The Boy and the Tree 男孩和树

英语课堂
前言：

The Fables of Enlightenment 攻玉之石
What a fable recounts is small,
寓言叙述的是小故事，
but what it tells is big.
告诉我们的却是大道理。
It offers little talks, but also enlightens the mind,
对话不多，却启发心灵，
enriches the soul,
充实灵魂，
and even guides you along the correct way of life.
指引我们走在正确的人生道路上
故事：The Boy and the Tree 男孩和树

A long time ago,
很久很久以前，
there was a huge tree.
有一棵大树。
A little boy loved to come and play around it every day.
一位小男孩，天天到树下来玩。
He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
他爱大树，大树也爱和他一起玩耍。
Time went by…The little boy had grown up
后来，小男孩长大了，
and he no longer played around the tree.
不再天天来玩耍。
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.
一天他又来到树下，大树很开心。
“Come and play with me,” The tree said.
快过来和我玩耍，大树说。
“I don’t have time to play.
我没有时间和你玩耍。
I have to work for my family.
我要赚钱养家。
We need a house for a shelter.
我们需要一房子。
Can you help me?”
你能帮助我吗？
“Sorry, but I don’t have a house.
“我没有房子，”
But you can cut off my branches to build your house.”
“不过你可以把我的树枝统统砍下来，拿去搭房子。”
So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
于是男孩砍下所有的树枝，高高兴兴地走了。
The tree was glad to see him happy
看到男孩高兴，大树很快乐。
but the boy didn’t appear since then.
从此，男孩又不来了。
The tree was lonely and sad.
大树再次陷入孤单和悲伤之中。
One hot summer day,
一年夏天，
the boy returned and the tree was delighted.
男孩回来了，大树太快乐了。
“Come and play with me!”the tree said.
“快来和我玩呀！”大树说。
“I am sad and getting old.
我心情不好，一天天老了，
I want to go sailing to relax myself.
我要扬帆出海，轻松一下，
Can you give me a boat?”
你能给我一艘船吗?
“Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.”
把我的树干砍去，拿去做船吧! 你就可以出海，变得快乐了。
So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat.
于是男孩砍下了树干，造了条船，
He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
然后驾船走了，很久都没有回来。
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years.
许多年过去，男孩终于回来，
Sorry, my boy, but I don’t have anything for you anymore.
大树说：“对不起，孩子，我已经没有东西可以给你了，
The only thing left is my dying roots. The tree said with tears.
只剩下枯死下去的树根，大树流着泪说。
“I don’t need much now, just a place to rest.
什么也不想要，只要一个休息的地方。
I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.
这么多年过去了，现在我感到累了，男孩回复。
“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest.
好啊! 老根是最适合依靠用来休息的，
Come here, please sit down with me and have a rest.”
来啊，坐下来休息下吧!
The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears…
男孩坐下来，大树高兴得流下了眼泪……
This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent.
这就是我们每个人的故事。这棵树就是我们的父母。
When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad…
小时候，我们喜欢和爸爸妈妈玩……
When we grow up, we leave them,
长大后，我们就离开他们，
and only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.
只在需要什么东西或者遇到麻烦的时候，才回到他们身边。
No matter what, parents will always be there
无论如何，父母永远都在那儿，
and give everything they could to make you happy.
倾其所有使你快乐。
You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree
你可能认为这个男孩对树很残酷，
but that’s how all of us are treating our parents.
但这就是我们每个人对待父母的方式。