猴子和鳄鱼

莲雾树

The Rose-Apple Tree

在印度一条宽宽的河边，长着一棵大大的莲雾树。它一年到头都结着甜甜的水果。一只猴子住在树枝上。

A big rose-apple tree stood on the bank of a wide river in India. It had sweet fruit all year. A monkey lived in its branches.

这只猴子又小又快。每天，他都吃着莲雾，看着大河。他很高兴，但有时候觉得有一点孤独。

The monkey was small and quick. Every day he ate rose-apples and watched the river. He was happy, but sometimes he felt a little lonely.

一个炎热的下午，一只大鳄鱼从河里游了出来。他躺在树下软软的沙子上。他看起来又累又饿。

One hot afternoon, a big crocodile came out of the river. He lay down in the soft sand under the tree. He looked tired and hungry.

猴子低头看着他。“你好！”他说，“你是我的树的客人。你想吃一些水果吗？”

The monkey looked down at him. “Hello!” he said. “You are a guest at my tree. Would you like some fruit?”

“水果？”鳄鱼问，“我平时不吃水果。但是今天我很饿。”

“Fruit?” asked the crocodile. “I don’t usually eat fruit. But I’m very hungry today.”

猴子扔下了几个莲雾。鳄鱼吃了一个，又吃了一个，然后又吃了五个。

The monkey threw down a few rose-apples. The crocodile ate one, then another, then five more.

“这些太好吃了！”他说，“它们像蜂蜜一样甜。谢谢你，我的朋友。”

“These are wonderful!” he said. “They are as sweet as honey. Thank you, my friend.”

从那以后，鳄鱼每天都来。猴子给他扔水果，他们聊了几个小时。他们聊大河、森林、雨水和星星。

After that, the crocodile came back every day. The monkey threw him fruit, and they talked for hours. They talked about the river, the forest, the rain and the stars.

很快，他们成了最好的朋友。有一天鳄鱼说：“你就像我的兄弟一样。”

Soon they were best friends. “You are like a brother to me,” said the crocodile one day.

每天晚上，鳄鱼都会带一些莲雾回家给他的妻子。她非常喜欢吃。

Every evening, the crocodile took some rose-apples home for his wife. She loved them very much.

但很快，她想要的比水果更多了。

But soon she wanted something more than fruit.