|
很久以前，有四个年轻的王子。他们听别人讲了一个关于一棵奇异的树的故事,这棵树被称作红芽树。他们四人都没有见过红芽树，每一个人都想最先去亲眼看看这棵树。 于是，大王子叫上国王的马车夫，驾车驶往森林深处，那里生长着红芽树。这时还是早春时节，那棵树没有叶子，连树芽都没发。整棵树光秃秃、黑黝黝的，就像一棵死树。王子实在不懂这样的树怎么会被称为红芽树，但他没有向人请教为什么。 暮春时，二王子也坐着御马车去森林里看红芽树。这个时候，整棵树上发满了红芽。 不久以后三王子也来林中看红芽树，只见树上长满了翠枝绿叶。虽然他也不明白为什么它被称为红芽树，但他也什么都没问。 又过了一段时间，小王子也请求马车夫把他带到了红芽树那里。这时候，红芽树上密密麻麻地挂满了小豆荚。 他从森林回来以后，就跑进花园里，他的哥哥们正在那里玩耍。他大声嚷道：“我见到红芽树了！” “我也见过了。”大王子说，“我看它不大像一棵树，它的树干光秃秃、黑黝黝的，倒像一棵死树。” "你怎能那样说呢？”二王子说，"那棵树上长了成百上千颗红芽，非常美丽，所以才被叫做红芽树啊。” 三王子说："红芽？你没弄错吧？怎么能说它长有红芽呢？那上面明明长满了绿叶。” 四王子是最后一个去看树的人，他笑话哥哥们说："我刚刚去看过那棵树，它不是一棵死树，不发红芽，也不长绿叶，而是挂满了小豆荚。” 国王听完了他们的谈话,走过来对王子们说:"儿子们，你们四个人看到的是同一棵树，只不过是在不同时节去看的，所以看到的景象不同啊。” The Red-Bud Tree Once upon a time four young princes heard a story about a certain wonderful tree, called the Red-Bud Tree. No one of them had ever seen a Red-Bud Tree, and each prince wished to be the first to see one. So the eldest prince asked the driver of the king’s chariot to take him deep into the woods where this tree grew. It was still very early in the spring and the tree had no leaves, nor buds. It was black and bare like a dead tree. The prince could not understand why this was called a Red-Bud Tree, but he asked no questions. Later in the spring, the next son went with the driver of the king’s chariot to see the Red-Bud Tree. At this time it was covered with red buds. The tree was all covered with green leaves when the third son went into the woods a little later to see it. He asked no questions about it, but he could see no reason for calling it the Red-Bud Tree. Some time after this the youngest prince begged to be taken to see the Red-Bud Tree. By this time it was covered with little bean-pods. When he came back from the woods he ran into the garden where his brothers were playing, crying, “I have seen the Red-Bud Tree. ’， “So have I，” said the eldest prince. “It does not look like much of a tree to me,” said he. “It looks like a dead tree. It is black and bare.” “What makes you say that?” said the second son. “The tree has hundreds of beautiful red buds. This is why it is called the Red-Bud Tree.” The third prince said, “Red buds, did you say? Why do you say it has red buds? It is covered with green leaves.” The prince who had seen the tree last laughed at his brothers, saying, “I have just seen that tree, and it is not like a dead tree. It has neither red buds nor green leaves on it. It is covered with little bean-pods.，’ The king heard them and waited until they stopped talking. Then he said, “My sons, you have all four seen the same tree, but each of you saw it at a different time of the year. |
