紙盒裏的獴[1]
譯自德文 by me
英文由Gemini proofreading過。
The mongoose in the cardboard box
Two men face each other on a passenger train from Leipzig to Dresden. A large cardboard box rests on the overhead shelf. Its contents are unknown.
One man keeps glancing at the box, unable to contain his curiosity. "I'm sorry," he finally says, "but what's in the box?"
"A mongoose."
The man is surprised and silent for a moment. Then he asks, "What exactly is a mongoose?"
"A mongoose? It eats snakes!"
Even more surprised, the man thinks for a bit. "What are you doing with it?"
"I'm bringing it to my aunt in Dresden."
"Ah, I see."
After a while, the man thinks again. "Does your aunt have snakes?"
"No, but she often dreams of them!"
"But if she only dreams of snakes, they aren't real, are they?"
"This isn't a real mongoose, either!"
紙盒裏的獴
在從萊比錫開往德累斯頓的火車上，兩個男人麵對麵坐著。在他們頭頂上的行李架上有一個看上去相當大的紙盒子，你是猜不出裏麵有什麽東西的。
其中一個男人總是好奇地往行李架上看，最後他忍不住開口問：
“對不起 …. 行李架上那個紙盒裏有什麽東西？”
“一隻獴。”
那個男人吃了一驚，沉默了一會兒，就問:
“請原諒我，獴是什麽？“
“獴，它吃蛇！“
那個男人更吃驚了，思索了一會兒，又問：
“嗯….您用獴做什麽？“
“我把它帶到住在德累斯頓的我的姑姑那兒去。“
“哦。是這樣的。“
過了一會兒男人仔細思索此事：
“請告訴我，您的姑姑那兒有蛇嗎？”
“沒有。但是她常常夢到蛇！”
“但是…., 如果她隻是夢到蛇，那蛇就不是真的蛇！”
“這獴也不是真的獴！”
[1]. p. 29. Der Mungo im Karton. Dr. Wagner. Learn German through Jokes Lachen und Lernen. Ernest Publications. 2025.
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下圖選自
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongoose
下圖選自”Oxford AdvancedLearner's English-Chinese Dictionary:
下麵的文字選自Gemini：
Meerkats are a type of mongoose. They both belong to the same family, Herpestidae. However, there are some key differences between them.
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Social Structure: Meerkats are highly social and live in large groups called "mobs" or "gangs," with a complex social hierarchy. Most other mongoose species tend to be more solitary.
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Size: Mongooses are generally larger than meerkats, which are quite small.
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Appearance: Meerkats have distinctive markings, including dark patches around their eyes that act like sunglasses and stripes on their backs. They have a more pointed snout. Mongooses have a wider variety of colors and markings, with a more rounded snout.
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Geographical Range: Meerkats are found exclusively in southern Africa, particularly in the Kalahari Desert. Mongooses are more widespread, found in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe.
So, while a meerkat is a mongoose, not all mongooses are meerkats. It's similar to how a house cat is a type of feline, but not all felines are house cats.
