BRUCE AND THE SPIDER
THERE was once a king of Scotland whose name was
Robert Bruce. He had need to be both brave and wise, for the
times in which he lived were wild and rude. The King of
England was at war with him, and had led a great army into
Scotland to drive him out of the land.
Battle after battle had been fought. Six times had Bruce led
his brave little army against his foes; and six times had his men
been beaten, and driven into flight. At last his army was
scattered, and he was forced to hide himself in the woods and in
lonely places among the mountains.
One rainy day, Bruce lay on the ground under a rude shed,
listening to the patter of the drops on the roof above him. He was
tired and sick at heart, and ready to give up all hope. It seemed
to him that there was no use for him to try to do anything more.
As he lay thinking, he saw a spider over his head, making
ready to weave her web. He watched her as she toiled slowly
and with great care. Six times she tried to throw her frail thread
from one beam to another, and six times it fell short.
"Poor thing!" said Bruce: "you, too, know what it is to fail."
But the spider did not lose hope with the sixth failure. With
still more care, she made ready to try for the seventh time. Bruce
almost forgot his own troubles as he watched her swing herself
out upon the slender line. Would she fail again? No! The thread
was carried safely to the beam, and fastened there.
"I, too, will try a seventh time!" cried Bruce.
He arose and called his men together. He told them of his
plans, and sent them out with messages of cheer to his
disheartened people. Soon there was an army of brave
Scotchmen around him. Another battle was fought, and the King
of England was glad to go back into his own country.
I have heard it said, that, after that day, no one by the name
of Bruce would ever hurt a spider. The lesson which the little
creature had taught the king was never forgotten.
GLOSSARY
need = behov
rude = grusom
foe = fjende
scattered = spredt
shed = skur
patter = trommen (af regn)
weave = spinde
web = spindelvæv
toil = mase med
frail = skør
beam = tråd
trouble = problem
slender = spinkel
cheer = opmuntring
disheartened = modløs
Write a short text in which you use the following words:
need, rude, shed, web, trouble:
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Bruce and the Spider (gammel skotsk legende)
Engelsk for 8. klasse
Skole-forum.dk
