KING SOLOMON'S RING

　　所罗门王的指环

　　One day, King Solomon had a dream, in which an immortal told him one sentence, hopinghe would always remember it because it covered all human wisdom. But the next morning whenhe woke up, King Solomon couldn't think what it was, so he summoned the ministers and orderedthem to think it up with him.

　　One of the ministers asked him, “Your Majesty, did the immortal ever tell you what use thatsentence was? Do you remember?”

　　“Yes,” King Solomon answered, “he told me it covered all human wisdom and could makepeople not forget themselves in happiness, extricate themselves in sadness, and always keepindustrious, placid , cautious and conscientious from youth to old age.”

　　“Oh, Your Majesty, in this case, please give us a little time to think,” the minister requested.

　　“Okay,” Solomon the king consented and ordered his attendant to fetch a big diamond ring tothe minister, “When you think it out, you must engrave it on the face of the ring. By the time, Iwill wear it on my hand every day so that I remind myself.”

　　A few days later, the chief minister respectfully offered King Solomon the ring, on whoseface was carved a very simple sentence, “This will also be past.”

　　有一天，所罗门王做了一个梦，梦里有位神仙告诉他一句话，希望他能永远记住，因为这句话涵盖了所有的人类智慧。可是第二天早上醒来时，所罗门王怎么也想不起来这句话了，于是他召集大臣们，命令大家和他一起想。

　　一位大臣问道：“陛下，神仙有没有说那句话有什么用处？您还记得吗？”

　　“记得，”所罗门王回答：“他说这句话包含了所有的人类智慧，能提醒人们幸福时不要忘乎所以，痛苦时不要妄自沉沦，从青年到老年能一直勤勤恳恳、平和知足、小心谨慎、兢兢业业地过。”

　　“哦，陛下，这样的话，请给我们点儿时间想想看。”大臣请求道。

　　“可以，”所罗门王同意了，命令随从取来一枚大钻石戒指交给大臣：“等你想出来的时候，就把那句话刻在戒指的正面。到时候，我就能戴在手上，每天提醒自己了。”

　　几天后，宰相恭敬地向所罗门王献上戒指，只见戒指正面刻着一句非常简短的话：“这也将成为过去。”