The Shoe Tacks 鞋钉
◎ Tom Cawley
The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer. The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman[64]worked.
琼斯是个勤劳的铁匠，常常一整天都在他的店里工作。他工作非常努力，他的锤子时常会火花四溅。史密斯先生的儿子，一个很有钱的邻居，几乎每天都来看铁匠工作。他喜欢观看这位工匠工作，而且一看就是几小时。
“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks, even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.” The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
“年轻人，你为什么不尝试一下如何制作鞋钉呢，哪怕只是用来消磨时间？”铁匠说，“谁知道呢，有一天，它或许就会对你有用呢。”那个懒孩子开始想看看自己到底能做什么。但是，仅仅经过小小的实践练习，他就发现自己变得非常熟练，很快他就做出了最好的鞋钉。
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to take up residence in another country. It so happened that in this village there were numerous[65]shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
老史密斯先生去世了，他的儿子则因为战争而失去了所有的财产。他不得不离开家园，被迫住在了另一个国家。事情就是这样巧合，这个国家的这个地区急需大量军鞋，所以这个村子里有很多鞋匠，而他们总是花费很多钱购买鞋钉。甚至有时即使付了很高的价钱，也买不到他们想要的鞋钉。
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain[66]with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village. “How funny it seems,” he used to say, “Even making tacks can bring a fortune. My trade is more useful to me than were all my former riches.”
在这食不果腹的艰难时刻，我们的小史密斯先生想起了自己从前学过制鞋钉这门手艺，突然冒出了一个想法，和这些鞋匠们做一个交易。他告诉他们，如果他们帮他成立一个店铺，他就可以做鞋钉。结果，鞋匠们对他的这一提议欣喜若狂。过了不久，史密斯先生发现他做的鞋钉是村里最好的。“看起来可真有意思，”他常常会说，“即便是做鞋钉也会带来财富。与我以前所有的财富相比，我现在的生意更有益。”
美丽语录
Give everything a shot. You never know what (or who) is going to change your life.
任何事情都应该去尝试一下，因为你无法知道，什么样的事或人将会改变你的一生。
