Four Seasons of a Tree
一棵树的四季
Don’t judge a life by one difficult season.
不要只在某人某段艰难的岁月里去判断他的一生。
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
从前，一个父亲有4个儿子。他希望儿子们能学会凡事勿匆下结论，于是轮番派遣他们到很远的地方去寻一棵梨树。
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
大儿子是冬天去的，二儿子春天启程，老三去时已是炎热的夏季，老么于金秋时节踏上了征程。
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
待他们全都寻树归来以后，父亲把他们叫到一起，听他们各自描述自己的所见。
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
大儿子数落说大树枝弯干斜，很难看。二儿子连忙否认，说树上发满嫩绿的新芽，生机盎然。
The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
老三不同意了，树上明明开满鲜花，吐露芬芳，漂亮极了。
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
他们的说法实在让老么哑然，枝头上坠满的难道不是累累果实，在彰显生机与收获吗?
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.
父亲解释说，儿子们的说法都没错，因为他们看到的是大树一年四个季节里的不同情景。
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
他告诉儿子们说，不能以一季来判断树，更不能以一时来判断人，因为人之本质——源自他们喜、乐、爱的根本——只有在其生之了结时，才可盖棺论定。
If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
倘若你在冬季就已放弃，那无疑会错过春季的生机、夏季的美丽和秋季的收益。勿为一季的痛苦而破坏了所有的欢乐。
教师介绍：努尔艾力·阿不利孜
1.CCTV希望之星全国英语演讲大赛教师组全国亚军 2.北京大学英语语言文学系学士 英语专业八级 3.北京学校优秀教师 4.东北亚大学生国会制辩论赛优秀评委 5.CCTV希望之星全国英语演讲比赛高中组北京赛区评委 6.北京大学英语文化交流协会会长
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