Lessons of life

（這是我母親的一篇譯作，首先發表在水木清華的網站，我來引用一下）

Lessons of life

The following pictures are of the same place but taken under different seasons!!

從前，有一個老漢，他有四個兒子。他想要他的兒子們學會不要太快的對一件事情下結論。於是，老漢就讓他的四個兒子輪流到一個很遠很遠的地方去，在那裏有一棵梨樹，他要他們去看那棵梨樹。

大兒子是冬天去的，二兒子是在春天去，老三是在夏天去的，最小的兒子是在秋天去的。

當他們都去回來了的時候，老漢把四個兒子叫到一起，要每個人都講述自己都看到了什麽。

老大說那棵樹很難看，歪七扭八的，並且樹枝都絞起來了。


第二個兒子說不是的，滿樹都是綠色的芽，而且含苞欲放。


老三表示不同意；他說這棵樹鮮花盛開，香氣撲鼻，它太美了，以至這是他所見過的最美的樹。


那個最小的兒子對他的三個哥哥的說法全都不同意；他說這是一棵結果實的樹，那些掛著梨的樹枝都垂下來了。它生機勃勃，它是生命的真諦和演繹。

這時老漢對他的兒子們說他們四個人說的都對，因為他們每個人都看到了這棵樹的樣子，但是在這棵樹的生長過程中，他們每個人卻又都隻是看到了一個季節。

他告訴他的兒子們說：你們不可以僅僅根據一個季節就給一棵樹下結論，更何況一個人呢！你們是不可以僅僅由一段時間就給一個人下結論的。況且，人們的某些特性是他們的秉性，而他們的興致、樂趣，還有他們的所愛都是來自於生活的，隻有在蓋棺的時候才能論定。就是說一年四季你都看過了的時候，你才能下結論。

老漢對他的兒子們說如果你在嚴冬時放棄，那麽，你就失去了充滿希望的春天，鮮花爛漫的夏天，和果實累累的秋天。

格言：

不要讓一段時期的傷痛毀掉了你其它的所有的歡樂。

不要以一段困難的時期來評價人生。

要堅持通過那些困難時期的零零碎碎，好時候一定來，就是遲早而已。

（轉用時請注明文章出處）

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.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

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.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

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.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

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.

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.

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.

Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come sooner or later