The Rat and the Oyster

   A country Rat of little brains,

    Grown weary of inglorious rest,

  Left home with all its straws and grains,

    Resolved to know beyond his nest.

  When peeping through the nearest fence,

  "How big the world is, how immense!"

  He cried; "there rise the Alps, and that

  Is doubtless famous Ararat."

  His mountains were the works of moles¹,

  Or dirt thrown up in digging holes!

  Some days of travel brought him where

  The tide had left the Oysters² bare.

  Since here our traveller saw the sea,

  He thought these shells the ships must be.

  "My father was, in truth," said he,

    "A coward, and an ignoramus;

  He dared not travel: as for me,

    I've seen the ships and ocean famous;

  Have cross'd the deserts without drinking,

  And many dangerous streams, unshrinking."

  Among the shut-up shell-fish, one

  Was gaping⁴ widely at the sun;

  It breathed, and drank the air's perfume,

  Expanding, like a flower in bloom.

    Both white and fat, its meat

    Appear'd a dainty treat.

  Our Rat, when he this shell espied⁵,

  Thought for his stomach to provide.

  "If not mistaken in the matter,"

  Said he, "no meat was ever fatter,

  Or in its flavour half so fine,

  As that on which to-day I dine."

  Thus full of hope, the foolish chap

    Thrust in his head to taste,

  And felt the pinching of a trap—

    The Oyster³ closed in haste.

 

  Now those to whom the world is new

  Are wonder-struck at every view;

  And the marauder finds his match

  When he is caught who thinks to catch.

1 moles   

防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• Two moles of epoxy react with one mole of A-1100. 两个克分子环氧与一个克分子A－1100反应。

2 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

3 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

4 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 espied   

v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• One day a youth espied her as he was hunting.She saw him and recognized him as her own son, mow grown a young man. 一日，她被一个正在行猎的小伙子看见了，她认出来这个猎手原来是自己的儿子，现在已长成为一个翩翩的少年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In a little while he espied the two giants. 一会儿就看见了那两个巨人。 来自辞典例句