English Original
A man in prison asked a newcomer why he was sent there.
The newcomer replied, "Just bad luck, I suppose. A few days ago, I was walking down the street when I saw a piece of dirty rope. Thinking nobody wanted it, I picked it up and took it home."
"But picking up a piece of rope isn't against the law!"
"I told you it was bad luck, didn't I?" the man sighed. "The trouble was, I didn't notice there was an ox tied to the other end."
中文翻译
监狱里，一个人问新来的犯人为什么被关进来。
新来的犯人回答说：“我想就是运气不好。几天前我在街上走，看到一根脏绳子，以为没人要了，就捡起来带回了家。”
“可是，捡一根绳子回家并不犯法啊！”
“我告诉过你这是运气不好，对吧？”那人叹了口气，“问题在于，我没注意到绳子的另一头还拴着一头公牛。”