Sleeping Through The Storm

未雨綢繆

It was spring, in western America, the weather was getting warmer. There was a young man who went out to find a job on a farm. He came to a small farm, which belonged to an old farmer and his wife. He told the farmer he wanted to apply for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, “What can you do, boy?” The young man said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.”

那是美國西部的一個(gè)春天,，天氣開始變暖，一個(gè)年輕人離開家,，想在農(nóng)場里找些活兒干,。于是他來到一個(gè)小農(nóng)場。這個(gè)農(nóng)場的主人是一對老夫婦,。年輕人告訴農(nóng)場主他想在農(nóng)場里當(dāng)一個(gè)幫手,。當(dāng)農(nóng)場主問道：“年輕人，你能干些什么?”時(shí)，那個(gè)年輕人回答：“我能在刮風(fēng)的時(shí)候睡得著覺,?！?/p>

This answer quite puzzled the farmer and his wife. But he looked honest and reliable, so the couple liking the young man decided to hire him.

他的回答讓農(nóng)場主夫婦感到迷惑不解，但是他看起來誠實(shí)可靠,，老兩口也很喜歡這個(gè)孩子,，于是就決定把他雇了下來。

Two months passed and the young man had worked well on the farm, nothing unusual.

兩個(gè)月過去了,，這個(gè)年輕人在農(nóng)場里干得還不錯(cuò),，但也沒有什么特別之處,。

One night, the farmer and his wife were awakened by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.

一天夜里,，突如其來的暴風(fēng)雨把睡夢中的農(nóng)場主夫婦驚醒了。他們趕緊起來查看農(nóng)場里的東西是否安全,。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)農(nóng)舍的門都已牢牢地拴緊,。一大堆木頭已經(jīng)碼在壁爐旁。

The young man slept soundly.

再看那個(gè)年輕人,，他正睡得香呢,。

The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well.

然后，農(nóng)場主夫婦檢查了他們的東西,，發(fā)現(xiàn)農(nóng)具都已經(jīng)收進(jìn)了倉庫,，遠(yuǎn)離風(fēng)雨。拖拉機(jī)已經(jīng)開進(jìn)了車庫,。牲口棚也鎖得好好的,，就連家畜也都很平靜。一切正常,。

The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, “I can sleep when the wind blows.” Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. So when the wind blew, he was not afraid. He could sleep in peace.

這時(shí)農(nóng)場主終于明白了當(dāng)初這個(gè)年輕人為什么說他能在刮風(fēng)的時(shí)候睡得著覺,。因?yàn)檫@個(gè)小伙子已經(jīng)在天氣好的時(shí)候盡心盡力地干好了他該干的活，為暴風(fēng)雨的到來做好了準(zhǔn)備,，所以當(dāng)暴風(fēng)雨襲來時(shí)他沒什么可擔(dān)心的,，自然也就能高枕無憂了。