The Three Trees 三棵樹的故事

三棵小樹生長在山頂上，幻想著成材之後的遠大理想。長大之後的遭遇叫它們失望，童年的壯志似乎幻滅，成為泡影。那知神另有心意，叫那被拋棄的廢物重新被重用。驀然回首，神原有更美的計畫。繞了一圈才明白過來。這篇故事是我翻譯的，願能激勵你的心。
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: " I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it's way to the ocean. " I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world! The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world.

在一個山頂上，生長了三棵小樹。它們夢想著有一天長大要變成什麼樣子。第一棵小樹仰頭望著天上的星星說：「我要能裝寶貝，我要全身覆蓋著金銀，裝滿了貴重的寶石，成為一個全世界最美麗的珠寶箱。」第二棵小樹望著外面潺潺流過、直奔海洋的溪流。「我要載著位高權重的君王，航行在廣闊的海洋。我要成為世界上最堅固的大船。」第三棵小樹往下望著下方的山谷中攜來攘往的男女人群，在這個擁擠的小城裏辛勤地工作。我一點也不想離開這個山頂。我要長得很高，當人們駐足樹底，望著我的時候，他們會抬起雙眼望向天空，而想到神。我要成為全世界最高大的一棵樹。

Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone and the little trees grew tall. One day three wood cutters climbed the mountain. The first wood cutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. "Now I shall make a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree said.

幾年過去了，經過雨水滋潤、陽光照射，小樹逐漸長高。有一天，三個樵夫爬上了這座山。第一位樵夫看著第一棵樹說：「這棵樹長得真美，正好是我所想要的。」隨著他手上閃亮的斧頭揮下，第一棵樹應聲而倒。第一棵樹心裏想：「現在我將會被製造成一個美麗的箱子，我要裝最棒的珠寶！」

The second wood cutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It's perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. " I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!"

第二位樵夫看著第二棵樹說：「這棵樹長得真結實，對我來說簡直太完全了。」手中閃亮的斧頭往下一砍，第二根樹也隨即倒下。「現在我將會航行在大海之上了。」第二棵樹心裏思量著：「我將要成為大能的君王最堅固的船艦！」

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last wood cutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the wood cutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax, the third tree fell.

當第三棵樹發現最後這位樵夫看著它的方式，它的心沉了下去。它努力地挺直站立，勇敢地伸展身體，指向天空。但這個樵夫連往上看一眼都不看。「什麼樹對我來說都行。」他的口中囁嚅自語。隨手把閃亮的斧頭一揮，第三棵樹也倒下來了。

The first tree rejoiced when the wood cutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, or treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the wood cutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and awed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river, instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the wood cutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. " All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God..."

第一棵樹心中充滿了歡喜，當這位樵夫將它帶到了木匠的店舖。但是木匠卻把這棵樹製成了一個供動物餵食用的食槽。這一度美麗的樹並沒有覆蓋著金銀珠寶。卻蒙上了一層木屑，並且裝滿了餵食動物的乾草。第二棵樹微笑著，當樵夫將它帶到了造船場，但那一天造船場並沒有造航行海洋的大船。而出乎預料的，這曾經堅固的樹卻被釘成了一條簡單的小船。它太小、太弱了，到一個程度竟然禁不起航行大海時所遭遇的風浪，甚至連在河裏航行都不可能。只能被帶到一個小湖中。當樵夫將第三棵樹鋸成了木條，放置在木材堆時，它心裏起了疑惑：「到底怎麼了？」這曾經挺拔的大樹問：「我所要的只不過是留在山頂上，將人的目光指向神…。」

Many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him." Her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. " This manger is beautiful." She said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

經過了許多的白日與夜晚，三棵樹差不多都忘了它們的夢想。但一天晚上，金色的星光灑在第一棵樹上，此時一位年輕的婦人將新生的嬰孩放在這個動物的食槽之內。「我真想做一個搖籃給他。」這婦人的丈夫輕聲說。「這個馬槽真美。」第一棵樹突然明白了，裝在它裏面的竟然是世上最珍貴的寶貝。

One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.

一天晚上一個疲憊的旅客和他的朋友們擠上了這條舊漁船。當第二根樹靜靜地離開岸邊航向湖面時，這旅客沉沉睡去。頃刻間，帶著雷轟、閃電的暴風雨興了起來。小船發出了顫抖。它知道以它弱小的身軀絕沒有力量載著旅客們平安地度過這場暴風雨。這位疲倦的人醒來了。他站了起來，伸出了他的手，向風浪說出「住了吧！靜了吧！」風浪頃刻之間就平息了下來，就如它來臨時一樣。第二棵樹突然明白了，它所載的是天與地的大君王。

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten wood pile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hand to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

在一個星期五的早上，第三棵樹驚訝地發現它的木條被硬拖出被遺忘的置木堆。當它被背著穿過憤怒叫囂的群眾時，它緊張瑟縮在一起。當兵丁將這人的手腳釘穿在它身上時，它劇烈顫抖著。它感到這件事的醜陋、粗暴、及殘酷。但是到了星期天的早晨，當太陽昇起、大地興奮地在它腳下顫抖時，第三棵樹明白了神的愛已經改變了萬事。這使得第三棵樹堅強了起來。每當人們想到了第三棵樹時，他們就想到了神。這比起成世界上最高大的樹來得更好。

The next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.

下次當你因為得不到自己想要的而情緒低落時，坐好而喜樂起來，因為神正在思想一份更好的東西要賜給你。