27　THE LITTLE PINE TREE
小松树

I

There was once a pretty little pine tree in the forest. It had needles that were green all the year round. But it was not content with these.

“I do not like needles,” said the little tree. “They are not even so pretty as leaves.

“I should like to be the most beautiful tree in the forest. I should like to have leaves of shining gold.” The next morning when the little tree awoke, it no longer had needles. It had leaves of gold, which shone in the sunlight. How happy it was!

“No other tree is so fine as I am,” it said, and that was quite true.

II

But after a while a man walking through the forest saw the leaves of gold.

He ran at once to the tree and began to pull them off.

When he went away, the poor little tree was quite bare.

“I see it is not well to have gold leaves,” it said. “They are very beautiful, but I should like something people would not take from me.

“I wish I had leaves of glass. They would be pretty, and yet no one would want to take them.” The next morning when the little tree awoke, it was covered with leaves of glass. They shone in the sunlight.

“These leaves are much better than gold ones,” it said, “and they are quite as beautiful.”

But when the wind began to blow, the glass leaves were knocked against one another. Soon they were all broken to pieces. When night came, the little tree was again without a leaf.

“Leaves of gold and of glass are pretty,” it said, “but they are not the best kind. I should like to have green leaves like the other trees.”

III

The next morning when the little pine tree awoke, it had green leaves like the other trees. Its young fresh leaves were even more beautiful than theirs.

“After all, green leaves are best,” it said. “Now I am like the other trees, but more beautiful.”

But after a while a goat came by. He was hungry and the leaves of the little tree were fresh and sweet. So the goat ate them all. That night the little tree was again without a leaf.

It was very sad; it said, “Gold leaves are fine, glass leaves are pretty, and green leaves are good for other trees. But after all my needles were best for me. How I wish I could have them back again!”

The next morning when the little tree awoke, it had its needles once more. It was so glad to have them again that it laughed, and all the other trees of the forest laughed with it.

And always after that the little tree was contented.

一

很久以前，森林里有棵漂亮的小松树，它的针叶一整年都绿绿的，可它并不满足。

“我不喜欢针叶，”小松树说，“它们没有普通的叶子那么漂亮。”

“我要成为森林里最美的树，我想要那种金黄闪亮的叶子。”

第二天早晨小松树醒来时，一根针叶都没有了，取而代之的是金叶片，在阳光下熠熠生辉。它高兴极了！

“再没有什么树会比我美了。”它说。事实确实如此。

二

不多久，有人路过森林时看到了金叶子。

他赶紧跑到树下，把叶子都扯了下来。

等他走的时候，可怜的小树已经光秃秃的了。

“看来金叶子并不好，因为它们太漂亮了。”它说，“我应该长些人们不会拿走的东西。”

“我想要玻璃叶子，它们也很漂亮，而且没人想要这样的东西。”

第三天一早小松树醒来时，真的长出了玻璃叶子，在阳光下晶莹剔透。

“这些叶子比金的那种好多了，”它说，“而且也一样美丽。”

可起风时，玻璃叶子互相碰撞，不一会就都碎了。夜幕降临时，小树又光秃秃的了。

“金叶子和玻璃叶子都很漂亮，但都不是最好的。”它说，“我还是要和其他树一样的普通绿叶吧。”

三

第四天早晨小松树再次醒来时，果真长了和其他树木一样的绿叶，只是嫩绿的叶片显得更美丽。

“不管怎么说，还是绿叶最好。”它说，“现在我和其他树一样，不过更美丽些。”

过了一会，一只饥肠辘辘的山羊经过这里，看到了这些鲜美的小树叶，于是就把它们啃光了。到了晚上，小树又成了光杆。

它觉得非常难过：“金叶子很美，玻璃叶子很可爱，绿叶子对别的树来说都很好，但对我来说还是针叶最好。我真希望它们再回到我身上。”

第五天早晨小松树醒来时，针叶都回来了。看到它们，小树高兴地笑了，森林里其他的树木也跟着笑了。

从此以后，小松树每天都很幸福。