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LESSON 42
第四十二課
leaf
樹葉
task
任務
twice
兩次
sighing
嘆息
holidays
假期
gay
同性戀
twig
樹杈
meant
……的意思
stopped
停止
different
不同的
puff
粉撲
edge
邊緣
matter
事
autumn
秋天
hundreds
數百
lead
鉛
grew
長大
rustled
簌簌
October
十月
trembling
顫抖
WHAT THE LEAF SAID
樹葉說什么
Once or twice a little leaf was heard to cry and sigh, as leaves often do when a gentle wind is blowing.
有一兩回，每當小葉子聽到一陣溫和的春風吹起時，便會一邊流淚一邊嘆息。
And the twig said, "What is the matter, little leaf?"
小枝條說：“怎么啦，小葉子？”
"The wind," said the leaf, "just told me that one day it would pull me off, and throw me on the ground to die."
“是風。”葉子說，“它告訴我有一天它會把我吹掉，然后把我扔在地上摔死。”
The twig told it to the branch, and the branch told it to the tree.
小枝條把這話告訴了樹枝，樹枝又告訴了大樹。
When the tree heard it, it rustled all over, and sent word back to the trembling leaf.
當大樹聽說后，它全身沙沙作響，傳話給正在發抖的葉子。
"Do not be afraid," it said; "hold on tight, and you shall not go off till you are ready."
“不要怕。”它說，“抓緊一些，直到你準備好為止，你是不會離開的。”
So the leaf stopped sighing, and went on singing and rustling.
葉子不再嘆息，又繼續唱起歌，沙沙作響。
It grew all the summer long till October.
它在整個夏天長得長長的，直到秋天來臨。
And when the bright days of autumn came, the leaf saw all the leaves around growing very beautiful.
當清爽明麗的秋日到來時，葉子看到周圍的葉子都長得非常漂亮。
Some were yellow, some were brown, and many were striped with different colors.
它們中有些呈黃色，有些是棕色，還有一些則呈現出斑斑駁駁的各種顏色。
Then the leaf asked the tree what this meant.
然后，葉子問大樹這個現象意味著什么。
The tree said, "All these leaves are getting ready to fly away, and they have put on these colors because of their joy."
大樹說：“所有這些葉子都準備好飛走了。他們心里都很高興，所以才穿上了這些顏色的衣服。”
Then the little leaf began to want to go, and grew very beautiful in thinking of it.
小葉子也開始想要走了，它變得非常漂亮，就像它所希望的那樣。
When it was gay in colors, it saw that the branches of the tree had no bright colors on them.
當它徜徉在繽紛的色彩里時，卻看到大樹的樹枝沒有變得鮮艷奪目。
So the leaf said, "O branch! why are you lead-colored while we are all beautiful and golden?"
葉子說：“噢，樹枝呀！為什么當我們都變成漂亮的金色時，你們卻沒有變色呢？”
"We must keep on our working clothes," said the tree, "for our work is not yet done;
“我們必須一直穿著我的工作服。”大樹說：“因為我們的工作還沒完成。
but your clothes are for holidays, because your task is now over."
但你們的衣服是為假期準備的，因為你們的任務現在已經完成了。”
Just then a little puff of wind came, and the leaf let go without thinking, and the wind took it up and turned it over and over.
就在這時，一陣風吹來，葉子毫不猶豫地飛走了，風把它吹得高高的，在空中翩翩起舞。
Then it fell gently down under the edge of the fence, among hundreds of leaves, and has never waked to tell us what it dreamed about.
它輕輕落在圍墻邊，和成百上千的葉子一起，從未醒來告訴我們：他們究竟夢到了什么。
