除了自己没人能打败你

A young painter resided（居住） in a small narrow house， living on painting portraits （肖像） before he became famous.

一位年轻的画家住在一个狭窄的房子里，出名前靠画肖像为生。

One day， a rich man came by and found the painter painting so meticulously （细致地） that he liked it and asked him to draw a portrait. They agreed on the remuneration （报酬） of 10，000 dollars.

一天，一个富人经过，看到这个画家画画很细致，非常喜欢，就请他为自己画一幅肖像。他们谈好了酬金――1万美元。

After a week， the portrait was done. The rich man came to take the painting as agreed on. At this moment， the rich man hit on an evil idea of bullying （欺负） the unknown young artist， so he refused to pay the remuneration.

一周后，肖像画好了，富人按约定来取画。这时，富人心里起了歹念，欺负这画家年轻又不出名，便拒绝支付约定好的酬金。

The rich man thought， “The man in the painting is me. If I don’t buy this painting， no one will buy it. Why should I pay so much money for it？” So the rich man said， “I will only pay 3，000 dollars to buy this painting.”

富人想，“反正画的是我的肖像，要是我不买这画，别人更不会买，何必要花这么多钱买这画？”于是他说：“我只出3千美元。”

The young artist was stunned， for he had never come across such things. He strongly

argued on just grounds， expecting the rich man to abide by （遵守） the agreement and to be a

trustworthy （可信赖的） man.

年轻画家这时不知所措，因为他从未遇到过这样的事情。他极力争辩，认为自己在理，期望这富人是个守信的人，能够遵守约定。

“I can only pay 3，000 dollars to buy the painting. Speak no more.” The rich man thought he had won. “I ask you at last， will you sell it 3，000 dollars or not？”

“反正我只出3千美元，别的不多说。”富人认为自己胜算在握，“我再问你一次，3千美元卖不卖？”

The young artist knew the rich man deliberately （故意地） went back on his word， so he felt indignant. He said in a firm tone， “No. I would prefer not to sell the painting rather than to be humiliated （羞辱） by you. Today you break your word and someday you must pay 20 times.”

画家看出富人是故意食言，他感到很气愤，坚定地说道：“不卖。我宁愿不卖这幅画，也不愿被你羞辱！今天你失信于我，以后你会以20倍偿还！”

“What a joke！20 times will be 200，000！ I won’t be stupid to pay 200，000 dollars to buy the painting！”

“真是笑话！20倍，那可是20万！我才不会傻到花20万买这画！”

“Well， we’d better wait and see，” the young artist said to the rich man who left angrily.

“好吧，那我们等着瞧！”年轻画家说道。富人生气地离开了。

After the stimulation （刺激） of such an incident， the painter moved out of this sad place， and formally acknowledged teachers to work hard night and day. More than a dozen years later， he finally blazed a new way and became popular in the circle of art.

画家因这件事的刺激离开了这个伤心之地，重新拜师学艺，日夜苦练。十几年后，他终于闯出一片新天地，成为了艺术界的知名人物。

After he left the studio， the rich man had forgotten the artist’s painting and words the next day. Until one day， some friends of the rich man simultaneously （同时地） came to tell him， “Something is so strange！We

paid a visit to a famous artist’s exhibition of paintings， in which one painting is marked 200，000 dollars and the man in the painting looks exactly the same as you. It is so ridiculous that the title of the painting is Thief.

富人那次离开画室后，第二天就把那件事抛之脑后。直到有一天，富人的几个朋友一起来告诉他，“太奇怪了，我们去参观了一个著名画家的画展，其中有一副画标价20万，画上的人看起来和你一模一样！更荒谬的是画的标题居然是‘贼’！”

It came to him a terrible blow that he immediately thought of what had happened more than a dozen years before. He went to find the young painter the same night right away. As expected， the painting titled as Thief was no other than the one he had broken his word that year. He quickly apologized to the artist and paid 200，000 dollars to buy back the portrait.

富人突然想起十几年前的那件事，深受打击。他当天晚上就找到了那位画家。不出预料，那幅名为“贼”的画正是他当年食言那次的画。他赶紧向画家道歉并付了20万把肖像买了回来。

With an undefeated ambition， the young painter made the rich man bend his head. This young man was Pablo Picasso.

凭着永不言败的雄心，年轻的画家最终使富人向自己低头。这位画家就是巴勃罗・毕加索。