One day a lion was sleeping peacefully in the forest when a mouse ran across his paw. Then he ran up the nose of the lion, awakening the great beast from his sleep.
The lion caught the little creature and the mouse, shivering with fear, cried out for mercy. "Please have mercy on me, King Lion! Please don's kill me! Forgive me this time, and I will never forget it. A day may come when I may be able to do something for you to repay your kindness."The lion smiled at the mouse's fright and laughed at the thought that so small a creature could ever help him, but he let the mouse go.
Not long after this, the lion was caught in a hunter's net. The angry lion let out a roar that could be heard far and wide throughout the forest. Even the mouse heard it. He knew it was the voice of the lion. He recalled that the lion had been merciful to him then. So he ran to the place where the lion lay caught in the net of ropes. He said to him, "King Lion, now it's time for me to repay you."
The mouse set to work at once, biting with his sharp little teeth at the heavy ropes that held the lion. Soon the lion was free.
paw 手掌，手爪 beast 獸，畜牲
shiver 顫抖 mercy 寬恕，憐憫
forgive 原諒 repay 報答
recall 回想，記起 merciful 仁慈的，慈悲的
獅子王和老鼠
一天，獅子正在森林裏安靜地睡覺，就在這時，一隻老鼠從他爪子上跑過。接着老鼠又跑到獅子的鼻子上，把獸中之王從睡夢中驚醒。
獅子一把抓住那隻小動物，而老鼠害怕地顫抖着，哭着求饒。
“請饒了我吧，獅子大王！不要殺我！原諒我這次吧，我永遠都不會忘記的。也許有一天我能爲你做些事情來報答你的仁慈。”
獅子笑着看着驚恐萬分的老鼠，嘲笑這麼小的`一隻動物竟然能有幫助他的想法，但他還是把老鼠放走了。
在這之後不久，獅子被獵人的網套住了。憤怒的獅子發出嚎叫聲，整個森林都能聽到，甚至連老鼠都聽到了。他知道這是獅子的聲音。他想起獅子曾經對他很仁慈。所以他跑到獅子被繩網套住的地方。他對獅子說：“獅子大王，現在是我報答你的時候了。”
老鼠馬上開始工作，用他又尖又小的牙齒咬斷縛住獅子的大繩。很快獅子就自由了。
