最動聽的歌

There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small cage. She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt great love for the birds.

One day the girl left the door to the cage open. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close， she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.

She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to soar into the clear， blue sky. So she lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air. The bird circled once， twice， three times.

The girl watched delightedly at the birds enjoyment. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody that she had never heard.

從前，有一個寂寞的女孩非常渴望愛。一天，她走在叢林中，發現兩只快要餓死的鳴鳥。她把它們帶回家，放入一個小籠子。經過她悉心的照料，這兩只鳥一天天強壯起來。每天早晨，它們都要用美妙的歌聲向她表示問候。女孩不由得愛上了這兩只小鳥。

一天，女孩把鳥籠的門敞開著。那只較大、較壯的鳥兒飛出了鳥籠。女孩非常害怕它會飛走。所以當鳥兒飛近時，她死命地將它抓住。她十分高興，終于把它捉了回來。突然，她感覺到鳥兒四肢無力。她張開手，驚恐地盯著手中已死的鳥。是她不顧一切的愛害死了這只鳥。

她注意到另一只鳥兒在籠邊撲扇著翅膀。她可以感受到它對自由的無限向往、它渴望沖向明凈的藍天。因此她將它舉起，輕輕地拋向空中。鳥兒在空中盤旋了一圈、兩圈、三圈。

看到鳥兒快樂的樣子，女孩很高興。她的內心不再計較自己的得失。她希望鳥兒能活得開心。突然，鳥兒飛近她，輕輕地落在她的肩上，唱起了她從未聽過的最動人的歌。

Vocabulary

long v. 渴望

starving adj. 極餓的

greet v. 問候，招呼

frightened adj. 害怕的

desperate adj. 不顧一切的

lift v. 舉起

delightedly adv. 高興地，欣喜地