The Two Rats, the Fox, and the Egg

   Two Rats in foraging¹ fell on an Egg—

    For gentry² such as they

    A genteel dinner every way;

  They needed not to find an ox's leg.

    Brimful of joy and appetite,

      They were about to sack the box,

      So tight without the aid of locks,

    When suddenly there came in sight

  A personage—Sir Slyboots Fox.

    Sure, luck was never more untoward³

    Since Fortune was a vixen froward!

  How should they save their Egg—and bacon?

    Their plunder⁴ couldn't then be bagg'd.

  Should it in forward paws be taken,

    Or roll'd along, or dragg'd?

    Each method seem'd impossible,

    And each was then of danger full.

  Necessity, ingenious mother,

  Brought forth⁵ what help'd them from their pother.

  As still there was a chance to save their prey⁶,

  The sponger yet some hundred yards away—

  One seized the Egg, and turned upon his back,

  And then, in spite of many a thump⁷ and thwack,

  That would have torn, perhaps, a coat of mail,

  The other dragg'd him by the tail.

    Who dares the inference to blink,

    That beasts possess wherewith to think?

 

    Were I commission'd to bestow⁸

    This power on creatures here below,

    The beasts should have as much of mind

    As infants of the human kind.

1 foraging   

v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句

2 gentry   

n.绅士阶级，上层阶级

参考例句：

• Landed income was the true measure of the gentry.来自土地的收入是衡量是否士绅阶层的真正标准。
• Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.宁做自由民之首，不居贵族之末。

3 untoward   

adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的

参考例句：

• Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.有些不幸的事件使我不能在这欢庆的时刻和你在一起。
• I'll come if nothing untoward happens.我要是没有特殊情况一定来。

4 plunder   

vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠

参考例句：

• The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
• Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

5 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 thump   

v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声

参考例句：

• The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。
• The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

8 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？