《塞翁失马》成语英译与典故

六十三、塞翁失马

从前有个老人住在边塞上，

养了匹马儿真雄壮。

没想到那天马儿跑丢了，

惊动了亲戚朋友来看望，

都安慰老人莫伤心。

老人说：

“看我哪儿带伤心样？

乍一看丢马好像是坏事，

也可能灾祸背后是吉祥。”

过几天那马竟然跑回来，

还带来一匹好马在一旁。

“塞翁失马”作成语，

“安知非福”紧配上，

常比喻暂时的挫折或损失，

往往是事物的表面相。

也许坏事变好事，

其中有辩证的因素藏。

The Old Frontiersman Losing His Horse

Once upon a time，an old man lived in the fron⁃tier and raised a horse which was very very strong.Unexpectedly one day the horse had run away，and upon hearing of it，his friends and relatives all came to see him.They consoled him not to be sad.

The old man said，“I don't feel sad at all.For losing a horse looks like a bad thing，but bad things might beget auspiciousness.”A few days later the horse came back bringing a better steed with it.

“The old frontiersman losing his horse”became an idiom，and it is often followed by“How do you know it isn't a blessing？”It means some temporary difficulties and hardships may be of a phenomenal matter.And bad things may be changed into good ones.There's always something dialectical hidden in it.