Lessons on Life   生命的功課

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. 

他希望他的兒子能夠學會不要太快對事情下結論，

所以，他依次給他四個孩子一個問題，

要他們分別出去遠方看一顆梨子樹。

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring,

the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

三兒子在夏天，小兒子則是在秋天前往。

he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

他把他們一起叫到跟前形容他們所看到的情景，

大兒子說那棵數很醜、枯槁、扭曲。

and full of promise.

這棵樹被青青的嫩芽所覆蓋，充滿了盼望。

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.

三兒子不同意，他說樹上花朵綻放、充滿香氣，

看起來十分美麗，這美景事他從來不曾見到過的。

he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit,

full of life and fulfillment.

他說樹上結滿了果子、累累下垂。

充滿了生命果子與豐收。

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.

這個人就對他四個兒子說：你們都是正確的。

因為你們四個人是在這棵樹的四個不同季節前往，

並且只看到其中一個季節的風景。

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.

他告訴兒子們不可用一個季節的風景來評斷一棵樹或是一個人，

關於構成一個人是怎樣的一個人的要件，還有一個人生命的

歡愉、喜樂、愛，只能在他生命的盡頭時候來做衡量。

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.

你就會錯過你生命春天的盼望、夏天的美麗、秋天的收成。

Persevere through the difficult patches and better times

are sure to come some time or later.

持守忍耐度過這段艱難，美好的日子將在不久之後來到