衣衫(Garments)
有一天,美和丑在海边邂逅,他们互相怂恿:"咱们到海里去游泳吧。
于是他们脱下衣衫,在海水里游泳。过了一会儿,丑回到海岸穿上本来属于美的衣衫,径自走他的路了。
接着美也从海里出来了,找不到她自己的衣衫,她又太羞怯,不敢赤身裸体,于是她只好给自己穿上本来属于丑的衣衫。美也径自走她的路了。
所以,直至今日,世上的男男女女,错把丑当作美、美当作丑。
然而,有些人看见过美的真面目,尽管她穿错了衣服,他们还是能认出她来。有些人认得丑的真面目,衣衫蒙骗不了他们的眼睛。
Garments
Upon a day Beauty and Ugliness met on the shore of a sea. And they said to one another, "Let us bathe in the sea."
Then they disrobed and swam in the waters. And after a while Ugliness came back to shore and garmented himself with the garments of Beauty and walked away.
And Beauty too came out of the sea, and found not her raiment, and she was too shy to be naked, therefore she dressed herself with the raiment of Ugliness. And Beauty walked her way.
And to this very day men and women mistake the one for the other.
Yet some there are who have beheld the face of Beauty, and they know her notwithstanding her garments. And some there be who know the face of Ugliness, and the cloth conceals him not from their eyes.