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The FirTree枫树Out in the woodsstood such a prettylittle fir tree.It grewin agood place,where it had plentyofsun andplenty offresh air.Around itstood manytall comrades,both fir trees andpines.The littlefir tree was in a headlonghurry to grow up.It didntcare athing for the warmsunshine,or the fresh air,and it took nointerest in the peasantchildren whoran aboutchattering whentheycame topick strawberriesor raspberries.Often when the childrenhad pickedtheir pailsfull,or hadgathered longstrings ofberries threadedon straws,they wouldsit down to restnearthe littlefir.〃0h,isn,t it a nicelittle tree”they wouldsay.Its thebaby of thewoods.The littletree didn,t liketheir remarksat all.Next yearit shotup along jointof newgrowth,and thefollowing yearanother joint,stilllonger.You canalways tellhow olda fir tree isby countingthe numberof jointsit has.wish I were agrown-up tree,like mycomrades,z/the littletree sighed.Then I could stretchoutmy branchesand seefrom mytop what the worldis like.The birdswould makeme theirnestingplace,and whenthe windblew Icould bowback andforth withall thegreat trees.〃It tookno pleasurein the sunshine,nor in the birds.The glowingclouds,that sailedoverheadat sunriseand sunset,meant nothingto it.In winter,whenthe snow laysparkling on the ground,a harewould oftencome hopping along andjumpright over the littletree.Oh,how irritatingthat was!That happenedfor twowinters,but whenthe thirdwinter camethe tree was sotall that the harehad toturn asideand hoparoundit.〃0h,togrow,grow!To getolder andtaller,〃the littletree thought.That is the mostwonderfulthing inthis world.z,In theautumn,woodcutters came and cut down afew of the largesttrees.This happenedeveryyear.The youngfir was no longera babytree,and ittrembled to see howthose statelygreattrees crashedto the ground,how theirlimbs werelopped off,and howlean theylooked as thenaked trunkswere loadedinto carts.It couldhardly recognizethe treesit hadknown,when thehorsespulled themout ofthe woods.Where werethey goingWhat wouldbecome of themIn thespringtime,when swallowsand storkscame back,the tree asked them,〃Do youknow wheretheother treeswent Have you metthem”The swallowsknew nothingabout it,but thestork lookedthoughtful andnodded hishead.〃Yes,I thinkI metthem,〃he said.〃0n myway fromEgypt Imet manynew ships,and somehadtall,stately masts.They maywell have been the trees youmean,for Iremember thesmell offir.They wanted to beremembered toyou.”〃0h,I wish Iwereold enoughto travelon thesea.Please tellme what it reallyis,and howitlooks.〃“That wouldtake toolong to tell,z,said thestork,and offhe strode.“Rejoice in your youth,〃said thesunbeams.Take prideinyourgrowing strengthand in thestir of life withinyou.〃And thewind kissedthe tree,and thedew weptover it,for the treewasyoung and withoutunderstanding.When Christmascame near,many youngtrees werecutdown.Some werenot even as oldor astallas thisfir tree of ours,who wasin sucha hurryand fretto gotraveling.These youngtrees,which werealways thehandsomest ones,had theirbranches lefton themwhen they were loadedoncarts and the horsesdrew themout ofthe woods.“Where can they be going”the fir treewondered.They areno tallerthan I am.One wasreally muchsmaller thanI am.And whyare theyallowedto keepall theirbranches Wherecantheybegoing”,zWe know!We know!”the sparrowschirped.z,We havebeen totown andpeeped in the windows.We knowwhere theyare going.The greatestsplendor and glory you can imagineawaits them.Wevepeeped throughwindows.Weve seenthem plantedright in the middleof awarm room,and deckedout with themost splendidthings-gold apples,good gingerbread,gay toys,and manyhundredsof candles.〃“And then”asked the fir tree,trembling inevery twig.And thenWhat happensthen”〃We sawnothing more.And neverhave weseen anythingthat couldmatch it.〃〃I wonderif Iwas createdfor sucha gloriousfuture”The fir tree rejoiced.Why,that isbetterthan tocross thesea.Im tormentedwith longing.Oh,if Christmaswould onlycome!Imjust astall andgrown-up asthe treesthey choselast year.How IwishIwere alreadyin thecart,on myway to the warmroom where theres somuch splendor andglory.Then-then somethingevenbetter,something stillmore importantis boundto happen,or whyshould theydeck mesofine Yes,there must be somethingstill grander!But whatOh,how Ilong:I don,t knowwhatsthe matterwith me.〃“Enjoy uswhile youmay,“the air and sunlighttold him.Rejoice in the daysof youryouth,out herein theopen.〃But the tree did not rejoiceat all.It justgrew.It grewand wasgreen bothwinter andsummer-darkevergreen.People whopassed itsaid,“Theres abeautiful tree!”And whenChristmas timecameagain theycut itdown first.The axstruck deepinto itsmarrow.The treesighed as it fellto the ground.It feltfaint withpain.Instead ofthe happinessit hadexpected,the treewassorry toleave thehome whereit hadgrown up.It knewthat neveragain wouldit seeits dearoldcomrades,the littlebushes and the flowersabout it-and perhaps not eventhe birds.Thedeparture was anything butpleasant.The treedid notget overit untilall the trees wereunloaded inthe yard,and itheard amansay,Thats asplendid one.That,sthe tree forus・〃Then twoservants camein finelivery,and carriedthe fir tree intoa bigsplendid drawing-room.Portraits werehung allaround thewalls.On eitherside ofthe whiteporcelain stovestood greatChinese vases,with lionson thelidsof them.There wereeasy chairs,silk-covered sofasand longtables strewnwith picturebooks,andwithtoys thatwere wortha mintof money,or sothe childrensaid.The firtreewasplanted ina largetub filledwith sand,but noone couldsee that it was atub,because it was wrappedinagay greencloth and set on a many-colored carpet.How the treequivered!What wouldcome nextThe servantsand eventhe youngladies helpedit onwith itsfinedecorations.From its branches theyhung littlenets cutout ofcolored paper,and eachnetwas filledwith candies.Gilded applesand walnutshung inclusters as if theygrew there,and ahundred littlewhite,blue,and evenred,candles werefastened toits twigs.Among itsgreenbranches swayeddolls that it tookto bereal livingpeople,for the tree had never seentheirlike before.And upat itsvery topwas seta largegold tinselstar.It wassplendid,I tellyou,splendid beyondall words!“Tonight,“they allsaid,〃ah,tonight howthe treewill shine!”〃0h,〃thought the tree,〃if tonightwould onlycome!If onlythe candles were lit!And afterthat,what happensthen Willthe trees come troopingout ofthe woodstoseeme Willthe sparrowsflockto thewindows ShallI takeroot here,and standin fineornaments allwinter andsummerlong”That washow muchit knewabout it.All itslonging hadgone toits barkandsetittoarching,which isas badfor atreeasa headacheis forus.Now thecandleswerelighted.What dazzlingsplendor!What ablaze oflight!The treequiveredso inevery boughthat acandle setone of its twigsablaze.It hurtterribly.“Mercy me!〃cried everyyoung lady,and the fire wasquickly putout.The treeno longerdaredrustle atwig-it wasawful!Wouldn,titbe terribleif itwere todrop oneof itsornamentsIts ownbrilliance dazzledit.Suddenly thefolding doorswere thrownback,and awhole flockof childrenburst inas if theywould overturnthe treecompletely.Their eldersmarched inafter them,more sedately.For amoment,but onlyfor amoment,the youngones werestricken speechless.Then theyshouted tilltherafters rang.They danced about the tree andplucked offone presentafter another.“What arethey up to〃the treewondered.What willhappen next”As thecandles burneddownto the barktheyweresnuffed out,one byone,and thenthe childrenhadpermission toplunder the tree.They wentabout it in suchearnest thatthe branchescrackledand,ifthe tree hadnot beentied to the ceilingby thegold starat top,it wouldhave tumbledheadlong.The childrendancedaboutwith theirsplendid playthings.No onelooked atthe treenow,exceptan oldnurse whopeered inamong thebranches,but thiswas only to makesure thatnot anappleor fighad beenoverlooked.“Tell usa story!Tell usa story!/z the children clamored,as theytowed afat little man tothetree.He satdown beneathit and said,“Here weare inthe woods,and itwill dothe treealot ofgood tolisten toour story.Mind you,I11tell onlyone.Which willyou have,thestory ofIvedy-Avedy,ortheone about Humpty-Dumpty who tumbled downstairs,yet ascendedthethrone andmarried the Princess”“Ivedy-Avedy,〃cried some.Humpty-Dumpty,〃cried theothers.And there wasagreat hullabaloo.Only the firtreeheld itspeace,though itthoughtto itself,“Am Ito beleft out of thisIsn tthere anythingI cando〃For allthe funofthe eveninghad centeredupon it,and ithad playedits partwell.The fatlittlemantold themall aboutHumpty-Dumpty,whotumbleddownstairs,yet ascendedthethrone andmarried thePrincess.And thechildren clappedand shouted,“Tell usanother one!Tell usanother one!”For theywantedtohear about Ivedy-Avedy too,but afterHumpty-Dumptythe storytelling stopped.The firtree stoodvery stillas itpondered howthe birdsin thewoodshadnevertold ita storyto equalthis.Humpty-Dumpty tumbleddownstairs,yet he married thePrincess.Imagine!That mustbe howthingshappen inthe world.You nevercan tell.Maybe I11tumble downstairsand marrya princesstoo,〃thought the firtree,who believedevery wordofthe story becausesuchanice manhad toldit.The treelooked forwardto thefollowing day,when theywould deckit again with fruit and toys,candles andgold.^Tomorrow Ishall notquiver,/z itdecided.〃I’11enjoy mysplendor tothefull.Tomorrow Ishall hearaboutHumpty-Dumpty again,and perhapsaboutIvedy-Avedy too.〃Allnight longthetreestood silentasitdreamed itsdreams,and nextmorning thebutler and themaid cameinwiththeir dusters.“Now mysplendor willbe renewed,thefirtree thought.Butthey draggedit upstairstothe garret,and therethey left itina darkcorner whereno daylightevercame.〃Whats themeaning ofthis”thetreewondered.What amI goingto dohere Whatstoriesshall Ihear”It leanedagainst thewall,lost indreams.It hadplenty oftime fordreaming,asthedays andthe nightswent by.Nobody came tothegarret.And whenat last someonedid come,itwas onlytoput manybig boxesaway inthe corner.The treewas quitehidden.Onemight thinkithad been entirelyforgotten.〃Its stillwinter outside,〃thetree thought.The earthis toohard andcovered withsnow forthem toplant menow.I musthavebeenput hereforshelter untilspringtime comes.How thoughtfulof them!How goodpeople are!Only,I wishitweren,tsodark here,and so very,very lonely.Theres noteven a little hare.It wassofriendly out inthe woods whenthesnowwasonthegroundandthehare camehoppingalong.Yes,he wasfriendly evenwhen hejumped rightover me,though Ididnotthink sothen.Here itsallso terriblylonely.〃“Squeak,squeak!,z saidalittlemouse justthen.He creptacross thefloor,and anotheronefollowed him.They sniffedthefirtree,and rustledin andout amongitsbranches.〃It isfearfully cold,,z oneofthemsaid.Except forthat,it wouldbe verynice here,wouldn,tit,you oldfirtree”z,r mnot atall old,“said thefirtree.Many treesare mucholder thanI am.,z,zWhere didyoucome from”the miceasked him.And whatdo youknow”They weremost inquisitivecreatures.“Tell usabout themost beautifulplace inthe world.Haveyoubeen thereWere youever inthelarder,where thereare cheeseson shelvesand hamsthat hangfrom therafters Itstheplace where youcandance upontallow candles-whereyoucan dartin thinand squeezeout fat.〃〃I knownothing ofthat place,〃said thetree.But Iknow the woods wherethesunshinesand the little birdssing.〃Then it told themabout itsyouth.The little mice hadnever heardthelike ofit.They listenedvery intently,andsaid,〃My!How muchyou haveseen!And howhappyit musthave madeyou.〃〃I〃thefirtreethoughtabout it.〃Yes,those dayswere ratheramusing.〃And hewent ontotell themabout ChristmasEve,when itwas deckedoutwithcandies and candles.〃0h,〃said the littlemice,〃how luckyyou havebeen,you oldfirtree!”〃Iamnot atall old,〃it insisted.〃I cameout ofthewoodsjust thiswinter,and rm reallyinthe primeoflife,though atthe momentmy growthis suspended.“How nicelyyou tellthings,〃said the mice.The nextnight theycame withfour othermiceto hearwhatthetree hadto say.The moreit talked,the moreclearly itrecalled things,andit thought,“Those werehappy times.But they may stillcome back-theymaycome backagain.Humpty-Dumpty felldownstairs,and yethemarriedthePrincess.Maybe thesame thingwill happentome.〃It thoughtabout acharming littlebirch treethat grewoutinthewoods.To thefirtree shewasareal andlovely Princess.“Who isHumpty-Dumpty”themiceasked it.So thefirtree toldthem thewhole story,for itcould rememberit wordby word.The littlemice werereadyto jumptothetop ofthetreefor joy.The nextnight manymore micecametosee thefirtree,and onSunday tworats paiditacall,but theysaid thatthestorywas notvery amusing.This madethe littlemice tosad thatthey beganto findit notsoveryinteresting either.〃Is thatthe onlystory youknow”the ratsasked.“Only thatone,〃thetreeanswered.〃I heardit onthe happiestevening ofmy life,but Ididnot knowthen howhappy Iwas.〃Its avery sillystory.Don,t youknow onethat tellsabout baconandcandlesCan,t youtellus agood larderstory”〃No,〃said thetree.“Then good-by,and wewon,tbeback,〃the ratssaid,and wentaway.At lastthelittlemice tookto stayingaway too.The treesighed,〃0h,wasn,titpleasant whenthosegay littlemice sataround andlistened toall thatI hadto say.Now that,too,is pastandgone.But Iwill takegood careto enjoymyself,once theylet meoutofhere.z,When wouldthat beWell,it cameto passonamorning whenpeople cameuptoclean outthegarret.The boxeswere moved,thetreewas pulledout andthrown-thrown hard-onthefloor.But aservantdragged itat oncetothestairway,wheretherewas daylightagain.“Now mylife willstart allover,z,thetreethought.It feltthefreshairandthe firstsunbeamstrike itasifit cameout intothe courtyard.This allhappened soquickly and therewassomuch goingaround it,thatthetree forgotto giveevenaglance atitself.The courtyardadjoineda garden,where flowerswere blooming.Great massesof fragrantroses hungoverthepicket fence.The lindentrees werein blossom,and betweenthem theswallows skimmedpast,calling,^Tilira-lira-lee,my love,scomeback tome.〃But itwas notthefirtreeofwhom theyspoke.“Now Ishall liveagain,〃it rejoiced,and triedto stretchout itsbranches.Alas,they werewithered,and brown,and brittle.It wastossed intoa corner,among weedsand nettles.But thegoldstar thatwas stilltied toits topsparkled bravelyinthesunlight.Several ofthe merrychildren,who haddanced aroundthetreeand takensuch pleasurein itatChristmas,were playinginthecourtyard.One ofthe youngestseized uponitandtore offthetinsel star.“Look whatis stillhanging onthat uglyold Christmastree,,z thechild said,and stampeduponthe branchesuntil theycracked beneathhis shoes.The treesaw thebeautiful flowersblooming freshlyinthegarden.It sawitself,and wishedthatthey hadleftitinthedarkest cornerofthegarret.It thought ofitsown youngdays inthedeep woods,and ofthe merryChristinas Eve,and ofthelittlemice whohadbeenso pleasedwhenittoldthem thestory ofHumpty-Dumpty.〃My daysare overand past,“said thepoor tree.Why didntI enjoythem whileIcouldNow theyare gone-all gone.〃A servantcameandchopped thetree intolittle pieces.These heapedtogether quitehigh.Thewood blazedbeautifully underthe bigcopper kettle,andthefirtreemoaned sodeeply thateachgroan soundedlike amuffled shot.Thats whythechildrenwho wereplaying near-by ranto makeacircle aroundthe flames,staring intothe fireand crying,〃Pif!Paf!〃But aseach groansburstfrom it,thetreethought ofa brightsummer dayinthewoods,orastarlit winternight.It thoughtof ChristmasEve andthoughtofHumpty-Dumpty,which wasthe onlystory itever heardandknew howtotell.And sothetreewas burnedcompletely away.The childrenplayed oninthecourtyard.The youngestchild woreon hisbreast thegold starthathad toppedthetreeon itshappiest nightof all.But thatwasnomore,andthetree wasnomore,andthere,snomore tomy story.No more,nothing more.All storiescome toan end.。