美文·有聲 遲來的花香

A Late Bloomer

遲來的花香

A cactus stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of nowhere.

一株仙人掌孤獨地站在沙漠里，對於自己為什麼被困在蠻荒之地困惑不已。

"I do nothing but stand here all day," it sighed. "What use am I? I"m the ugliest plant in the desert. My spines are thick and prickly, and my skin is thick and bumpy. I can"t offer shade or juicy fruit to any passing traveler. I don"t see that I"m any use at all."

「我整天站在這裡無所事事，」它嘆息道，「我有什麼用呢？我是沙漠中最醜陋的植物。我的刺又粗又多，我的皮又厚又糙。我不能為任何過路的旅行者提供蔭涼或者多汁的果實。我看不出自己到底有什麼用。」

All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter. Its spines grew longer and its skin tougher and it grew here and there until it was lumpy and unbalanced all over. It truly was strange looking.

仙人掌所做的只是日復一日地站在太陽底下，長得更高更胖。它的刺長得越來越長，而它的表皮則更加堅韌，它向四處瘋長，直至變得粗笨結實、倒向一邊。它確實長得很奇怪。

"I wish I could do something useful," it sighed.

「我希望我能夠做點有用的事。」它嘆息道。

By day hawks circled high overhead.

白天，有幾隻鷹在它頭頂的高空盤旋。

"What can I do with my life?" The cactus called. Whether they heard or not, the hawks sailed away.

「我能做些什麼呢？」仙人掌大聲說道。那幾隻鷹也不知道聽見沒有，但都飛走了。

At night the moon floated into the sky and cast its pale glow on the desert floor.

晚上，月亮浮現在天空中，將蒼白的月光投射在沙漠上。

"What good can I do with my life?" the cactus called. The moon only stared coldly as it mounted its course.

「我能做點什麼有益的事呢？」仙人掌大聲喊道。月亮只冷冷地看了仙人掌一眼，就踏上了行程。

A lizard crawled by, leaving a little trail in the sand with its tail.

一隻蜥蜴從旁邊爬過，它的尾巴在沙地上留下一道淡淡的痕迹。

"What worthy deed can I do?" the cactus called.

「我能做些什麼有價值的事呢？」仙人掌大聲喊道。

"You?" the lizard laughed, pausing a moment."Worthy deed? Why, you can"t do anything! The hawks circle overhead, tracing delicate patterns or us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our ways home to our loved ones. Even I, the lowly lizard, have something to do. I decorate the sands with these beautiful brushstrokes as I pull my tail along. But you? You do nothing but get uglier every day."

「就你?」蜥蜴駐足片刻，笑道，「有價值的事？哎呀，你什麼也做不了！鷹在上空盤旋，描繪出精巧的圖案供我們大家仰慕。月亮高高地掛在天上，就像夜間的一盞燈，所以我們才能看清回家的路，與我們所愛的人團聚。即便是我—地位這麼低下的蜥蜴，也有事可做。我拖著尾巴走路時留下了這些美麗的線條，裝點了沙地。而你呢？你除了每天變得更丑之外什麼也沒做。」

And so it went on, year after year. At last the cactus grew old, and it knew its time was short.

日子就這樣年復一年地過下去。最後，仙人掌變老了，它知道自己的時間不多了。

"Oh," it cried out, "I"ve wondered so long, and I"ve tried so hard.Forgive me if I"ve failed to find something worthy to do. I fear that now it"s too late."

「哦，」它大聲呼喊，「我已經困惑了很久，而且我一直如此努力。如果我沒有找到值得去做的事，那就原諒我吧。恐怕現在已經太遲了。」

But just then the cactus felt a strange motion and unfolding, and it knew a flow of joy that erased all despair. At its very tip, like a sudden crown, a glorious flower suddenly opened in bloom.

但是就在此時，仙人掌感覺到身上一陣奇怪的變化和舒展，它意識到一股消除了所有沮喪的喜悅到來。在它的頂端，一朵燦爛的鮮花霎時綻放，就像一頂突然出現的王冠。

Never had the desert known such a blossom. Its fragrance perfumed the air far and wide and brought happiness to all passing by. The butterflies paused to admire its beauty, and that night even the moon smiled when it rose to find such a treasure.

沙漠里還從不知道有這樣的一朵花。它芬芳的香氣向四處飄散，並且給路過的一切帶來了快樂。蝴蝶們停下來誇讚它的美麗，而就在那天晚上，月亮升起，發現了這一珍寶時，也綻放出了笑容。

In the desert, a voice was sounding:

沙漠里迴響著一個聲音：

"You have waited long, and the heart that seeks to do good will always bring something worthwhile to the world, something in which all can rejoice—even if for only a moment."

「你已經等了很久，試圖做好事的心總會給世界帶來一些有價值的東西、一些讓所有人都欣喜的東西——哪怕只存在一瞬間。」

(Author Unknown)

（譯/ 含秋）

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