害怕冒險和成長的人就會被生活吞沒

Who refuse to risk and grow will get swallowed up by life

Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil.

The first seed said, “I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me…. I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring… I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!”

And so she grew.

The second seed said, “I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me, I may damage my delicate sprouts…. what if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe.”

And so she waited.

A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up by life.

【助讀詞匯】

◇fertile adj.（土地）肥沃的，富饒的

◇sprout n. 苗，芽，嫩枝

◇crust n. 堅硬的表面，外殼

◇petal  n. 花瓣

◇encounter vt.遭遇，遭受，偶遇

◇snail  n. 蝸牛

◇unfurl v. 打開，展開，顯露

◇moral adj. 道德(上)的，精神的 n. 道德

【參考譯文】

害怕冒險和成長的人就會被生活吞沒

兩顆種子并排躺在春天肥沃的土壤里。

第一顆種子說：“我要成長。我要把根深深扎入我身下的土壤，并且我要用芽頂穿上面堅硬的地殼… 我要伸展柔嫩的蓓蕾，就像飄揚的旗幟宣告著春天的到來… 我要感受太陽照在臉上的溫暖，并且接受清晨花瓣上露水的祝福！”

于是，第一顆種子不斷成長著。

第二顆種子說：“我很害怕。如果我把根深扎入下面的土壤，不知道黑暗之中會遇到什么。如果我沖破上面堅硬的土地，那么我可能會傷害我脆弱的芽… 如果我舒展花蕾，蝸牛要吃掉它們可怎么辦呢？如果我綻放花朵，小孩兒可能會把我從地上拔起。不，我還是等安全了之后再做比較好�！�

于是，第二顆種子就等啊等啊。

早春，一只母雞正在院子里刨著泥土找食吃，它發現了正等在那兒的第二顆種子，一下子就把它吞了下去。

這個故事啟示我們：那些懼怕冒險和成長的人最終要被生活吞沒。

【人生啟迪】

生活從來都不是一帆風順的，它時刻都充滿了危險和挑戰，正如逆水行舟不進則退，只有那些不畏艱險的人才能主宰自己的生命，最終到達勝利的彼岸，而那些一味畏懼的人，只會被生活的浪花所吞沒。