美国历史文化

你将要读到的，也许是世上最打动人心的文学作品之一。尽管在书店，《爱心树》这本并不太厚的读本常被归入童书目录，但它更像是一则写给成人的寓言。对于那些已为人父母的读者，书中的文字尤为扣动心弦。

书中写的是一棵爱心树和一个孩子的一生，这何尝又不是我们每个人的人生写照？曾经，我们也像书中的孩子般可爱、天真，随着年岁渐长，我们又是否正如书中的那个成年人，逐渐变得冷漠无情，索取无度？爱心树只是一直在那里，心甘情愿地满足我们的各种索求。我们忙着追逐着自己的幸福与梦想，直到我们发现 … 自己老了。而那颗默默陪伴我们成长的爱心树，只剩下一个可供我们休憩的树桩。

中文我就不提供了，傅惟慈先生翻译的《爱心树》中文版堪称是英文版的最佳译本。如果你喜欢本文提供的英文版，喜欢Shel Silverstein的文字给你带来的简单感动、泪水或是思考。建议你购买并收藏中文版或The Giving Tree英文原版，它值得你和孩子、家人在夜里一起细细品读。

The Giving Tree

by Shel Silverstein

Once there was a tree….
and she loved a little boy.
And everyday the boy would come
and he would gather her leaves
and make them into crowns
and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
and swing from her branches
and eat apples.
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired,
he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree….
very much.
And the tree was happy.

But time went by.
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.
Then one day the boy came to the tree
and the tree said, “Come, Boy, come and
climb up my trunk and swing from my
branches and eat apples and play in my
shade and be happy.”
“I am too big to climb and play” said
the boy.
“I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money?”
“I’m sorry,” said the tree, “but I
have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in
the city. Then you will have money and
you will be happy.”
And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered her apples
and carried them away.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time….
and the tree was sad.

And then one day the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, “Come, Boy, climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches and be happy.”
“I am too busy to climb trees,” said the boy.
“I want a house to keep me warm,” he said.
“I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house ?”
” I have no house,” said the tree.
“The forest is my house,
but you may cut off
my branches and build a
house. Then you will be happy.”

And so the boy cut off her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.
And the tree was happy.
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
“Come, Boy,” she whispered,
“come and play.”
“I am too old and sad to play,”
said the boy.
“I want a boat that will
take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat?”
“Cut down my trunk
and make a boat,” said the tree.
“Then you can sail away…
and be happy.”
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
… but not really.

…

本文只引用了部分原文，若希望阅读全文及精彩英文评论，还请读者移步allpoetry.com。

（注：英文内容引自：allpoetry.com，原文版权归作者Shel Silverstein所有）