노예와 사자 🦁🤝🧍‍♂️ THE SLAVE AND THE LION 奴隷とライオン

어느 날, 한 노예가 주인의 심한 학대를 견디다 못해 도망쳤습니다.
쫓기는 신세가 된 그는 사람들을 피하고자 광야로 들어가 먹을 것과 쉴 곳을 찾아 헤매다가 우연히 빈 동굴 하나를 발견하고 그 안으로 들어갔습니다.

하지만 그 동굴은 사실 사자의 굴이었습니다.

잠시 후, 사자 한 마리가 나타났고 노예는 이제 끝났다고 생각하며 죽을 각오를 했습니다.

그런데 뜻밖에도, 사자는 그를 공격하지 않고 그에게 다가와 앞발을 들어 보이며 신음소리를 냈습니다.

노예는 사자의 발이 심하게 부어오르고 상처가 난 것을 보고 자세히 살펴보니, 발바닥에 커다란 가시가 박혀 있었습니다.

노예는 조심스럽게 가시를 빼고, 최선을 다해 상처를 치료해 주었습니다.

시간이 지나 상처는 완전히 회복되었고, 사자는 노예에게 깊은 감사를 느끼며 친구처럼 지내게 되었습니다.
그들은 한동안 함께 동굴에서 살았습니다.

하지만 시간이 지나 노예는 인간 사회가 그리워졌고 사자에게 작별 인사를 한 뒤 마을로 돌아갔습니다.

그러나 그는 곧 붙잡혀 예전 주인에게 넘겨졌고, 본보기로써 공개 처형을 당하게 되었습니다.

형벌은 맹수들 앞에 던져지는 것이었습니다.

운명의 날, 거대한 사자가 등장했고, 노예는 맹수들 사이로 던져졌습니다.

관중들은 숨을 죽이고 지켜보았지만, 놀랍게도 사자는 그를 본 순간 달려와 그의 발치에 누워 다정하게 얼굴을 비볐습니다.

그 사자는 바로 그 동굴에서 만났던 옛 친구였습니다!

관중들은 감격하여 노예를 살려달라고 외쳤고, 이 광경에 감동한 지방 총독은 사자와 노예 모두에게 자유를 허락했습니다.

 

📘 교훈 
🔹 진심 어린 선행은 때로 생명을 구한다.

그리고 감사는 어떤 존재에게서도 나올 수 있다.

 

 

THE SLAVE AND THE LION

A Slave ran away from his master, by whom he had been most cruelly treated, and, in order to avoid capture, betook himself into the desert.

 

As he wandered about in search of food and shelter, he came to a cave, which he entered and found to be unoccupied.

 

Really, however, it was a Lion's den, and almost immediately, to the horror of the wretched fugitive, the Lion himself appeared.

 

The man gave himself up for lost: but, to his utter astonishment, the Lion, instead of springing upon him and devouring him, came and fawned upon him, at the same time whining and lifting up his paw.

 

Observing it to be much swollen and inflamed, he examined it and found a large thorn embedded in the ball of the foot. 

 

He accordingly removed it and dressed the wound as well as he could: and in course of time it healed up completely. 

 

The Lion's gratitude was unbounded; he looked upon the man as his friend, and they shared the cave for some time together.

 

A day came, however, when the Slave began to long for the society of his fellow-men, and he bade farewell to the Lion and returned to the town.

 

Here he was presently recognised and carried off in chains to his former master, who resolved to make an example of him, and ordered that he should be thrown to the beasts at the next public spectacle in the theatre. 

 

On the fatal day the beasts were loosed into the arena, and among the rest a Lion of huge bulk and ferocious aspect; and then the wretched Slave was cast in among them.

 

What was the amazement of the spectators, when the Lion after one glance bounded up to him and lay down at his feet with every expression of affection and delight!

It was his old friend of the cave! The audience clamoured that the Slave's life should be spared: and the governor of the town, marvelling at such gratitude and fidelity in a beast, decreed that both should receive their liberty.

---

奴隷とライオン 🦁🤝🧍‍♂️

ある日、ある奴隷は主人のひどい虐待に耐えかねて逃げ出しました。
追われる身となった彼は人里を避けて砂漠に入り、食べ物と避難場所を探して歩き回った末に、
誰もいない洞窟を見つけて中に入りました。

しかしその洞窟は、実はライオンの住処でした。
ほどなくしてライオンが現れ、奴隷は自分の命が終わったと思いました。

ところが、ライオンは彼を襲うことなく、苦しそうに前足を持ち上げ、うなり声をあげながら近づいてきました。
奴隷が見てみると、足の裏に大きなトゲが刺さっており、彼はそれを抜いて、できる限りの手当てをしてやりました。

やがて傷は癒え、ライオンは奴隷に感謝して親友のように接しました。
二人はしばらくの間、洞窟で一緒に暮らしました。

しかし奴隷は人間の社会が恋しくなり、ライオンに別れを告げて町へ戻りました。
するとすぐに捕らえられ、かつての主人のもとへ連れ戻されました。
彼は見せしめとして、闘技場で猛獣に食われる刑を命じられました。

その日、巨大なライオンが登場し、奴隷は他の猛獣の中へ投げ込まれました。
観客たちが見守る中、なんとそのライオンは彼を見た瞬間に飛びつき、彼の足元に横たわり、喜びと愛情を表したのです。

それは、あの洞窟で出会ったかつての友だったのです！

観客は奴隷の命を助けるよう叫び、この動物の忠誠と恩義に感動した町の総督は、ライオンと奴隷の両方に自由を与えました。

 

📘  教訓
🔹心からの親切は命を救うことがある。
そして恩返しは、動物でさえもするものだ。