Lessons of life

（这是我母亲的一篇译作，首先发表在水木清华的网站，我来引用一下）

Lessons of life

The following pictures are of the same place but taken under different seasons!!

从前，有一个老汉，他有四个儿子。他想要他的儿子们学会不要太快的对一件事情下结论。于是，老汉就让他的四个儿子轮流到一个很远很远的地方去，在那里有一棵梨树，他要他们去看那棵梨树。

大儿子是冬天去的，二儿子是在春天去，老三是在夏天去的，最小的儿子是在秋天去的。

当他们都去回来了的时候，老汉把四个儿子叫到一起，要每个人都讲述自己都看到了什么。

老大说那棵树很难看，歪七扭八的，并且树枝都绞起来了。


第二个儿子说不是的，满树都是绿色的芽，而且含苞欲放。


老三表示不同意；他说这棵树鲜花盛开，香气扑鼻，它太美了，以至这是他所见过的最美的树。


那个最小的儿子对他的三个哥哥的说法全都不同意；他说这是一棵结果实的树，那些挂着梨的树枝都垂下来了。它生机勃勃，它是生命的真谛和演绎。

这时老汉对他的儿子们说他们四个人说的都对，因为他们每个人都看到了这棵树的样子，但是在这棵树的生长过程中，他们每个人却又都只是看到了一个季节。

他告诉他的儿子们说：你们不可以仅仅根据一个季节就给一棵树下结论，更何况一个人呢！你们是不可以仅仅由一段时间就给一个人下结论的。况且，人们的某些特性是他们的秉性，而他们的兴致、乐趣，还有他们的所爱都是来自于生活的，只有在盖棺的时候才能论定。就是说一年四季你都看过了的时候，你才能下结论。

老汉对他的儿子们说如果你在严冬时放弃，那么，你就失去了充满希望的春天，鲜花烂漫的夏天，和果实累累的秋天。

格言：

不要让一段时期的伤痛毁掉了你其它的所有的欢乐。

不要以一段困难的时期来评价人生。

要坚持通过那些困难时期的零零碎碎，好时候一定来，就是迟早而已。

（转用时请注明文章出处）

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come sooner or later