一朵花里的世界 The World in a Flower
佚名/Anonymous
Envision a rose. Can you see the strong green stem laced with a few thorns that were carefully placed leading up to the blossom like a staircase or rungs on a ladder? Or how about the soft, silky, velvet petals varying in colors and sizes that gently kiss our noses or lovingly brush our cheeks as we hold them close? And who can forget the unique sweet fragrance of a healthy, well-maintained and well-groomed rose?
Like you, I started, as a seed long ago. Even a seed somehow must take shape. As each year passed I grew stronger, better rounded, and more evenly distributed, yet not ready to be planted. As a seed I have had to learn valuable lessons in the art of patience. An art, I say, that is well worth its weight in soil. As I busied myself strengthening my seed and practicing patience, knowing that at any given moment I would be planted, I grew by leaps and bounds! It is amazing what can take place in a seed over time. Without even realizing it, without a specific time to pin point and without warning, I was planted.
My seed took root in the deep dark nurturing soil, branching out and securing a base. Long and wide my roots expanded in preparation for a stem. Hurriedly, I wanted to assemble my stem because it would soon lead to my rose. Again patience reared its head, this time was a little easier for me to accept. As if reacquainted with an old and comfortable friend, I again learned how to embrace patience. As I did, I unknowingly began to grow and my stem began to rise. As my stern grew, I produced a thorn. A harsh and hard thorn grew, one that would not be dismissed or overlooked. The thorn was not only unbearable, but also seemingly grew slow in full materialization. Why? Why would I have a thorn? No good would ever come of this. It was unfair, hard, and unwarranted. I cried continuously.
I wore my emerging thorn for all to see. As time passed, I learned to divert other's attention from the unsightly thorn to rose to come. That is where I'd set my sights and that was where I would be. My tears turned out to be blessings as my stem was always well watered. Thankfully I had worked past my thorn and my stem continued to grow. I was growing and getting closer and again had to stop, for another thorn had emerged. Again, the pain was unbearable, unjust, and seemingly unfair. But then I noticed something. The past thorn, if I stood on it at just the right angle, would position and equip me with the footing to step beyond the new thorn and I would continue grow. And so process goes—growth, thorn, another step, growth, thorn, and another step until finally I was a bud.
As a bud I was tightly closed, wanting to stop and enjoy what I had so long struggled for, but couldn't because I was still feeling incomplete. A beautiful creation, yet not in full bloom. The tests were still there, but now of a different sort. As with anything new, once accustomed and again beaten in the match with patience, I grew. One by one my petals relaxed and unfolded. The Rose, as I envisioned it, has been recreated to capture things I had not foreseen. Today, the Rose is more beautiful than I could ever have imagined, as it had been planned from the beginning.
The Rose does not stop, and it is never at rest. For from a rose comes a seed, comes a stem, comes more thorns, comes another rose. And from that rose comes a seed, comes a stem, comes more thorns, comes yet another rose. Each year that passes, another rose is added and over time. The Rose becomes the Rose Garden that it would be!
So plant your seeds with care for YOU are the seed that forms a rose that forms a garden that forms a bouquet that will be given as a gift to another.
試想一朵玫瑰。你能看到粗壯的綠莖上，嵌著少許的小刺，像樓梯或梯子似的排列有序，慢慢伸向盛開的花朵嗎？或是當我們將花朵捧近時，看到那顏色、形狀各異的柔軟、絲滑、光滑的花瓣，溫柔地親吻我們的鼻子，或親切地拂過我們的臉頰？誰又能忘得了這獨特的甜美芳香？那種健康的、養(yǎng)分充盈的、妙曼盛開的玫瑰的氣息。
同你一樣，很久以前我是從一粒種子開始的。不管怎么樣，即使是一粒種子，也一定會成長。隨著時間的流逝，我變得更加強壯、圓潤、勻稱，但還是沒有準備好被栽植。作為一粒種子，我需要學會忍耐藝術(shù)中重要的課程。那是生長在土壤中的一門很有價值的藝術(shù)。在我忙著壯大自己的種子，練習耐性的同時，我知道自己隨時都可能被栽種。我飛躍般地生長，那速度是發(fā)生在一粒種子的生長中的驚人的跳躍。甚至沒有意識，沒有一個特定的時間，沒有任何征兆，我就被栽種了。
我的種子根植在深深的充滿養(yǎng)分的黑土中，伸展根須，加固根基。我的根極力向四處延展，為莖做好準備。倉促中，我想強壯我的莖，因為它很快就要開出花朵?！澳托浴痹僖淮握孤端念^腳，而對于我來說，這次更容易接受。就像重逢舊友，我再次學會如何擁抱忍耐。與此同時，不知不覺中我開始生長，我的莖也開始長高。隨著莖的生長，我長了刺。一根粗大堅硬的刺長成了，它根本沒辦法折掉，也無法讓人忽視。這根刺，不僅讓我難以忍受，而且表面看來完全物質(zhì)化是很慢的。這是為什么呢？為什么我會長刺？這并不能帶來一點好處。這是不公平的、艱苦的、不能被接受的。我不停地哭泣著。
我身上不停生長的刺太引人注目了。隨著時間的推移，我學會了將人們的注意力從丑陋的刺上轉(zhuǎn)移到花上。那里才是我希望留住人們目光的地方，也是我可以留住的地方。在我的莖干得以充分澆灌的時候，我的淚水便化作了祝福。感謝上蒼，我終于從長刺期挺了過來，我的軀莖繼續(xù)生長。我不斷長大并越來越接近花朵，可是又要停下來了，因為另一根刺出現(xiàn)了。痛苦再一次令我難以忍受，這是不公正的、不公平的。但是后來，我明白了些什么。長出的刺都以正確的角度排列著，超越先前長出的，遠離那些新生的來使我繼續(xù)生長。過程這樣周而復始：生長、生刺、另一階段，生長、生刺、又一階段，直到最終我成為蓓蕾。
作為一個花蕾，我緊緊地包著花瓣，期待著進程在這里停止，享受一些長久奮斗來的花朵。但這是不可能的，因為我依舊覺得不完美。一朵美麗的花朵，卻沒有完全綻放?？简炄匀淮嬖冢乾F(xiàn)在卻是不同的形式了。不管有怎樣全新的方式，一旦習慣了，就會在忍耐中挫敗，于是我成長。我的花瓣一個接一個地綻放。玫瑰花，如我想象的那樣，孕育出我未預見的東西。如今，這朵花的美麗超出了我的想象，正如當初設(shè)想的一樣。
玫瑰沒有停止它的努力，也從沒有停歇過。因為，一朵玫瑰源自一粒種子，漸漸長出根莖，生出刺兒，然后長成另一朵玫瑰。每過一年，就會有另一枝玫瑰加入，年復一年，玫瑰就成了玫瑰園。
所以，精心地種下你的種子，因為你就是形成玫瑰園的一朵玫瑰，作為花束送予他人的一粒種子。
記憶填空
1.Like you, I started, as a____________long ago. Even a seed somehow must take____________. As each year passed I grew stronger,____________rounded, and more evenly distributed, yet not ready to be planted. As a seed I have had to____________valuable lessons in the art of patience.
2.My seed took root in the deep____________nurturing soil, branching out and securing a base. Long and____________my roots expanded in preparation for a stem. Hurriedly, I wanted to assemble my stem because it would soon lead to my____________.
3.The Rose does not____________, and it is never at____________. For from a rose comes a seed, comes a stem, comes more____________, comes another rose.
佳句翻譯
1.不管怎么樣，即使是一粒種子，也一定會成長。
譯___________________________________________________
2.隨著時間的推移，我學會了將人們的注意力從丑陋的刺上轉(zhuǎn)移到花上。
譯___________________________________________________
3.作為一個花蕾，我緊緊地包著花瓣，期待著進程在這里停止，享受一些長久奮斗來的花朵。
譯___________________________________________________
短語應(yīng)用
1.Even a seed somehow must take shape.
take shape：成行；體現(xiàn)；形成
造___________________________________________________
2.My seed took root in the deep dark nurturing soil, branching out and securing a base.
take root in：生根；扎根
造___________________________________________________