The Lydian King

吕底亚国王

King Croesus was once one of the richest kings in the world. He ruled over Lydia, an ancient empire located near modern-day Turkey and controlled a valuable commodity: gold. Many people were very envious of him.

克罗伊斯国王曾经是世界上最富有的国王之一。他统治着吕底亚，一个位于现代土耳其附近的古代帝国，并控制着一种珍贵的商品:黄金。许多人都很嫉妒他。

One day, a messenger disclosed some interesting news: political unrest in Persia had weakened the empire. Before then, the Persians had taken over many countries. Many leaders were scared of the Persian conquest. But King Croesus understood the dynamics of war better than most. He decided that it would be a good time to try to beat the Persians while they were weak.

有一天，信使带来了一个有趣的消息:波斯的政治动乱削弱了帝国。在那之前，波斯人占领了许多国家。许多领导人害怕波斯的征服。但克罗伊斯国王比大多数人更了解战争的动态。他决定趁波斯人还很弱的时候攻打他们。

He advocated starting war, but nobody shared his sentiment. Then he asked a wise member of the senate who was visiting from Athens. The sage didn't say whether he should attack the Persians or not. He only warned him that his good luck wouldn't last.

他主张发动战争，但没有人赞同他的观点。然后他问一位从雅典来的元老院明智的成员。这位智者没有说他是否应该进攻波斯人，而只是警告他，他的好运气不会持久。

Finally, King Croesus sent a messenger to visit the Oracle, a special lady who could see the future. The messenger gave the Oracle jugs of wine and baskets of lentils in order to make her happy.

最后，克罗伊斯国王派了一位信使去拜访神谕，一位能预见未来的特殊女士。使者为了使她高兴，给了她几瓶酒和几篮扁豆。

When the messenger came back, he was in a festive mood.

送信人回来时，心情很愉快。

What was the Oracle's prophecy? asked King Croesus.

“神谕的预言是什么?”国王克罗伊斯问道。

The jolly messenger responded, "She said that if you attack Persia, you will destroy a great empire."

快乐的信使回答说:“她说如果你进攻波斯，你将摧毁一个伟大的帝国。”

The news filled Croesus with euphoria. After hearing the Oracle's prophecy, many civilians enrolled in the Lydian army. The king marshaled his troops and prepared them for a war with Persia. Their morale was high because they were sure they would win.Soon, King Croesus authorized an attack against the Persians.

这消息使克罗伊斯欣喜若狂。在听到神谕的预言后，许多平民加入了吕底亚军队。国王集结军队，准备与波斯开战。他们士气高昂，因为他们确信他们会赢。不久，国王克罗伊斯授权进攻波斯人。

However, the Persian army was still very strong. After a few months of fighting, it was obvious that the Oracle's prophecy had come true: by attacking the Persians, King Croesus had destroyed a great empire—his own! King Croesus should have considered the advice more carefully.

然而，波斯军队仍然非常强大。经过几个月的战斗，神谕的预言显然实现了：通过攻击波斯人，国王克罗伊斯摧毁了一个伟大的帝国——他自己的帝国！克罗伊斯国王应该更仔细地考虑这个建议。

单词表

advocate v. 拥护

authorize v. 批准

civilian n. 平民

commodity n. 商品

conquest n. 征服

disclose v. 公开

dynamics n. 动力学

enroll v. 参加

envious adj.羡慕的

euphoria n. 极度兴奋

festive adj.节日的

jolly adj.愉快的

lentil n. 兵豆

marshal v. 整理

morale n. 士气

prophecy n. 预言

sage n. 圣人

senate n. 参议院

sentiment n. 感情

unrest n. 不安

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