柳宗元·《三戒·永某氏之鼠》英译

永有某氏者，畏日，拘忌异甚。以为己生岁直子，鼠，子神也，因爱鼠，不畜猫犬，禁僮勿击鼠。仓廪庖厨，悉以恣鼠，不问。<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

由是鼠相告，皆来某氏，饱食而无祸。某氏室无完器，椸无完衣，饮食大率鼠之余也。昼累累与人兼行，夜则窃啮斗暴，其声万状，不可以寝。终不厌。

数岁，某氏徙居他州，后人来居，鼠为态如故。其人曰：“是阴类恶物也，盗暴尤甚，且何以至是乎哉？ ” 假五六猫，阖门，撤瓦灌穴，购僮罗捕之，杀鼠如丘，弃之隐处，臭数月乃已。

呜呼！彼以其饱食无祸为可恒也哉！

The Rats of Yongzhou

Liu Zongyuan

A certain householder in Yongzhou had a dread of unlucky days and observed them very strictly. Because he was born in the year of the Rat, he considered rats as holy. This being the case, he would keep no cat or dog, and forbade his servants to catch rats. Unchecked, they had the run of his store-room and kitchen.

As news of this spread among rats, more and more of them flocked to his house, where they could eat their fill with nothing to fear. They broke all the household utensils, gnawed through all the clothes on the hangers. The members of the household had to be content with the food they left over. Processions of rats mingled freely with men in broad daylight, and at night they made such a din by stealing food and fighting that not one could sleep. Still the inmates of the house put up with them.

After some years this family left and another household moved in, but the rats carried on as before. "These are creatures of darkness," said the newcomers, "but now they are running riot. Why were they allowed to get out of hand like this?"

They borrowed five or six cats, closed all the doors, removed the tiles from the roof, and poured water down all the holes, getting slave boys to help catch the rats. Soon a mound of dead rats was piled up in a corner, and the place stank for several months.

This is a lesson for those who think they can fill their bellies for ever at public expense with nothing to fear.