雙語故事:三個篩子
【英文原文】
Grandpa Hodge was the most popular sage in the village because he was so philosophic in speaking and doing things that everyone revered him as “Grandpa Wisdom”.
One day, a man hurried to Grandpa Wisdom and said, “Grandpa, I have a piece of news to tell you…”
“Wait a moment,” Grandpa Hodge stroked his beard and cut him short, “Have you sifted the news you will tell me with three sieves?”
“Three sieves? Which three sieves?” the man asked with puzzlement.
“The first sieve is Truth. Is the news you will tell me true?” Grandpa Hodge asked, narrowing his eyes.
“I don’t know because I overhead it from the street.”
“Now let’s check it with the second sieve,” Grandpa Hodge went on, “If the news you will tell me is not true, it should be friendly.”
The man hesitantly answered, “No, just the other way round…”
Grandpa Hodge once again interrupted him, “So let’s use the third sieve. Can you tell me if the news that is exciting you is very important?”
“It is not so important,” the man answered with embarrassment.
Grandpa Hodge patted the shoulder of the man and said significantly, “Now that the news you will tell me is not true, friendly or important, please don’t tell me. Then it won’t trouble you and me.”
The man took a tumble and never spread the overhead news ever since.
【中文譯文】
霍奇爺爺是村裏最受歡迎的長者，因爲他講話做事都很有哲理，大家都尊稱他爲“智慧爺爺”。
有一天，一個人匆匆跑到智慧爺爺那裏說：“爺爺，我有個消息要告訴你……”
“等一下，”霍奇爺爺摸了摸鬍子，打斷了他的話，“你要告訴我的消息，用三個篩子篩過了嗎？”
“三個篩子？哪三個篩子？”那人不解的問。
“第一個篩子叫真實。你要告訴我的消息確實是真的嗎？”霍奇爺爺眯着眼問道。
“不知道，我是從街上聽來的。”
“現在再用第二個篩子來審查吧，”霍奇爺爺接着說，“你要告訴我的這個消息就算不是真實的，也應該是善意的吧？”
那人躊躇的回答說：“不，正好相反．．．．．．”
霍奇爺爺再次打斷他的話：“那麼我們再用第三個篩子，請問，使你如此激動的消息很重要嗎？”
“並不怎麼重要，”那人不好意思地回答。
霍奇爺爺拍了拍那人的肩膀，意味深長的說：“既然你要告訴我的事，既不真實，也非善意，更不重要，那麼就請你別說了吧！這樣的話，它就不會困擾你和我了。”
那人恍然大悟，從此以後再也不到處傳播道聽途說的消息了。
