Honesty Is Best
A poor man once lived in a village near a river.He was a woodcutter.He used to go to the forest to cut wood in order to sell it.
One day he went to the forest to cut wood as usual.After he had done some work,he sat on the bank of the river to rest.His axe fell into the water and it was the only one he had.He was not able to get it back from the river,so he began to cry.
The God Hermes appeared and asked him why he was crying.The woodcutter told him that his only axe had fallen into the river and that he was not able to get it back.
Hermes felt sorry for him,so he jumped into the water and brought up a gold axe.He said to the woodcutter,"Is this your axe?”The man an-swered,"No,it isn't.Hermes jumped again and came up with a silver axe and gave it to the woodcutter.But the honest woodcutter would not take it because it was not his.So the God Hermes went down into the water for the third time and brought up the man's own axe.The man was very happy.He thanked Hermes and took the axe.Hermes was so pleased with the honesty of this poor man that he gave him both the gold and the silver axes as presents.
When the woodcutter joined his friends,he told them how Hermes had helped him to get his axe and how he had given him the other two axes.One of his friends thought that it would be a good idea to do the same,so he went to the river and dropped his axe into the water on pur-pose.Then he sat down and cried.Hermes appeared and asked him why he was crying.He answered that his axe had fallen into the river.
Hermes dived and brought him a gold axe and asked him if it was his.The man took it and said,"Yes,it's mine."Hermes was angry with the man because he was lying,so he took away the gold axe and did not even bring him back his own axe.
参考译文：
诚实是最好的美德
从前有一个穷人住在河边的村庄里。他是个樵夫。他过去常常到森林去砍柴卖钱。
有一天，他像往常一样到森林里去砍柴。 他砍了一会儿以后坐在河岸边休息。 他的斧子掉到了河里，这是他拥有的惟一的一把斧子。 他没法从河里取回斧子，所以就开始哭了起来。
神仙赫耳墨斯出现了，问他为什么哭。 樵夫告诉神仙他惟一的一把斧子掉到了河里，他没法捞上来。
赫耳墨斯为他感到难过，于是他跳进水里，拿上来一把金斧子。 他问樵夫：“这是你的斧子吗?”樵夫回答：“不，不是。”赫耳墨斯又跳进水里，出来时拿着一把银斧子。他把他交给樵夫，但是诚实的樵夫不要，因为那不是他的。 于是神仙赫耳墨斯第三次跳进水里，取回了樵夫的斧子。 樵夫非常高兴，感谢了赫耳墨斯，留下了自己的斧子。 赫耳墨斯对穷樵夫的诚实感到非常满意，因此他把金斧子和银斧子作为礼物送给了樵夫。
当樵夫与朋友们聚在一起时，他把赫耳墨斯如何帮他取回斧子并将另外两把斧子送给他的.经过告诉了他们。他的一个朋友想，跟樵夫做同样的事是个好主意。于是他来到河边，故意把斧子丢到河里。然后坐下来开始哭。赫耳墨斯出现了，问他为什么哭。他回答说他的斧子掉到了河里。
赫耳墨斯跳进水里，带回一把金斧子，问他这是不是他的。那人拿了金斧子说：“是，它是我的。”赫耳墨斯对他非常生气。 因为他说谎。 于是他拿走了那把金斧子，甚至连那人自己的斧子也不为他取回了。