The Boy and the Tree

前言：

The Fables of Enlightenment 攻玉之石

What a fable recounts is small,

寓言是一个小故事，

but what it tells is big.

大道理告诉我们。

It offers little talks, but also enlightens the mind,

对话不多，却启发了心，

enriches the soul,

丰富灵魂，

and even guides you along the correct way of life.

引导我们走上正确的人生道路

故事：The Boy and the Tree 男孩和树

A long time ago,

很久以前，

there was a huge tree.

有一棵大树。

每天来树下玩的小男孩。

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。

Time went by…The little boy had grown up

之后，小男孩长大了，

and he no longer played around the tree.

不再天天玩。

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.

有一天他又来到树下，大树很开心。

“Come and play with me,” The tree said.

来和我一起玩，大树说。

“I don’t have time to play.

没有时间和你一起玩。

I have to work for my family.

我要养家糊口。

We need a house for a shelter.

我们需要一栋房子。

Can you help me?”

你能帮我吗？

“Sorry, but I don’t have a house.

我没有房子,

But you can cut off my branches to build your house.”

不过你可以把我所有的树枝都砍掉，拿去盖房子。

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

看到男孩开心，大树很开心。

but the boy didn’t appear since then.

从此，男孩再也没来过。

The tree was lonely and sad.

大树再一次陷入孤独和悲伤。

One hot summer day,

一年夏季，

the boy returned and the tree was delighted.

男孩回来了，大树太高兴了。

“Come and play with me!”the tree said.

大树说：快来和我玩！

“I am sad and getting old.

我心情不好，一天比一天老，

I want to go sailing to relax myself.

我要扬帆出海，放松一下，

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.”

把我的树杆砍掉，拿去做船！ 你可以出海，变得快乐。

So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat.

于是男孩砍下树杆，造了一条船，

He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.

然后驾船离开，很久没有回来。

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years.

许多年过去了，男孩终于回来了，

Sorry, my boy, but I don’t have anything for you anymore.

大树说：对不起，孩子，我没有什么可以给你的，

The only thing left is my dying roots. The tree said with tears.

只剩下枯萎的树根，大树含着泪说。

“I don’t need much now, just a place to rest.

什么都不想要，只是一个休息的地方。

I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.

这么多年过去了，现在我觉得累了，男孩回答。

“Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest.

好呀! 老根最适合依靠休息，

Come here, please sit down with me and have a rest.”

来吧，坐下来休息一下！

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.

这是我们每个人的故事。这棵树是我们的父母。

When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad…

小时候，我们喜欢和父母一起玩……

When we grow up, we leave them,

长大后，我们离开了他们，

只有当你需要什么或遇到麻烦时，才能回到他们身边。

No matter what, parents will always be there

不管怎样，父母永远都在那里，

and give everything they could to make you happy.

尽力让你快乐。

You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree

也许你觉得这个男孩对树很残忍，

but that’s how all of us are treating our parents.

但是这就是我们每个人对待父母的方式。