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森林深处的一块空地上，树在进行一场黎明前的讨论。 “动物们来我们树荫下休息，却把这弄得乱七八糟。"扎木说，"有时候那味道实在难以忍受。” "他们一点都不关心我们，是因为我们向来沉默。”萨尔说，"但我已经受够了！我决定赶走来这的所有动物。” “这或许不是一件明智的事情。”年龄最大的树,皮普说，“这些动物确实很讨人厌，但他们也有好处。我们是相互依存的——树、动物、人类……” “抱歉，”萨尔打断他说，"我很尊重你的观点，但在这件事上，我谁的话都不愿听。我不会再让动物到这里来了。” 如他所言，那天晚些时候，一只豹子来树荫下休息，萨尔便使劲地左右摇晃。豹吓得魂飞魄散，跳起跑了。萨尔赶走了那天来空地的所有动物，之后的日子里也是如此。渐渐地，动物们不再到这片森林里来了。 萨尔成了附近森林里小树们眼中的英雄，一些老树也在皮普不注意的时候向萨尔致敬。一天，两个伐木工人来到空地。 “人！”萨尔屏着气说，"他们来干什么？他们以前从来没来过。" “他们以前没来是因为害怕这儿的动物。”皮普说，“现在豹子和老虎都不在了，人们胆也大了。" 萨尔吓得发抖，原因很明显——他是伐木工人砍倒的第一棵树。 Interdependence In a clearing, deep ground in the forest, the trees were having a pre-dawn discus¬sion. “Animals come and rest in our shade but they leave a mess behind,” said the Jamun. “The smell on some days is unbearable!” “They show no concern for us because we're silent,” said the Sal. “But I’ve had enough! I've made up my mind to drive away any animal that comes here!” “That may not be a wise thing to do，” said the Peepul, the oldest and biggest tree there. “The animals are a nuisance, I agree, but they serve a useful purpose. We are all inter-dependent-trees, animals, men ...” “I'm sorry,” interrupted the Sal, “I’ve great respect for your views but in this matter I will not listen to anyone. I won’t allow animals here any more!” True to his word when a leopard came to rest in the shade later that day, the Sal be¬gan to shake violently from side to side. The leopard, frightened out of his wits, jumped up and ran. The Sal drove away all the animals that came to the clearing that day and in the days that followed. In course of time animals stopped coming to that part of the for¬est. The Sal became a great hero to the younger trees in the neighborhood and even some of the older ones began bowing to him when the Peepul was not looking. Then one day two woodcutters came to the clearing. “Men!” gasped the Sal. “Why have they come here? They’ve never come here be¬fore. ” “If they've never come here before it was because they were afraid of the animals," said the Peepul. “Now the absence of the leopard and the tiger has made them bold.” The Sal began to tremble with fear and with good reason. It was the first tree the woodcutters chopped down. |
