EDWARD W. FRENTZ 爱德华·W·弗朗兹

　　Trees are the oldest living things in the world! 树是世界上最古老的生物！

　　Today there are growing in our country trees that were here when Columbus came to our land. 现在我们国家还生长着哥伦比亚来这里时的树。

　　Some of them were here even hundreds of years before he came. 它们中有些在他来之前就已经存在几百年了。

　　"Only God makes trees, but sometimes we can help Him," said the Tinker in his story. “只有上帝能种树，但我们有时可以帮助他。”修补匠在他的故事中说。

　　One day, when my Grandfather Gifford was about seven years old, 我的祖父吉福德大约七岁的时候，

　　he looked across the road to his father's blacksmith shop. 有一天，他看向路对面他父亲的铁匠店。

　　He saw someone sitting on the bench by the door and went over to find out who it was. 他看见有人坐在门口的长凳上，于是走过去看看他是谁。

　　There he saw a little old man, with thick, bushy eyebrows and bright blue eyes. 在那里，他看到了一个长着浓密眉毛和明亮蓝眼睛的小老头。

　　At the old man's side was an open bag, in which grandfather could see some tools and sheets of tin. 老人旁边有一个打开的袋子，祖父可以看到里面的一些工具和铁皮。

　　The man was a traveling tinker, who came once or twice a year to mend leaky pans and pails. 这个人是位流浪修补匠，每年来一两次修补漏水的锅桶。

　　The old man was eating his lunch, a slice or two of bread, a bit of cold meat, and a cold potato. 老人正在吃午饭，有一两片面包，一点儿冷肉和一颗冷土豆。

　　It seemed so poor a lunch, that grandfather went to the house and brought two big apples from the cellar. 午饭似乎很糟糕，于是祖父进屋从地窖里拿了两个大苹果给他。

　　The old man thanked him and ate the apples. 老人向祖父道了谢，把苹果吃了。

　　Then he got up, and went down to the brook for a drink of water. 然后他起身去小溪旁喝水。

　　In a few minutes he came back and sat down on the bench near the door. 几分钟后，他回来了，在门边的长凳上坐了下来。

　　"Now, my boy," he said, "we will make a tree grow down by the brook. “现在，小男孩，”他说，“我们要在小溪边种棵树。

　　There should be one, for shade." 这里应该有棵树遮凉。”

　　"Make a tree!" cried grandfather. "How can we make a tree? “种树！”祖父叫道，“我们怎么种树？

　　I thought only God made trees." 我以为只有上帝能种树。”

　　"True," said the old man. "Only God makes trees, but sometimes we can help Him." “没错，只有上帝能种树，但我们有时可以帮他。”老人说。

　　With these words, he took from the bench at his side a stick 说完这些话后，他从身边的长凳上拿起一根他从某地砍得树枝，

　　that he had cut somewhere and had been using for a cane. 他一直用它当手杖来着。

　　It was slender and straight, and its smooth bark was a beautiful light-green color. 它又细又直，光滑的树皮泛着美丽的淡绿色。

　　"From this," said the tinker, "we will make a tree in which the birds shall build their nests. 修补匠说：“我们将用它造棵树出来，鸟儿们将在它上面筑巢。

　　Under it the animals shall find shelter from the hot sun.  在树下，动物们将在火热的太阳下找到遮蔽处。

　　But first let us make some music. 但是先让我们制造一些音乐。

　　Take this stick down to the brook, and dip it in the water." 拿着这根树枝到小溪边，把它浸在水里。”

　　My grandfather took the stick and did as the old man had told him. 我的祖父拿着树枝按照老人的话做了。

　　When he came back, the tinker had a large knife open in his hand. 他回来时，修补匠手里拿着一把大刀。

　　With it he made a cut through the bark of the stick, about a foot from one end. 他用刀在离树皮一端一英尺的位置切了一个口子。

　　By holding the knife still, and turning the stick slowly toward him in his fingers, 他拿着刀不动，用手指缓慢地朝自己转着树枝，

　　he cut the bark all the way round. 把树皮从头到尾切开。

　　Then he cut a big notch, near the end of the stick and farther down, 然后他在靠近树枝末端处切了一个大凹口，

　　he made four or five smaller notches. 往下又切了四、五个小凹口。

　　Last of all, he laid the stick across his knee, and turning it slowly 最后，他把树枝横放在膝盖上，慢慢地转动，

　　began to tap it gently with the handle of the knife. 开始用刀柄轻轻地拍它。