獅子和鱷魚是冤家對頭嗎？
獅子抓捕鱷魚，反被鱷魚咬傷，結果如何？請看惠言童話第10集《獅子和鱷魚》。
編輯寄語
受疫情影響，自3月16日起，大紐約地區學校陸續關閉，孩子們在家，除了上網課外，各種活動受到限制。如何幫助孩子們度過這個非常時期的枯燥生活，讓家長們十分操心。惠言先生在徵得參與創作者和組織者同意後，主動向我們編輯部提議，把他正在籌划出版的《惠言童話》18篇繪畫本稿子贈給我們網站連載，可以讓孩子們在網上看到和聽到這些故事，有助於提高他們的中文閱讀和聽力水平。
故事文稿是基於惠言先生前幾年在《世界日報》上發表的故事修改的，中美兩地34個孩子們參加了插畫稿創作，上海五里橋文化中心張煒瑋主任組織「音之魅」誦讀沙龍的語言藝術家們創作了9個朗誦作品。希望這些生動有趣的故事、童趣洋溢的圖畫和美妙的朗誦藝術作品，能伴隨孩子們度過新冠疫情這個困難時期。對此，我們向惠言先生；英文稿的校閱者Jason Kenny先生和趙蒙皓女士；上海五里橋文化中心及「音之魅」誦讀沙龍語言藝術家們；參與畫稿創作的孩子們及其家長表示衷心感謝！
本網站將於5月4日（周一）起，每逢周一、三、五連載推出，每次一篇《惠言童話》故事，大約持續六周，歡迎大家下載收看收聽。
10. 獅 子 和 鱷 魚
The Lion and the Crocodile
文： 惠言
畫： Steve Wang（汪友豪13歲，圖1-9）；虞琛（10歲，圖10-18）
英文校閱： Jason Kenny & 趙蒙皓
中文朗誦： 採蓮
英文朗誦： Steve Wang（汪友豪)
10.獅子和鱷魚中文朗誦
10.獅子和鱷魚英文朗誦
有一年非洲草原特旱，青草枯黃，角馬和羚羊紛紛遷徙了。這一年獅子媽媽生了兩頭小獅子，由於缺少獵物，經常挨餓，生活十分艱難。
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，獅子媽媽到河邊喝水，看到水面縮小，河中淤泥小島上有一條鱷魚，露出背部，一動不動地趴在那裡曬太陽，就想抓鱷魚來充饑。她攀上河邊一棵樹榦歪長伸向河心的大樹，悄悄向鱷魚接近，縱身撲去。
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.
獅子的爪子剛搭上鱷魚背，鱷魚便側身滑脫。獅子追入淺水，四處張望，冷不防被鱷魚一口咬住後腿，獅子拚命掙脫，逃上岸。獅子後腿被鱷魚撕下一塊皮肉，鮮血直流。
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.
又餓又痛的獅子忽然心生一計，就勢躺在岸邊裝死。鱷魚看到獅子倒在河邊，以為獅子重傷不能行走，想趁機從獅子身上多咬幾塊肉，於是爬上岸來。
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.
獅子見鱷魚中計，翻身用前爪壓住鱷魚，鱷魚無法逃脫，只得哀求獅子：「我家裡有寶寶等我餵養，能否放我一馬？」獅子說：「你咬傷我，我無法狩獵，我家兩個小仔正餓肚呢，豈能放你！」鱷魚提議：「現在水面小，魚群集中，抓魚容易，你放了我，我可以抓魚給你，幫你家度過難關。」
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.”
獅子聽後說：「這個主意不錯，我可以放你。不過聽人講你鱷魚一邊吃食，一邊流淚，以假惺惺出名。我懷疑你的誠信，你說話能算數嗎？」鱷魚解釋道：「那是誤會，我在陸地上吃食流淚，是因在地上待久了，眼膜需要濕潤，並非虛偽。其實我很講信用的。」
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.
獅子說：「那你要承諾，在我需要的時候給我送魚。如果你言而無信，下次被我抓住，絕不放過。」鱷魚說：「我一定說到做到。」獅子鬆開前爪，鱷魚便鑽進水裡，不見了蹤影。半個小時過去，獅子正擔心鱷魚違約時，只見鱷魚游回來，張口放下一條大魚。
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.
兩個小獅子看到一瘸一拐的媽媽叼著大魚回來，非常高興，吃完魚，用舌頭舔媽媽腿上的傷口，幫媽媽療傷。
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.
此後鱷魚信守承諾，只要獅子到河邊一喊，鱷魚就會抓上幾條大魚到岸邊，獅子母子不再挨餓，獅子媽媽腿上的傷也痊癒了。
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.
就這樣過了些時日。有一天，天空烏雲翻滾，電閃雷鳴，下起傾盆大雨。一連幾天暴風雨，荒蕪的草原迅速恢復生機，青草拔節而長，角馬羚羊返回，獅子不愁捕獵不到食物了，好幾天不去求鱷魚幫忙了。
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.
這一天，獅子覺得應該向鱷魚表示感激，就來到河邊。獅子看到洪水泛濫，水面寬闊了許多，淤泥島和那棵歪長的大樹都被水淹沒，鱷魚無影無蹤。於是大聲吼叫鱷魚，鱷魚聽到獅子吼聲，以為獅子又來要魚，趕緊抓魚，可是水流湍急，渾濁的水流迷住眼睛，越是著急越是抓不到魚。
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.
鱷魚尷尬地游到河邊，對獅子說：「不好意思，不是我失信食言，現在水面大，河水渾濁，抓魚難多了。我怕你等久了，先過來打個招呼。請你在岸上多等一段時間，我還去抓魚。」
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.”
獅子對鱷魚說：「怪不得讓我等那麼久。這一次，我不是來向你要魚的，現在草原上羚羊很多，我們不挨餓了。我是特意來謝謝你幫我家度過難關。」鱷魚搖頭笑著說：「小事一樁，不值得你專門跑來謝我。」獅子關心地問：「剛才聽你說魚不好抓了，你們鱷魚是否挨餓了？」鱷魚答：「抓魚是有點難，不過我會儘力去克服。」
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.”
獅子仗義地說：「我們是不打不相識的朋友，你信守承諾，幫我度過難關。現在你有困難，輪到我來助你一臂之力。你等著，我去抓頭羚羊送給你。」
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.”
說完，獅子立即回家，率領兩頭小獅子，向一群羚羊發動攻擊，很快撲住一頭羚羊，獅子叼著羚羊，兩頭小獅子尾隨著媽媽，來到河邊。
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.
獅子一聲吼叫，鱷魚背上馱著好幾條小鱷魚游到河邊。鱷魚全家謝過獅子，飽餐了一頓新鮮的羚羊肉，往後很多天可以不用進食，即使抓不到魚也沒有關係。就這樣，獅子隔幾日就捕捉一頭羚羊送給鱷魚。
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.
暴風雨過後，天氣轉入正常，河水漸漸回落，水位恢復正常，鱷魚和獅子都恢復了快樂的狩獵和捕魚生活。經歷了大自然的考驗，獅子與鱷魚成了相互幫助的好朋友。
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.
獅子和鱷魚 虞琛（10歲）
作者簡介
惠言（實名：諸惠昌）
退休水處理專業工程師，退休後撰寫《惠言童話故事》和生活雜記。1946年生於中國浙江省慈溪市，1950年後在上海完成小學和中學。1968年9月畢業於北京清華大學土建系給排水專業。1994年3月在美國猶他州立大學獲土木和環境工程碩士學位。長期從事水處理領域科學研究、工程設計和項目管理。
趙蒙皓
資深跨國教育及文化諮詢師。曾在紐約市舉世聞名的K-12年制道爾頓學校(The Dalton School)任教多年，並曾任美國名校紐約大學（NYU）的客座教授。上海外國語學院，對外漢語系肄業；美國明德大學（Middlebury College），經濟學及日本文學文學雙學士；美國馬里蘭大學商學院（University of Maryland）工商管理碩士。
汪友豪
汪友豪，英文名：Steve Wang，男，今年14歲，在Union County Magnet High School 上九年級，是該校2023屆學生自治會成員。課外參加該校機器人俱樂部，Westfield高中軍樂隊和爵士樂隊。喜歡拉小提琴和閱讀。長大後，想做一名科學家。
虞琛
虞琛，女，時年10歲，就讀於慈溪市文琪小學四年級。平時喜歡安安靜靜的繪畫。2015年（下半年）CCP&EE國際童畫創意聯賽中榮獲小學A組個人書畫類特金獎。2016年在第十六屆PHE國際青少年書畫大賽中獲得三等獎。2017年在第十七屆PHE國際青少年書畫大賽中獲得二等獎。繪畫指導：「我繪藝術教育」邵玲老師。
採蓮
退休中學教師，喜歡普通話和滬語朗誦，用聲音做公益，樂此不疲。
