Chapter 102 The Sick Kite

A KITE, sick unto death, said to his mother: “O Mother! do not mourn, but at once invoke¹ the gods that my life may be prolonged.” She replied, “Alas! my son, which of the gods do you think will pity you? Is there one whom you have not outraged² by filching³ from their very altars a part of the sacrifice offered up to them?’

We must make friends in prosperity if we would have their help in adversity.

1 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

2 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

3 filching   

v.偷（尤指小的或不贵重的物品）( filch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The boys were in the habit of filching fruit from the peddler's carts. 那些男孩们有偷小贩车上水果的习惯。 来自互联网