The Cat and the Two Sparrows

   Contemporary with a Sparrow tame

    There lived a Cat; from tenderest age,

    Of both, the basket and the cage

  Had household gods the same.

  The Bird's sharp beak¹ full oft provoked the Cat,

  Who play'd in turn, but with a gentle pat,

  His wee friend sparing with a merry laugh,

  Not punishing his faults by half.

    In short, he scrupled² much the harm,

    Should he with points his ferule arm.

    The Sparrow, less discreet³ than he,

    With dagger⁴ beak made very free.

    Sir Cat, a person wise and staid,

    Excused the warmth with which he play'd:

      For 'tis full half of friendship's art

      To take no joke in serious part.

      Familiar since they saw the light,

    Mere⁵ habit kept their friendship good;

  Fair play had never turn'd to fight,

    Till, of their neighbourhood,

  Another sparrow came to greet

  Old Ratto grave and Saucy⁶ Pete.

  Between the birds a quarrel rose,

    And Ratto took his side.

  "A pretty stranger, with such blows

    To beat our friend!" he cried.

  "A neighbour's sparrow eating ours!

  Not so, by all the feline⁷ powers."

  And quick the stranger he devours⁸.

    "Now, truly," saith Sir Cat,

    "I know how sparrows taste by that.

  Exquisite⁹, tender, delicate!"

  This thought soon seal'd the other's fate.

  But hence what moral can I bring?

  For, lacking that important thing,

  A fable¹⁰ lacks its finishing:

  I seem to see of one some trace,

  But still its shadow mocks my chase.

1 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

2 scrupled   

v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The man scrupled to perjure himself. 这人发伪誓时迟疑了起来。 来自互联网

3 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

4 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

5 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

6 saucy   

adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的

参考例句：

• He was saucy and mischievous when he was working.他工作时总爱调皮捣蛋。
• It was saucy of you to contradict your father.你顶撞父亲，真是无礼。

7 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

8 devours   

吞没( devour的第三人称单数 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们，就有火从他们口中出来，烧灭仇敌。
• It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃，死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。

9 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

10 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。