特旱，青草枯黄，角马和羚羊纷纷迁徙了。这一年狮子妈妈生了两头小狮子，由于缺少猎物，经常挨饿，生活十分艰难。
One year, the African great grassland suffered a serious drought. The grass withered, wildebeest and antelope migrated. The mother lion gave birth to two cubs that year. With fewer prey to hunt, the lion family often went hungry. Life was hard.
一天，狮子妈妈到河边喝水，看到水面缩小，河中淤泥小岛上有一条鳄鱼，露出背部，一动不动地趴在那里晒太阳，就想抓鳄鱼来充饥。她攀上河边一棵树干歪长伸向河心的大树，悄悄向鳄鱼接近，纵身扑去。
One day, the mother lion came to the riverside to take a drink of water and found the body of water had become considerable narrow. There was a crocodile in the middle of the shallow river, exposing its back, lying motionless in the sun. The lion wanted to make the crocodile its meal. She climbed up a tree trunk which leaned towards the river center, quietly approached the crocodile and jumped on it.
狮子的爪子刚搭上鳄鱼背，鳄鱼便侧身滑脱。狮子追入浅水，四处张望，冷不防被鳄鱼一口咬住后腿，狮子拼命挣脱，逃上岸。狮子后腿被鳄鱼撕下一块皮肉，鲜血直流。
The lion’s claws had barely touched the crocodile’s back when the crocodile flipped and dived into deep water. The lion fell into the water. She looked around to find a way out. Suddenly the crocodile bit her hind leg! The lion tried her best to flee to the shore. A piece of flesh and skin of the lion’s hind leg was torn off by the crocodile.
又饿又痛的狮子忽然心生一计，就势躺在岸边装死。鳄鱼看到狮子倒在河边，以为狮子重伤不能行走，想趁机从狮子身上多咬几块肉，于是爬上岸来。
Hungry and in pain, the lion suddenly had a plan: She lied down on the shore to play dead. The crocodile saw the lion fall on the river bank, leaving a pool of blood. She thought that the lion was unable to walk and was going to die. She wanted to take more meat from the lion, so she climbed out of the water to the lion.
狮子见鳄鱼中计，翻身用前爪压住鳄鱼，鳄鱼无法逃脱，只得哀求狮子：“我家里有宝宝等我喂养，能否放我一马？”狮子说：“你咬伤我，我无法狩猎，我家两个小仔正饿肚呢，岂能放你！”鳄鱼提议：“现在水面小，鱼群集中，抓鱼容易，你放了我，我可以抓鱼给你，帮你家度过难关。”
The lion saw that the crocodile had fallen for the trick; she suddenly turned around and wrapped her front paws tightly on the crocodile’s back. The crocodile could not escape, she begged,“I have babies to feed, can you let me go?” The lion replied, “You injured me, so I won’t be able to hunt for a while, and my two little cubs will go hungry. I cannot let you go!” The Crocodile suggested, “The water in the river has gone down. The fish are concentrated. So it is easy for me to catch them. If you release me, I can catch fish for you to keep your family from going hungry.”
狮子听后说：“这个主意不错，我可以放你。不过听人讲你鳄鱼一边吃食，一边流泪，以假惺惺出名。我怀疑你的诚信，你说话能算数吗？”鳄鱼解释道：“那是误会，我在陆地上吃食流泪，是因在地上待久了，眼膜需要湿润，并非虚伪。其实我很讲信用的。”
Hearing this, the lion said, “That sounds like a good idea. I can release you. But I heard that you crocodiles cry when eating prey. ‘Crocodile tears’ is a famous idiom. I doubt you will keep your word. How do I know I can trust you?”
“People misunderstand us. We cry when feeding on land, because if we stay on land too long, our eyes need to be wet. We’re not hypocritical. Actually I always keep my promises. I am very trustworthy,” the crocodile explained.
狮子说：“那你要承诺，在我需要的时候给我送鱼。如果你言而无信，下次被我抓住，绝不放过。”鳄鱼说：“我一定说到做到。”狮子松开前爪，鳄鱼便钻进水里，不见了踪影。半个小时过去，狮子正担心鳄鱼违约时，只见鳄鱼游回来，张口放下一条大鱼。
The lion warned, “Ok, you promise to send me fish when I need them. If you go against your promises, I will never let you go when I catch you again.” “I will be true to my word,” the crocodile promised. The lion loosened her paws and said, “Well then, you go and catch a big fish for me now.” The crocodile got into the water and disappeared. Half an hour passed and the lion was worried that the crocodile had breached their agreement. Then the crocodile was back, she opened her mouth and put down a big fish on the shore.
两个小狮子看到一瘸一拐的妈妈叼着大鱼回来，非常高兴，吃完鱼，用舌头舔妈妈腿上的伤口，帮妈妈疗伤。
The two cubs were happy to see their limping mom carrying the big fish back. After they ate the fish, they licked the wounds on their mother’s leg with their tongues and helped her to heal.
此后鳄鱼信守承诺，只要狮子到河边一喊，鳄鱼就会抓上几条大鱼到岸边，狮子母子不再挨饿，狮子妈妈腿上的伤也痊愈了。
The crocodile kept her promise. Whenever the lion came to the river with a shout, she would immediately catch a big fish and bring it to the shore. The mother lion and her children were no longer starving and her leg healed quickly.
就这样过了些时日。有一天，天空乌云翻滚，电闪雷鸣，下起倾盆大雨。一连几天暴风雨，荒芜的草原迅速恢复生机，青草拔节而长，角马羚羊返回，狮子不愁捕猎不到食物了，好几天不去求鳄鱼帮忙了。
It went on like this for some time. One day, the sky became dark with clouds rolling in, and then came thunder, lightning and pouring rain. The storm lasted for several days. The deserted grassland quickly came back to life and the grass grew fast. The wildebeest and antelope returned and the lions were no longer worried about hunting for food. They didn’t ask the crocodile for help for a few days.
这一天，狮子觉得应该向鳄鱼表示感激，就来到河边。狮子看到洪水泛滥，水面宽阔了许多，淤泥岛和那棵歪长的大树都被水淹没，鳄鱼无影无踪。于是大声吼叫鳄鱼，鳄鱼听到狮子吼声，以为狮子又来要鱼，赶紧抓鱼，可是水流湍急，浑浊的水流迷住眼睛，越是着急越是抓不到鱼。
One day, the lion thought she should express her gratitude to the crocodile and went to the river. The lion saw that the river had flooded, the water surface had grown wider, and the slanted tree was all covered by water. The crocodile seemed to have gone without a trace. Then the lion roared for the crocodile. The crocodile heard it, thinking that the lion had come for fish again. She hurried to catch a fish, but the fast current made it even more difficult for her to see any fish in the muddy water. The more she hurried the more difficult it was to catch any fish.
鳄鱼尴尬地游到河边，对狮子说：“不好意思，不是我失信食言，现在水面大，河水浑浊，抓鱼难多了。我怕你等久了，先过来打个招呼。请你在岸上多等一段时间，我还去抓鱼。”
The crocodile swam to the riverside and said to the lion, “Sorry, it is not that I do not keep my promise. Because of the flooding, the water is now wide and muddy. It is more difficult to catch fish. I am afraid that you waited too long. Would you please wait more time on the shore? I will go back to the river and try again.”
狮子对鳄鱼说：“怪不得让我等那么久。这一次，我不是来向你要鱼的，现在草原上羚羊很多，我们不挨饿了。我是特意来谢谢你帮我家度过难关。”鳄鱼摇头笑着说：“小事一桩，不值得你专门跑来谢我。”狮子关心地问：“刚才听你说鱼不好抓了，你们鳄鱼是否挨饿了？”鳄鱼答：“抓鱼是有点难，不过我会尽力去克服。”
The lion said to the crocodile, “No wonder it took you so long to answer me. I didn’t come here for fish. Many antelopes are on the prairie so we do not go hungry any more. I came to thank you for helping my family get through the difficult time.” The crocodile smiled and shook her head, “No problem. It was not necessary for you to come to specially thank me.” The lion asked with concern, “I just heard you say it’s hard to catch fish now, I wonder if your family will go hungry?” The crocodile answered, “Yes, catching fish is more difficult now, but I will try my best to overcome.”
狮子仗义地说：“我们是不打不相识的朋友，你信守承诺，帮我度过难关。现在你有困难，轮到我来助你一臂之力。你等着，我去抓头羚羊送给你。”
The lion vowed, “We became friends in spite of our last encounter, as you kept your promise to help us survive. Now you are having difficulties, it’s my turn to help you. Please wait, I will go and catch an antelope for you.”
说完，狮子立即回家，率领两头小狮子，向一群羚羊发动攻击，很快扑住一头羚羊，狮子叼着羚羊，两头小狮子尾随着妈妈，来到河边。
Upon saying those words, the lion went home immediately. She led the two lion cubs to stalk a group of antelope. Soon they caught one. The lion carried the antelope to the river, the two cubs followed behind.
狮子一声吼叫，鳄鱼背上驮着好几条小鳄鱼游到河边。鳄鱼全家谢过狮子，饱餐了一顿新鲜的羚羊肉，往后很多天可以不用进食，即使抓不到鱼也没有关系。就这样，狮子隔几日就捕捉一头羚羊送给鳄鱼。
The mother lion roared loudly. The crocodile heard her and swam across the river carrying several little crocodiles on her back. She thanked the lion. The crocodile family feasted on fresh meat that day. They did not need to eat for several days, even if they couldn\’t catch a fish. The lion continued to capture one antelope every few days for the crocodile family.
暴风雨过后，天气转入正常，河水渐渐回落，水位恢复正常，鳄鱼和狮子都恢复了快乐的狩猎和捕鱼生活。经历了大自然的考验，狮子与鳄鱼成了相互帮助的好朋友。
After the storm, the weather returned to normal. The water level gradually lowered back to normal as well. The lions and the crocodiles have gone back to a happy life of hunting and fishing. Through turbulent times that nature brought about, the lions and the crocodiles helped each other and became good friends.
狮子和鳄鱼 虞琛（10岁）
作者简介
惠言（实名：诸惠昌）
退休水处理专业工程师，退休后撰写《惠言童话故事》和生活杂记。1946年生于中国浙江省慈溪市，1950年后在上海完成小学和中学。1968年9月毕业于北京清华大学土建系给排水专业。1994年3月在美国犹他州立大学获土木和环境工程硕士学位。长期从事水处理领域科学研究、工程设计和项目管理。
赵蒙皓
资深跨国教育及文化咨询师。曾在纽约市举世闻名的K-12年制道尔顿学校(The Dalton School)任教多年，并曾任美国名校纽约大学（NYU）的客座教授。上海外国语学院，对外汉语系肄业；美国明德大学（Middlebury College），经济学及日本文学文学双学士；美国马里兰大学商学院（University of Maryland）工商管理硕士。
汪友豪
汪友豪，英文名：Steve Wang，男，今年14岁，在Union County Magnet High School 上九年级，是该校2023届学生自治会成员。课外参加该校机器人俱乐部，Westfield高中军乐队和爵士乐队。喜欢拉小提琴和阅读。长大后，想做一名科学家。
虞琛
虞琛，女，时年10岁，就读于慈溪市文琪小学四年级。平时喜欢安安静静的绘画。2015年（下半年）CCP&EE国际童画创意联赛中荣获小学A组个人书画类特金奖。2016年在第十六届PHE国际青少年书画大赛中获得三等奖。2017年在第十七届PHE国际青少年书画大赛中获得二等奖。绘画指导：“我绘艺术教育”邵玲老师。
采莲
退休中学教师，喜欢普通话和沪语朗诵，用声音做公益，乐此不疲。
