浮华背后篇02：The Potter陶工

Once there was a very religious and skillful¹ potter whose pottery² was well-known far and wide. However, he was not satisfied with his finely crafted⁴ but fragile⁵ pottery. He thought if the pottery made by him could be unbreakable, his reputation and his business would be even better. He prayed hard to God to grant⁶ his wish for unbreakable pottery. 从前，有个虔诚信仰宗教、技艺高超的陶工，他制作的陶器远近闻名。可是，他对自己精心制作的陶器并不满意，因为陶器很容易碎。他心想，要是他制作的陶器永远摔不破，那么他的声誉就会更高，买卖就会更兴隆。于是，他便向上帝祷告，苦苦祈求上帝让他实现他制作的陶器打不破的愿望。

One night, he dreamt that God said to him, "If you are sure you won't regret it, I will make your wish come true." The potter said, "Yes, God, I am sure that I will not regret it." The next morning, the first thing the potter did when he woke up was to test whether God had granted⁷ his wish. In his workshop, he used the clay to craft³ a pot. Then he dried it under the sun. When the pot was dried, he lifted it and dashed it to the floor. The pot did not break! The potter was filled with joy. The news of the unbreakable pots made by the potter spread very fast. People from all over the world rushed here for his pottery. He became very rich and famous.
一天夜里，他梦见上帝对他说：“如果你确信自己将来不后悔，我就让你实现这一愿望。” 陶工说：“是的，上帝，我决不后悔。”第二天早晨，陶工醒来后做的第一件事就是要检验一下上帝是否满足了他的愿望。他来到陶器制作室，用粘土做了一个罐子，然后把它放在阳光下晒。罐子晒干后，他便举起它使劲往地上摔去，罐子果然完好无损。陶工满心欢喜。陶工制作的罐子摔不破的消息，很快传开了。四面八方的人们都纷纷赶来抢购他的陶器，他因此赚了好多钱，名声大振。

But, the good fortune did not last. After a while, his business slowed down. Although everybody kept praising his product, whoever bought one did not need to buy another again because the pots were unbreakable. The business got poorer by the day, as did his financial status. He now kept praying to God to let him recover his original pottery. One night, he dreamt that God appeared to him. Tearfully, he begged God to forgive him for his foolishness. God said, "Because you admit your mistake, I will forgive you and make your latest wish come true." So from then onwards, the potter's original pottery was once again in great demand.
但是，好景不长。没过多久，他的生意就清淡了下来。虽然大家对他的陶器赞不绝口，但是，由于他制作的陶器永远摔不破，所以买一个就无需再买了。生意一天天地萧条，他的经济状况也每况愈下。现在他只好不断地向上帝祷告，希望上帝能恢复他原来那样的陶器。一天晚上，陶工又梦见了上帝，他眼泪汪汪地祈求上帝原谅他的愚蠢无知。上帝说：“既然你承认自己错了，我就原谅你，也满足你最近的愿望。” 从那时起，陶工制作的陶器又变成原来那样一摔就破了，人们对陶器的需求大增，陶工的生意也再次兴隆起来。

1 skillful   

adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Soon they became very skillful in answering such questions.很快他们就会很熟练地回答这种问题了。
• It was very skillful of you to repair my bicycle.你修好了我的自行车，技术真好。

2 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

3 craft   

n.工艺，手艺；小船，飞机；行业；诡计

参考例句：

• The harbour was full of pleasure craft.港口满是游艇。
• He's a master of his craft.他有一手好手艺。

4 crafted   

vt.手工制作（craft的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Rather, he was crafted into a simple and small fishing boat. 曾经强壮的它被锯开，造成了一艘简陋的小渔船。 来自互联网
• Crafted exquisite, imposing, look fly, for the treasures of ancient stone carving. 雕工精致，气势雄伟，神色飞舞，为古石雕之珍品。 来自互联网

5 fragile   

adj.易碎的，脆的，易损坏的，虚弱的，脆弱的

参考例句：

• The old lady was increasingly fragile after her operation.那位老太太手术后身体越来越虚弱。
• This glass disc looks very fragile.这个玻璃盘子看起来很容易碎。

6 grant   

vt.同意给予，授予，承认；n.拨款；补助款

参考例句：

• If you grant my request, you will earn my thanks.如果你答应我的要求，就会得到我的感谢。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

7 granted   

conj.假定，就算v.（退一步）承认( grant的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指正式地或法律上）同意；准许；让渡

参考例句：

• The president granted a general amnesty for all political prisoners. 总统大赦了所有的政治犯。
• She feared she would not be granted re-entry into Britain. 她担心不会获准再次踏足英伦。