the dogs and the hides

群狗和兽皮

by aesop

出自《伊索寓言》

"

some hungry dogs saw a number of hides at the bottom of a stream where the tanner had put them to soak.

几只饥肠辘辘的狗，看见一条小溪下面放着一些制皮匠浸泡着的兽皮。

a fine hide makes an excellent meal for a hungry dog, but the water was deep and the dogs could not reach the hides from the bank.

一张上好的兽皮对一只狗来说，简直就是美味佳肴，但是溪水很深，这些狗在岸上根本够不着。

so they held a council and decided that the very best thing to do was to drink up the river.

于是它们开了个会研究了下，最终决定：最好的办法就是把河水喝干。

all fell to lapping up the water as fast as they could.

它们开始以最快的速度想要把水舔干净。

but though they drank and drank until, one after another, all of them had burst with drinking, still, for all their effort, the water in the river remained as high as ever.

但是，尽管它们不停地舔啊舔，一个又一个都喝得肚胀腹圆，无论它们再怎么努力，河水还是跟以前一样高。

do not try to do impossible things.

正所谓：量力而行。（直译为：不要去做不可能办到的事。）