English Original
A Life for a Life
The English author, Richard Savage, was once living in London in great poverty. To earn a little money, he had written the story of his life. However, not many copies of the book had been sold, and Savage was living from hand to mouth. Due to lack of food, he became very ill. After a time, owing to the skill of the doctor who attended him, he recovered.
After a week or two, the doctor sent Savage a bill for his visits, but poor Savage had no money and could not pay it. The doctor waited another month and sent the bill again, but still received no payment. After several weeks, he sent it once more. Finally, he went to Savage's house and demanded payment, saying, "You know you owe your life to me, and I expected some gratitude from you."
"I agree," said Savage, "that I owe my life to you. To prove I am not ungrateful for your work, I will give my life to you."
With these words, he handed the doctor two volumes entitled The Life of Richard Savage.
中文翻译
以“命”抵命
英国作家理查德·萨维奇一度在伦敦过着贫困潦倒的生活。为了赚点钱，他写了自己生平的故事。然而，这本书在书店里没卖出几本，萨维奇过着朝不保夕的日子。由于缺乏食物，他病得很重。一段时间后，得益于为他诊治的医生医术高明，他才得以康复。
过了一两个星期，医生给萨维奇送来了一张诊费账单，但贫穷的萨维奇身无分文，无法支付。医生等了一个月又送来账单，但仍未收到分文。几周后，他再次寄来账单催款。最后，医生亲自来到萨维奇家中索要诊费，对他说：“你明白，你的命是我救的，我期望你有所报答。”
“是的，”萨维奇说，“我是欠你一条命。为了向你证明我对你的诊治并非不知感恩，我将把我的命给你。”
说完这番话，萨维奇递给医生两卷书，书名为《理查德·萨维奇的一生》。