【往期回顾】
英汉双语阅读47：如何利用网络资源鉴别古董？
【本期内容】
Two kinds of Justice
两种正义
A Greek philosopher was walking along one day, thinking about things, when he saw two very tall women towering away in the distance; they were the size of several men placed one on top of another. The philosopher, as wise as he was fearful, ran to hide behind some bushes, intending to listen to their conversation. The huge women came and sat nearby, but before they could start speaking, the King's youngest son appeared. He was bleeding from one ear and shouted pleadingly towards the women, 「Justice! I want justice! That villain cut my ear!」 He pointed to another boy, his younger brother, who arrived wielding a bloody sword.
一天，一位希腊哲学家在路上思考着一些事情，突然他看到两个个子很高的女人站在远处；她们有几个人叠起来那么高。这位哲学家很聪明，也很害怕，于是他跑去躲在灌木丛后面，打算听听他们的谈话。那两个巨大的女人走了过来，坐在附近，但她们还没来得及开口，国王的小儿子就出现了。他一只耳朵流着血，大声地恳求着两个女人：「正义！我要正义！那个恶棍割破了我的耳朵！」他指着另一个男孩，他的弟弟，他正挥舞着一把带血的剑来到这里。
"We will be delighted to give you justice, young Prince," replied the two women, "That's why we are the goddesses of justice. Just choose which of the two of us you would prefer to help you." "What's the difference?" the victim asked, "What would each of you do?" "I," said one of the goddesses, who looked the more weak and delicate, "will ask your brother what was the cause of his action, and I will listen to his explanation. Then I will oblige him to protect your other ear with his life, and to make you the most beautiful helmet to cover your scar and to be your ears when you need it." "I, for my part," said the other goddess. "will not let him go unpunished for his action. I will punish him with a hundred lashes and one year of imprisonment, and he must compensate you for your pain with a thousand gold coins. And I will give you the sword and you can choose if you're able to keep the ear or, on the contrary, you want both ears to end up on the ground. Well, what is your decision? Who do you want to apply justice for the offence?"
「年轻的王子，我们将很高兴为您伸张正义。」两个女人回答道，「这就是我们身为正义女神的原因。只要选择我们两个中你更希望去帮助你的那一个。」「那有什么区别吗？」受害者问道，「你们每个人都会做什么？」「我」，其中一位女神说，她看起来更虚弱、更娇弱，「我会问你哥哥他的所为是出于什么原因，我会听他的解释。然后我会让他用生命保护你的另一只耳朵，给你做最漂亮的头盔，盖住你的伤疤，在你需要的时候成为你的耳朵。」「就我而言，」另一位女神说，「我不会让他不受惩罚。我会惩罚他一百下鞭笞和一年监禁，他必须用一千金币补偿你的痛苦。我会把剑给你，你可以选择是保住另一只耳朵，还是相反，你想让两只耳朵都落地。好吧，你的决定是什么？你想让谁为罪行伸张正义？」
The Prince looked at the two goddesses. Then he put his hand to the wound, and on touching it his face gave a gesture of undeniable pain, which ended with a look of anger and affection for his brother. And in a firm voice, addressing the second of the goddesses he gave his answer, 「I'd rather it was you who helps me. I love him, but it would be unfair if my brother doesn't receive his punishment.」 And so, from his hiding place in the bushes, the philosopher saw the culprit get his comeuppance, and watched how the older brother was content to make a small wound on his brother's ear, without seriously damaging it.
王子看着这两位女神。然后他把手放在伤口上，一碰伤口，他脸上就露出了明显的痛苦的表情，最后他露出了对其哥哥愤怒和怨气。于是他坚定地对第二位女神回答道：「我宁愿是你帮助我。我爱他，但如果我哥哥不受到惩罚，那就不公平了。」因此，从他在灌木丛中的藏身之处，哲学家看到罪魁祸首受到了惩罚，并看到哥哥是如何满足于只是耳朵上留下了个小伤口，并没有被严重损伤。
A while passed and the Princes had left, one without an ear and the other served justice, and the philosopher was still in hiding when the least expected thing happened. In front of his eyes, the second of the goddesses changed her clothes and took her true form. She wasn't a goddess at all, but the powerful Aries, the god of war. Aries bid goodbye to his companion, with a mischievous smile: 「I've done it again, dear Themis. Your friends, mankind, can barely distinguish between your righteousness and my revenge. Bwahahaha! I will prepare my weapons, a new war between brothers is approaching ... ha, ha, ha, ha.」
过了一段时间，王子们离开了，一个没了只耳朵，另一个受到了正义的惩罚，而哲学家仍在躲藏，但这时最意想不到的事情发生了。就在他眼前，第二个女神换了衣服，露出了她的真实面貌。她根本不是女神，而是强大的白羊座战神（Aries）。白羊座战神带着调皮的微笑向同伴道别：「我又赢了，亲爱的忒弥斯（Themis）。你的人类朋友根本无法分辨你的正义和我的仇恨。哇哈哈！我会准备好武器，一场兄弟之间的新的战争即将到来……哈哈哈哈！」
When Aries had left and the philosopher was trying to quietly make off, the goddess Themis spoke aloud, 「Tell me, dear philosopher, would you have known how to choose correctly? Did you know how to distinguish between the past and the future?」 And with that strange greeting began many long and friendly talks. And that's how, from the very hand of the goddess of justice, the philosopher learned that true justice lies in improving the future, moving it away from past wrongs, while false justice and vengeance is incapable of forgiving and forgetting past wrongs, and doing so fixes the future, it always ending up being just as bad.
当白羊座战神已经离开，而哲学家又试图悄悄溜走时，忒弥斯女神大声说道：「告诉我，亲爱的哲学家，你刚才会知道如何正确选择吗？你知道如何分辨过去和未来吗？」随着那奇怪的招呼之后，两人开始了许多次漫长而友好的交谈。这就是这位哲学家是如何通过正义女神之手了解到，真正的正义在于让未来变得更美好，使其远离过去的错误，而虚假的正义和仇恨无法使人原谅和忘记过去的错误，虽然这样做可以修复未来，但最终的结局总会一样的糟糕。
【Source】www.freestoriesforkids.com
【Translated by】Spark Liao (廖怀宝)
【Illustration】From Bing
