Once there lived a man among the hills, who possessed a statue wrought by an ancient master, at lay at his door face downward and he was not mindfuI of it.
One day there passed by his house a man from the city, a man of knowledge, and seeing the statue he inquired of the owner if he would sell it.
The owner laughed and said,“And pray who would want to buy that dull and dirty stone?”
The man from the city said,“I will give you this piece of silver for it.”
And the other man was astonished and delighted.
The statue was removed to the city, upon the back of an elephant. And after many months the man from the hills visited the city, and as he walked the streets he saw a crowd before a shop, and a man with a loud voice was crying,“Come in and behold the most beautiful, the most wonderful statue in all the world.Only two silver pieces to look upon this most marveIous work of a master.”
There upon the man from the hills paid two silver pieces and entered the shop to see the statue that he himself had sold for one piece of silver.
從前,一個住在山里的人有一座雕像,是古代的一位大師雕刻的。雕像臉朝下倒在門前,他根本沒在意。
一天,從城里來了一位學(xué)識淵博的人,在經(jīng)過他家門前時,看見了雕像,便問主人愿不愿意將它賣掉。
主人笑著說:“請問是誰要買這塊又臟又硬的石頭呀?”
城里人說:“我愿意給你一塊銀元買下它?!?/p>
山里人驚訝之余,不禁喜出望外。
雕像被一頭大象背到了城里。幾個月后,山里人進(jìn)城,當(dāng)他在大街上閑逛時,看見一群人圍在一個小店前。有一個人大聲吆喝道:“進(jìn)來吧,請進(jìn)來欣賞全世界最漂亮、最神奇的雕像。只需花兩塊銀元,就可以參觀大師手下最不可思議的杰作?!?/p>
于是,山里人付了兩塊銀元進(jìn)店里參觀,發(fā)現(xiàn)這座雕像正是他以一塊銀元賣掉的那個。