Early in the morning,deep in the forest,the trees were having a discussion.
清晨的深林深处,树正讨论着什么：
“Animals come and rest in our shade (荫) but they leave a mess behind,” said the Jamun.“The smell on some days is so bad!”
Jamun说：“动物在我们的树荫下休养生息,却留给我们一片狼藉,一段时间过后臭气熏天!”
“They never think about us because we’re silent,” said the Sal.“But I’ve had enough!I’ve made up my mind to drive away any animal that comes here!”
Sal说：“因为我们春末寡言,所以他们根本不在意我们在想什么.可我已经受够了!我已经决定了,不管哪个动物来了我都会把它赶走!”
“That may not be a good thing to do,” said the Peepul,the oldest and biggest tree there.“The animals cause trouble,I agree,but they serve a useful purpose.We are all interdependent－trees,animals,men…”
一棵年纪大些个头高些的Peepul说：“这样做恐怕不好,我承认动物们是给我们惹了不少麻烦,但是他们也的确有很好的理由.森林,动物,人类都是相互依赖的……”
“I’m sorry,” said the Sal.“I must say your opinion is right but in this matter I will not listen to anyone.I won’t allow animals here any more!”
Sal说“真抱歉,我也承认你的想法是对的,但在这件事情上我不会为任何人所左右.我这里不会再允许任何动物逗留!”
True to his word when a leopard came to rest in the shade later that day,the Sal began to move itself strongly from side to side.The leopard,terrified,jumped up and ran.The Sal drove away all the animals that came to that part of the forest that day and in the days that followed.In course of time animals stopped coming here.
它真这样做了,后来有个豹子来树荫下休息,Sal用力地左右摇晃,豹子吓坏了,纵身逃之夭夭.Sal从那天开始赶走了所有来到那片森林的动物.久而久之,再也没有动物来了.
The Sal became a great hero to the younger trees in the neighborhood and even some of the older ones began bowing (鞠躬) to him when the Peepul was not looking.
Sal成了附近小辈们的大英雄,甚至比他年纪大的树也向他点头哈腰,而Peepul却不以为然.
Then one day two woodcutters came to this part of the forest.
有一天,两个伐木工人来到了这片森林.
“Men!” shouted the Sal.“Why have they come here?They’ve never come here before.”
Sal大喊：“人类!他们怎么会来这里?他们之前可从未来过.”
“If they’ve never come here before it was because of the animals,” said the Peepul.“Now the leopard and the tiger no longer come here,and they are no longer afraid.”
Peepul说：“他们之前不曾来过是因为害怕这些动物,如今豹子和老虎已经不在了,他们也就不再怕什么了.”
The Sal began to worry with good reason.It was the first tree the woodcutters cut down.