偶然看到一段英语短文(可惜不知作者姓名),觉得比中文的三个和尚没水吃要精彩得多。它用四条懒虫取代了三个和尚。现抄录于下,
Once upon a time, there were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Nobody, and Anybody.
When there was an important job to be done, Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it.
When Nobody did it, Everybody got angry becausse it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Somebody would do it, but Nobody realized that Nobody would do it.
So it ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done in the first place.
补充:
我在网上查到了另外一个文字略有不同的版本。 所有的版本,大概都没有注意到,这个笑话中的几个关键词everybody, somebody, anybody和nobody,小写和大写有不同的意义: 小写everybody表示“每个人”,大写有两种情况,一是放在句首必须大写,二是人名,姑且称之为“每人君”。 其余几个单词也是同样的情况,somebody,小写是“某人/有人”,大写“某人君”,anybody,小写是“任何人”,大写“任何人君(任人君)”,bobody,小写是“无人”,大写“无人君”。 我根据上面的版本和网上的版本做了修改如下,并附上我的参考译文: There once were four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. 从前有四位君子,叫每人君,某人君,任人君和无人君。 An important job had to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it, Anybody could have done it. But Nobody did it. 有一件重要工作需要去完成,每人君确信,某人君会去做。任人君本来可以去做此事,但无人君去做了。 When Nobody did it, somebody got angry about that, because it was everybody's job. 当无人君去做此事时,有人生气了,因为这是每个人的工作。 Everybody thought anybody could do it and that somebody would do it. 每个人都认为这件工作任何人都可以去做,有某个人会去做。 But nobody realized that everybody thought somebody would do it. 不过没有人意识到每个人都认为有某个人会去做。 It ended up that Enverybody balmed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done. 结果是,当无人君去做任人君本来可以去做的事时,某人君遭到每人君的责怪。
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