THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him,"Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?" He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing." They then said in derision: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter."
由于在夏天储备了充足的粮食，蚂蚁们正在舒服地度过冬天。而蚱蜢却饱受饥饿之苦，看见蚂蚁，就向它们乞求一些食物。蚂蚁就询问它：“你在夏天的时候为什么没有储备粮食呢？”蚱蜢回答说：“那时我还没有放松够呢！我每天都在唱歌。”蚂蚁听后，嘲笑蚱蜢说：“如果你愚蠢到整个夏天都在唱歌，那么你就应该在冬天饿着肚子尽情地跳舞！”