Four Seasons of Life生命的四季

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 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 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 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 the 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.

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 some time or later.

从前，一个人有四个儿子。他希望儿子们能学会凡事勿匆匆下结论，于是派他们轮流去远方看一棵梨树。

大儿子冬天前往，二儿子春天启程，老三去时已是炎热的夏季，小儿子于金秋时节踏上了征程。

待他们全都看树归来以后，父亲把他们叫到一起，让他们各自描述自己看到的情景。

大儿子说大树很丑而且扭曲着。二儿子连忙否认，说树上发满嫩绿的新芽，生机盎然。

老三不同意了，树上明明开满花朵，吐露着芬芳，漂亮极了。这美景是他从不曾见到过的。

小儿子不同意他们三人的说法，枝头上明明坠满了累累果实，彰显着生机与收获。

父亲解释说，儿子们的说法都没错，因为他们每个人都只看到这棵树一个季节的风景。

他告诉儿子们，不能以一季来判断一棵树，或以一时来判断一个人，因为人的本质，还有一个人生命中的满足、喜悦和爱，只有在经历了所有的季节之后，最后才能被衡量。

倘若你在冬季就已放弃，那无疑会错过你生命中春天的生机、夏天的美丽和秋天的收获。

不要让一季的痛苦而毁掉了其它季节的喜悦。

不要因为某一段艰难的岁月就对人的一生下结论。持守、忍耐度过艰难的时光，美好的日子将在不久之后来到。

（芳 菲 选译）