Dryope and Iole were sisters. The former was the wife of Andraemon, beloved by her husband, and happy in the birth of her first child. One day the sisters strolled to the bank of a stream that sloped gradually down to the water's edge, while the upland was overgrown with myrtles.

　　* beloved by：beloved by也用做beloved of，表示"所钟爱的"、"受爱戴的"等意思。A person beloved by all就是"大家喜欢的人"。She was beloved of all who knew her表示"认识她的人都喜欢她"，嗬！一定是个极其可爱的姑娘。

　　* stroll："散步"、"溜达"、"闲逛"等意思，姐妹俩沿小溪散步，本来是多么的愉快和闲适啊！没想到……

　　* slope："倾斜"的意思，the bank of a stream that sloped gradually down to the water's edge是"河岸缓缓向水边倾斜"的意思。

　　* upland："高地"的意思，常用做uplands, broad sunlit uplands是"阳光普照的开阔高地"的意思。

　　* myrtle：一种矮树，香桃木，番樱桃；在美语中还特指"常春花"和"香杨梅"。

　　They were intending to gather flowers for forming garlands for the altars of the nymphs, and Dryope carried her child at her bosom, precious burden, and nursed him as she walked.Near the water grew a lotus plant, full of purple flowers. Dryope gathered some and offered them to the baby, and Iole was about to do the same, when she perceived blood dropping from the places where her sister had broken them off the stem. The plant was none other than the nymph Lotis, who, running from a base pursuer [Priapus], had been changed into this form. This they learned from the country people when it was too late.

　　* garlands："花环"、"花冠"的意思。原来她们采鲜花是为了装饰仙女们的祭坛。

　　* perceive："察觉"、"发觉"的意思。当妹妹发现断枝的花杆上竟有血流出时，才知道这花是一位女神的化身。但一切都已经太迟了。

　　Dryope, horror-struck when she perceived what she had done, would gladly have hastened from the spot, but found her feet rooted to the ground. She tried to pull them away, but moved nothing but her upper limbs. The woodiness crept upward and by degrees invested her body.

　　* hasten："催促"、"促进"的意思，在这里的意思是"急忙"， Dryope发现自己犯了错，并意识到了问题的严重性，此时急于离开的心情用hasten这一动作来表达，真是太恰当不过了。

　　* root：root是指"植物的根部"，用做动词讲就是"生根"的意思。Rooted由"生根"引申而来，意思是"象生了根一样纹丝不动"。

　　* creep："爬行"、"蔓延"等意思。

　　* invest：大家都知道invest是"投资"的意思，那么这里The woodiness crept upward and by degrees invested her body可以翻译成"木质的东西逐渐向上爬投资了她的身体"吗？显然是不对的，因为invest还有一个意思，表示"侵占"、"占领"等。因此，上句应翻译成"她的身体由下往上，逐渐变成了木质的东西"。

　　In anguish she attempted to tear her hair, but found her hands filled with leaves.The infant felt his mother's bosom begin to harden, and the milk cease to flow. Iole looked on at the sad fate of her sister, and could render no assistance. She embraced the growing trunk, as if she would hold back the advancing wood, and would gladly have been enveloped in the same bark. At this moment Andraemon, the husband of Dryope, with her father, approached; and when they asked for Dryope, Iole pointed them to the new-formed lotus. They embraced the trunk of the yet warm tree, and showered their kisses on its leaves.

　　* anguish：是"极大的痛苦"的意思。好端端的一个人被变成了植物，可想而知是多大的痛苦啊！