感悟人生-Unit 08 The Secret of Happiness 幸福的秘诀
There is a wonderful fable 1 about a young orphan 2 girl who had no family and no one to love her. One day, feeling exceptionally sad and lonely, she was walking through a meadow when she noticed a small butterfly caught unmercifully in a thornbush. The more the butterfly struggled to free itself, the deeper the thorns cut into its fragile body. The young orphan girl carefully released the butterfly from its captivity 3. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"For your wonderful kindness," the good fairy said to the girl, "I'll grant you any wish you would like to have."
The little girl thought for a moment and then replied,"I want to be happy!"
The fairy said, "Very well." And leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the good fairy vanished.
As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her the secret of her happiness. She would only smile and answer, "The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl."
When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all rallied around her, afraid that her fabulous 4 secret of happiness would die with her. "Tell us, please," they begged. "Tell us what the good fairy said."
The lovely old woman simply smiled and said,"She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me."
- The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
- He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
- He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
- The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。