仙女的新年禮物

人生如書，一天一頁，一年一部。過去已記載，無法去更改；未來尚空白，待你來書寫。

Two little boys were at play one day when a fairy suddenly appeared before them and said， \"I have been sent to give you New Year presents.\"

She handed to each child a package， and in an instant was gone.

Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books， with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.

Many months passed and the fairy came again to the boys. \"I have brought you each another book，\" said she， \"and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you.\"

\"May I keep mine a little longer?\" asked Philip. \"I have hardly thought about it lately. I'd like to paint something on the last leaf1) that lies open.\"

\"No，\" said the fairy. \"I must take it just as it is.\"

\"I wish that I could look through mine just once，\" said Carl; \"I have only seen one page at a time， for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast， and I can never open the book at more than one place each day.\"

\"You shall look at your book，\" said the fairy， \"and Philip， at his.\" And she lit for them two little silver lamps， by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.

The boys looked in wonder. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago? Where were the clean， white pages， as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls? Here was a page with ugly， black spots and scratches2) upon it; while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous3) colors， others with beautiful flowers， and still others with a rainbow of softest， most delicate4) brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots5) and scratches.

\"Who did this?\" Carl and Philip asked.

\"Shall I explain some of the pictures to you?\" said the fairy， smiling at the two little boys.

\"See， Philip， the spray6) of roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your playthings; and this pretty bird， that looks as if it were singing with all its might7)， would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day， instead of quarreling.\"

\"But what makes this blot?\" asked Philip.

\"That，\" said the fairy sadly， \"that came when you told an untruth one day， and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good.\"

\"Oh， if we could only have the books again!\" said Carl and Philip.

\"That cannot be，\" said the fairy. \"See! They are dated for this year， and they must now go back into Father Time's bookcase， but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others.\"

So saying， she vanished8)， and the boys were left alone， but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page.

And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold， \"For the New Year.\"

一天，兩個(gè)小男孩正在玩耍，一位仙女突然出現(xiàn)在他們面前，對(duì)他們說：“我是被派來給你們送新年禮物的。”

她遞給他倆每人一個(gè)包裹，頃刻間就消失了。

卡爾和菲利普打開包裹，發(fā)現(xiàn)里面有兩本精美的書，每一頁都像剛落下的雪花那樣潔白。

過了許多個(gè)月，那位仙女又一次出現(xiàn)在兩個(gè)男孩面前。“我又給你倆一人帶來一本書，”她說，“不過我要把第一本書收回還給時(shí)光老人，那書是他給你們的。”

“我可不可以把我的書多留一會(huì)兒？”菲利普問道。“我最近都沒怎么想起過它。我想在打開著的最后一頁上畫點(diǎn)兒東西。”

“不行，”仙女說，“我必須按它現(xiàn)在的樣子把它拿走。”

“我希望可以把自己的書再看一遍，”卡爾說，“每次我就只能看一頁，因?yàn)槊慨?dāng)我翻過一頁它立刻就會(huì)粘住，而且每天翻過一次后就再也打不開了。”

“你應(yīng)該看一下你的書，”仙女說，“菲利普，你也是。”接著她為他們點(diǎn)燃兩盞銀色的小燈，在燈光下，他倆看著仙女翻開的一頁又一頁。

兩個(gè)男孩很吃驚。這真的是一年前仙女給他們的那兩本精美的書嗎？那些純凈、潔白、像剛落下的純美雪花般的書頁怎么都不見了？眼前的這一頁上帶著難看的黑色斑點(diǎn)和胡亂涂畫的痕跡，而后一頁上卻是一幅可愛的小畫。有幾頁上點(diǎn)綴著金色、銀色和其他絢麗的色彩，有的上面有美麗的花朵，還有幾頁上有一道彩虹，散發(fā)著最柔和、最淡雅的光芒。然而，就算是最漂亮的書頁，上面也都有難看的斑點(diǎn)和亂畫的痕跡。

“這是誰弄的？”卡爾和菲利普問道。

“要不我向你們解釋一下其中的幾幅畫吧。”仙女微笑著對(duì)兩個(gè)小男孩說。

“你看，菲利普，你把玩具給小寶寶玩的時(shí)候，這一頁上幾枝玫瑰開了花；前幾天，你沒有吵架，而是盡量做到親切友善，如果不是因?yàn)檫@個(gè)，這只看起來似乎在用盡全力歌唱的美麗小鳥就不會(huì)出現(xiàn)在這頁上了。”

“那這個(gè)污點(diǎn)是怎么弄上去的呢？”菲利普問。

“那個(gè)啊，”仙女惋惜地說，“那個(gè)污點(diǎn)會(huì)出現(xiàn)是因?yàn)橛幸惶炷阏f謊了，而這個(gè)是因?yàn)槟銢]有聽媽媽的話。所有這些難看的污點(diǎn)和亂畫的痕跡都是你們淘氣的時(shí)候出現(xiàn)的。而書里面每一件漂亮的東西都是你們表現(xiàn)好的時(shí)候出現(xiàn)的。”

“噢，要是可以重新拿回我們的書該有多好呀！”卡爾和菲利普齊聲說。

“那不可能，”仙女說，“瞧！這兩本只能在今年使用，它們現(xiàn)在必須回時(shí)光老人的書柜里去。不過，我給你倆每人又帶來一本新的。也許你們可以讓它們比那兩本更漂亮。”

說完，仙女就消失不見了，只剩兩個(gè)男孩站在那里，每人手里拿著一本新書，第一頁已經(jīng)翻開。

書的背后用金色的字母寫著：“為新的一年。”

1.leaf [li#720;f] n. (書刊等的)張，頁(用作印刷術(shù)語，指正反兩頁)

2.scratch [skraelig;t#643;] n. 亂涂；亂畫；潦草的筆跡

3.gorgeous [#712;ɡ#596;#720;d#658;#601;s] adj. 絢麗的；華麗的

4.delicate [#712;del#618;k#601;t] adj. (色、光等)柔和的，淡的

5.blot [bl#594;t] n. 墨水漬；污漬

6.spray [spre#618;] n. 小樹枝；小花枝

7.might [ma#618;t] n. 力量；能力

8.vanish [#712;vaelig;n#618;#643;] vi. 突然不見；消失