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THE MAPLE-TREE'S CHILDREN By ABBY MORTON DIAZ Abby Morton Diaz was born at Plymouth, Mass. in 1821. The little girl was allowed to live out of doors, a free, happy life, wandering about the ship-yards, and playing upon the beach to her heart's content. She was very fond of playing with other children, and often invented games, making songs to fit them. When this play season was over, she became fond of study, and began writing a little for' children. She was full of music, and would gather children about her and teach them to sing. When her first story for children appeared in print she was almost ashamed to have her friends see it, for it seemed to her that nothing of her own was worth publishing. The story was well received, however, and followed by many others, which are full of nature, imagination, and fun. She lives near Boston, and is interested at present in writing for older people. 枫树的孩子 艾比·莫顿·迪亚斯 艾比·莫顿·迪亚斯于1821年出生于马萨诸塞州的普利茅斯。在她还是个小女孩的时候，在户外度过了自由、欢乐的童年时光。无论是在码头漫步，还是在海边玩耍，都在她心中留下了美好的记忆。她也很好喜欢与别的孩子一同玩耍，总能编出令他们满意的游戏与歌曲。 当天气不再适合在户外玩耍时，艾比便沉醉于学习，并开始涉猎儿童故事的写作。她也富于音乐才能，常常将孩子们召集起来，教会他们唱歌。 当艾比的靠前部儿童故事出版时，面对友人们的阅评，她有些羞赧。因为在她看来，自己的这些文字并不值得出版。 然而，艾比的作品收到了良好的反响。和她后来的一系列著作一样，所有的故事都充满了自然风光、瑰丽的幻想与无穷的乐趣。 艾比现在居住在临近波士顿的地方，而且开始涉足成人文学的创作。 shivering（shiver） multitudes(multitude) desolate 颤抖（现在分词） 大量，许多 （复数） 凄凉的 presented（present） thrushes(thrush) presently 展现（过去式） 画眉鸟（复数） 现在 1.A Maple-Tree awoke at springtime, shivering in the east winds. “O Mother Nature,” she said, “I tremble with cold. Behold my limbs, ugly and bare. The birds are all coming back from the South, and I would look my best. They will soon be building their nests. O, a bird's nest does make a tree so pleasant! But they will not come to me, because I have no leaves to hide them!” 2. And kind Mother Nature smiled, and presented her daughter Maple with such multitudes of leaves! More than you could count! These gave beauty to the tree, besides keeping the rain out of the bird's nests. For birds had quickly come to build there, and there was reason to expect a lively summer. 3. A happy Maple-Tree now was she, and well pleased with her pretty green leaves. They were so beautiful in the sunlight; and the winds whispered such sweet things to them as to make them dance for joy! A pair of golden robins had a home there, and thrushes came often. Sunshine and song all day long! Or if the little leaves became hot and thirsty in the summer's heat, good Mother Nature gave them cooling rain-drops to drink. A happier Maple-Tree could nowhere be found. 1.一棵枫树在春日里醒来，在东风里抖擞着枝条。“自然母亲呀，”她说道，“寒冷令我抖个不停。看看我的身体！赤裸又丑陋！鸟儿们就要从南方回来了，我可得让自己变得漂亮点儿。它们马上就要筑巢了呢。喔！能有个鸟巢可以令树多么高兴呀！可它们不会来我这儿，我还没有一片叶子，不能掩护它们呀！” 2.慈爱的自然母亲微笑了起来，为枫树女儿披上茂密的绿装，叶子多得数不胜数！这不但能为鸟巢遮蔽风雨，还能让枫树变得美丽动人。鸟儿们很快就在这里搭建起家园，并可以预期在此过一个热闹蓬勃的夏日。 3.枫树现在兴高采烈的，对自己的叶子很好满意。它们在阳光的照耀下是那样的美丽，轻风对它们轻吐着甜言蜜语，令叶子欢欣地舞动起来。一对金色的知更鸟在她身上安了家，画眉鸟也时常到访。每都是阳光灿烂，歌声飘扬！要是幼嫩的小叶子在夏日的炎热中干渴了，自然母亲就会喂给它们清凉的雨水。于是，枫树过得更快活了。 4.“Thanks! thanks, Mother Nature,” she said, “for all your care and your loving-kindness to me! ” But when autumn came with its gloomy skies and its chilling winds, the Maple-Tree grew sad, for she heard her little leaves saying to each other, “We are going to die! We are going to die! ” People living near said, “Hark! Do you hear the wind ? It sounds like fall.” Nobody told them it was the leaves, all over the forest, saying to each other, “We are going to die! We are going to die!” “My dear little leaves! ” sighed the Maple-Tree, “Poor things, they must go! Ah, how sad to see them droop and fade away! ” 5.“I will make their death beautiful,” said kind Mother Nature. And she changed their color to a scarlet, which glowed in the sunlight like fire. A WOODLAND SCENE, SHOWING THE FOLIAGE IN ITS MIDSUMMER GRANDEUR 仲夏时节的森林展现出枝叶繁茂的壮观景象 4.“谢谢您！谢谢您，自然母亲！”枫树说道，“您是这么体贴，这么慈爱！” 但当秋日带着阴沉的穹空与冰凉的风袭来时，枫树变得哀伤起来。她听见自己的小叶子悄悄地对彼此说：“我们就要死啦！就要死了呀！” 生活在近处的人们说：“喔呀！你听见那风声了吗？看来要到秋天啦。”没人知道那其实是整个森林里的叶子竞相低语：“我们就要死啦！就要死了呀！” “我亲爱的小叶子呀！”枫树叹了口气，“可怜的小东西，它们不得不离开了。啊，看见它们变得枯黄落下去，这太让我伤心啦！” 5.“我会让他们死得静美。”仁慈善良的自然母亲说。于是，她将小叶子们染成鲜艳的火红，在阳光下看去宛若火焰。 And every one said, “How beautiful! ” And one cold morning she stood with her limbs all bare, looking very desolate. The bright leaves lay heaped about her. “Dear, pretty things! ” she said, “How I shall miss them! They were such a comfort! And how ugly I am! Nobody will care for me now!” But presently a flock of school-girls came along, talking cheerily of ferns, red berries, and autumn leaves. 6.“And I think,” said one, “that there's a great deal of beauty in a tree without any leaves at all.” “So do I,” said another, “Just look up through this tree. Its branches and boughs and twigs make a picture against the sky !” And the lively school-girls passed on. “Ah,” said the Maple-Tree, “this will at least be pleasant to dream about! ” For she already felt her winter's nap coming on. If she could but have heard what her little leaves said to each other afterwards, down there on the ground! “多美呀！”每个人都在这样说。 在一个寒冷的清晨，枫树光秃秃地站着，看上去万分凄凉。红艳艳的叶子堆在她的脚边。 “我亲爱的、美丽的小东西们！”她说，“我多么想念他们啊！他们是那么温暖人心！而现在我又是多么的丑陋！没人会再看我一眼了呀！” 但紧接着，就有一群女学生走了过来，叽叽喳喳地谈论着蕨蔓、红莓果和秋天的落叶。 6.“我觉得，”她们其中的一个说，“没有叶子的树有种异常的美。” “我也这么想呢，”另一个开口了，“看看这棵树吧，它的主干和枝丫在蓝天下构成了一幅图画呢！” 然后，活泼的女学生们走了过去。 “啊呀，”枫树说道，“这至少能让我做个美梦。” 枫树渐渐陷入了冬眠。如果她能够听见地面上小叶子们对着彼此说的话，那么这些话会是： 7.“Dear old tree ! She has taken care of us all our lives, and fed us, and held us up to the sun, and been to us a kind mother, and now we will do something for her. We will get under ground and turn ourselves into food to feed her with, for she'll be sure to wake up hungry after her long nap! ” 8.Good little things! The rains helped them, and the winds,in this way: the rains beat them into the ground,and the winds blew sand over them, and there they turned themselves into something very nice for the old Maple-Tree, something good to take. And now, as she wakes up again in the spring and takes a full meal of it, she is once more lively and happy, and many fresh young leaves unfold to clothe her limbs. 7.“亲爱的老树！她照顾了我们一辈子，滋养我们，让我们晒到阳光。她是一位好妈妈，现在轮到我们为她做点儿事情啦。我们得沉到地里去，让自己变成她的养分。当她从长睡中醒来的时候，一定饿坏了！” 8.真是一群善良的小东西！雨水与风对它们伸出了援手：雨帮它们深陷进土壤，风则为它们覆上沙石。于是，它们就变成了一种对枫树很有好处的东西——理想的养分。 然后，当枫树再度从春日中醒来，饱餐了一顿之后，她又会变得快乐愉悦、充满活力。崭新幼嫩的叶子们，会再次覆满她的身躯。 ……
