Lessons on Life 生命的功课

angel_2

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
有一个人，他有四个儿子。他希望他的儿子能够学会不要太快对事情下结论，所以，他依次给他四个孩子一个问题，要他们分别出去远方看一颗桃子树。

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
大儿子在冬天前往，二儿子在春天，三儿子在夏天，小儿子则是在秋天前往。

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
当他们都前去也都返家之后，他把他们一起叫到跟前形容他们所看到的情景，大儿子说那棵数很丑、枯槁、扭曲。

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
二儿子则说，不是这样子，这棵树被青青的嫩芽所覆盖，充满了盼望。

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
三儿子不同意，他说树上花朵绽放、充满香气，看起来十分美丽，这美景事他从来不曾见到过的。

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
小儿子不同意他们三人的说法。他说树上结满了果子、累累下垂。充满了生命果子与丰收。

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
这个人就对他四个儿子说：你们都是正确的。因为你们四个人是在这棵树的四个不同季节前往，并且只看到其中一个季节的风景。

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
他告诉儿子们不可用一个季节的风景来评断一棵树或是一个人，关于构成一个人是怎样的一个人的要件，还有一个人生命的欢愉、喜乐、爱，只能在他生命的尽头时候来做衡量。

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.
当你在冬天时候就放弃，你就会错过你生命春天的盼望、夏天的美丽、秋天的收成。

Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
不要让一个季节的痛苦毁掉其他季节的喜乐。

Don't  judge life by one difficult season.   Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.
不要因为一个痛苦的季节就对人生下结论，持守忍耐度过这段艰难，美好的日子将在不久之后来到。

下面的照片是同一个地点在不同季节所拍摄的照片。。。。。

zippy

生命的功课,再次欣赏还是很触动！