Battle between a Fox and a Swan　狐狸和天鹅之战

58　Battle between a Fox and a Swan　狐狸和天鹅之战

A fierce battle between a fox and a swan took place at Sherborne Park.Master Reynard seems to have caught the old swan napping,and to have seized him by the throat.The bird defended himself with his wings so powerfully that its assailant was done to death in no time,and a workman going past the lake above the bridge next morning found both fox and swan lying dead together.The bird had received a fatal bite in the throat;the fox had one leg broken and the side of its head completely broken in.The swan was the oldest bird on the lake.

谢尔本公园里发生了一场狐狸与天鹅之间的恶战。事情好像是这样的：列那狐①看到老天鹅在打盹，就趁机过去咬住了它的喉咙。天鹅挥起翅膀奋力还击，顷刻间，就将来犯之敌置于死地。第二天早晨，一个从湖上小桥路过的工作人员看到狐狸和天鹅躺在那里，都死了。天鹅的喉咙被咬了致命的一口，而狐狸则断了一条腿，头上有一侧也完全凹陷了下去。这只天鹅是这个湖上最年长的鸟了。

【注】

①民间故事中，常把狐狸称作列那狐。