A cobbler passed his time in singing from morning till night; it was wonderful to see, wonderful to hear him; he was more contented in shoes, than was any of the seven sages.
His neighbor, on the contrary, who was rolling in wealth, sang little and slept less. He was a banker; when by chance he fell into a doze at day-break, the cobbler awoke him with his song. The banker complained sadly that Providence had not made sleep a saleable commodity, like food or drinks.
Having at length sent for the cobbler, he said to him, “How much a year do you earn, Master Gregory?”
“How much a year, sir?” said the merry cobbler laughing, “I have never reckoned in that way. I live as I do from one day to another; somehow I manage to reach the end of the year; each day brings its meal.”
“Well then! How much do you earn a day, my friend?”
“Sometimes more, sometimes less; but the worst of it is—and without that our earnings would be very tolerable—a number of days occur in the year on which we are forbidden to work; and the curate, moreover, is constantly adding some new saint to the list.”
The banker, laughing at his simplicity, said, “In the future I shall give you what you want. Take this hundred crowns, keep them carefully, and make use of them in time of need.”
The cobbler fancied he saw all the wealth that the earth had produced in the past century for the use of mankind. Returning home, he buried his money and his happiness at the same time.
No more singing; he lost his voice, the moment he acquired that which is the source of so much grief. Sleep quitted his dwelling; and cares, suspicions, and false alarms took its place. All day, his eye wandered in the direction of his treasure; and at night, if some stray cat made a noise, he thought someone was robbing him.
At length the poor man ran to the house of his rich neighbor and said. “Give back my sleep and my voice, and take your hundred crowns.”
【日积月累】
sage n. 贤人，圣人，年高望重的人
cobbler n. 皮匠，补鞋匠，工匠
Providence n. 天意，天命，上帝
tolerable adj. 可容忍的，可以的
curate n. [C]助理牧师
dwelling n. 住处
【参考译文】
皮匠和银行家
一个皮匠从早到晚在唱歌中度过。无论见到他本人或听见他的歌声都使人觉得很愉快。他对于做鞋比当上了七圣人还要满足。
与此相反，他的邻居是个拥有万贯家财，很少唱歌，睡眠也少的银行家。他偶尔在黎明时分刚入睡，皮匠的歌声就把他吵醒了。银行家难过地抱怨上帝没有把睡眠制成像食品或饮料那样可以买卖的商品。
后来，银行家请来这位歌手，问道：“格列戈里师傅，你一年赚多少钱?”
“先生，你问我一年赚多少钱吗?”快乐的皮匠笑道：“我从来不算这笔帐，我是一天一天地过日子，总而言之能坚持到年底，每天都有饭吃。”
“啊，朋友，那么你一天赚多少钱呢?”
“有时多一点，有时少一点;不过最糟糕的是一年中总有些日子不准我们做干活——要不是这样，我们的收入马马虎虎也还是可以的，牧师又常常在圣徒名单上添新名字，否则我们的收入也还算不错的。”
银行家被皮匠的直率逗笑了，他说：“以后我会给你想要的。这一百枚钱你拿去，小心放好，留着需要时用吧。”
皮匠觉自己好像看到了过去几百年来大地为人类所需而制造出来的全部财富。他回到家中，埋藏好硬币，同时也埋葬了他的快乐。他不再唱歌了。
从他得到这种痛苦的根源那一刻起，他就失去了美妙的声音。睡眠与他分手;取而代之的却是担心、怀疑、虚惊。白天，他的目光就徘徊在埋藏硬币的方向;夜间，如果有只迷途的猫弄出一点声响，他就以为是有人来抢他的钱。
最后，这个可怜的皮匠跑到他那富有的邻居家里说：“把你的一百枚钱拿回去，还我的睡眠和歌声来。”
【人生启迪】
一个人之所以快乐，在很大程度上是因为他有一颗平凡的心。但是，当这颗心被物欲所蒙蔽时，它就会丧失它最纯真的本性，从而快乐也就会消失，忧愁也就会随之而来。“不以物喜，不以己悲”，“知足常乐”，这才是人生快乐的最高境界。