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THE FLAX
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THE Flax stood in blossom; it had pretty little blue flowers, smooth as a moth's wings, and even more delicate. The sun shone on the Flax, and the rain clouds moistened it, and this was just as good for it as it is for little children when they are washed, and afterwards get a kiss from their mother; they become much prettier, and so did the Flax.

“The people say that I stand uncommonly1 well,”said the Flax,“and that I'm fine and long, and shall make a capital piece of linen2. How happy I am! I'm certainly the happiest of beings. How well off I am! And I may come to something! How the sunshine gladdens, and the rain tastes good and refreshes me! I'm wonderfully happy; I'm the happiest of beings.”

“Yes,yes,yes!”said the Hedge-stake.“You don't know the world, but we do, for we have knots in us;”and then it creaked out mournfully,

“Snip-snap-snurre,

Basse-lurre!

The song is done.”

“No, it is not done,”said the Flax.“Tomorrow the sun will shine, or the rain will refresh us. I feel that I'm growing, I feel that I'm in blossom! I'm the happiest of beings.”

But one day the people came and took the Flax by the head and pulled it up by the root. That hurt; and it was laid in water as if they were going to drown it, and then put on the fire as if it was going to be roasted. It was quite fearful!

“One, can't always have good times,”said the Flax. One must make one's experiences, and so one gets to know something.

But bad times certainly came. The Flax was bruised3 and scutched, and broken and hackled. Yes, it did not even know what the operations were called that they did with it. It was put on the spinning-wheel----whirr! whirr!whirr!----it was not possible to collect one's thoughts.

“I have been uncommonly happy!”it thought in all its pain.“One must be content with the good one has enjoyed! Contented4! contented! Oh!”And it continued to say so even when it was put into the loom5, and till it became a large beautiful piece of linen. All the flax, to the last stalk, was used in making one piece.

“But this is quite remarkable6! I should never have believed it! How favourable7 fortune is to me! The Hedgestake was well informed, truly, with its

Snip-snap-snurre,

Basse-lurre!

The song is not done by any means.Now it's beginning in earnest. That's quite remarkable! If I've suffered something, I've been made into something! I' m the happiest of all! How strong and fine I am, how white and long! That's something different from being a mere8 plant, even if one has a flower. One is not attended to, and only gets watered when it rains. Now I'm attended to and cherished;the maid turns me over every morning, and I get a shower bath from the watering-pot every evening. Yes,the clergyman's wife has even made a speech about me, and says I'm the best piece in the whole parish.I cannot be happier!”

Now the Linen was taken into the house, and put under the scissors: how they cut and tore it, and then pricked9 it with needles! That was not pleasant; but twelve pieces of body linen of a kind not often mentioned by name, but indispensable to all people, were made of it----a whole dozen!

“Just look! Now something has really been made of me! So, that was my destiny. That's a real bles sing. Now I shall be of some use in the world, and that's right, that's a true pleasure! We've been made into twelve things, but yet we're all one and the same; we're just a dozen: how remarkably10 charming that is!”

Years rolled on, and now they would hold together no longer.

“It must be over one day,”said each piece.“I would gladly have held together a little longer, but one must not expect impossibilities.”

They were now torn into pieces and fragments.They thought it was all over now, for they were hacked11 to shreds12, and softened13 and boiled; yes, they themselves did not know all that was done to them; and then they became beautiful white paper.

Now, that is a surprise, and a glorious surprise!”said the Paper.“Now I'm finer than before, and I shall be written on: that is remarkably good fortune.”

And really the most beautiful stories and verses were written upon it, and the people heard what was upon it; it was sensible and good, and made people much more sensible and good: there was a great blessing14 in the words that were on this Paper.

“That is more than I ever imagined when I was a little blue flower in the fields. How could I fancy that I should ever spread joy and knowledge among men? I can't yet understand it myself, but it is really so. I have done nothing myself but what I was obliged with my weak powers to do for my own preservation,and yet I have been promoted from one joy and honour to another. Each time when Ithink‘the song is done,’it begins again in a higher and better way. Now I shall certainly be sent about to journey through the world, so that all people may read me. That is the only probable thing. I've splendid thoughts, as many as I had pretty flowers in the old times. I'm the happiest of beings.”

But the Paper was not sent on its travels, it was sent to the printer, and everything that was written upon it was set up in type for a book, or rather for many hundreds of books, for in this way a very far greater number could derive15 pleasure and profit from the book than if the one paper on which it was written had run about the world, to be worn out before it had got half-way.

“Yes,that is certainly the wisest way,”thought the Written Paper.“I really did not think of that. I shall stay at home, and be held in honour, just like an old grandfather. It was on me the writing was done; the words flowed from the pen right into me. I remain here and the books run about. Now something can really be done. I am the happiest of all.”

Then the Paper was tied together in a bundle, and put on a shelf.

“It's good resting after work,”said the Paper.“It is very right that one should collect one's thoughts. Now I'm able for the first time to think of what is in me, and to know oneself is true progress. What will be done with me now? At any rate I shall go forward again:I'm always going forward.”

One day all the paper was laid on the hearth16 in order to be burnt, for it must not be sold to the grocer to wrap up butter and sugar. And all the children in the house stood round; they wanted to see it blaze, they wanted to see among the ashes the many red sparks, which seemed to dart17 off and go out, one after the other, so quickly. These are the children going out of school, and the last spark of all is the schoolmaster: one often thinks he has gone already, but he always comes a little after all the others. All the old Paper, the whole bundle,was laid upon the fire, and it was soon alight.“Ugh!”it said, and burst out into bright flame that mounted up higher than the Flax had ever been able to lift its little blue flowers,and glittered as the white Linen had never been able to glitter. All the written letters turned for a moment quite red, and all the words and thoughts turned to flame.

“Now I'm mounting straight up to the sun,”said a voice in the flame; and it was as if a thousand voices said this in unison18; and the flames mounted up through the chimney and out at the top, and more delicate than the flames, invisible to human eyes,little tiny beings floated there, as many as there had been blossoms on the Flax. They were lighter19 even than the flame from which they were born; and when the flame was extinguished, and nothing remained of the Paper but black ashes, they danced over it once more, and where they touched the black mass the little red sparks appeared. The children came out of school, and the schoolmaster was the last of all. That was fun! and the children sang over the dead ashes----

“Snip-snap-snurre,

Basse-lurre!

The song is done.”

But the little invisible beings all said,

“The song is never done, that is the best of all. I know it, and therefore I'm the happiest of all.”

But the children could neither hear that nor understand it, nor ought they, for children must not know everything.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 uncommonly 9ca651a5ba9c3bff93403147b14d37e2     
adv. 稀罕(极,非常)
参考例句:
  • an uncommonly gifted child 一个天赋异禀的儿童
  • My little Mary was feeling uncommonly empty. 我肚子当时正饿得厉害。
2 linen W3LyK     
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的
参考例句:
  • The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
  • Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。
3 bruised 5xKz2P     
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的
参考例句:
  • his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
  • She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤,摔得鼻青脸肿。
4 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
5 loom T8pzd     
n.织布机,织机;v.隐现,(危险、忧虑等)迫近
参考例句:
  • The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
  • The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。
6 remarkable 8Vbx6     
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的
参考例句:
  • She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
  • These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。
7 favourable favourable     
adj.赞成的,称赞的,有利的,良好的,顺利的
参考例句:
  • The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
  • We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。
8 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
9 pricked 1d0503c50da14dcb6603a2df2c2d4557     
刺,扎,戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 ); 刺伤; 刺痛; 使剧痛
参考例句:
  • The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
  • He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。
10 remarkably EkPzTW     
ad.不同寻常地,相当地
参考例句:
  • I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
  • He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。
11 hacked FrgzgZ     
生气
参考例句:
  • I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
  • I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。
12 shreds 0288daa27f5fcbe882c0eaedf23db832     
v.撕碎,切碎( shred的第三人称单数 );用撕毁机撕毁(文件)
参考例句:
  • Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮,切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
13 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
14 blessing UxDztJ     
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿
参考例句:
  • The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
  • A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。
15 derive hmLzH     
v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自
参考例句:
  • We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
  • We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。
16 hearth n5by9     
n.壁炉炉床,壁炉地面
参考例句:
  • She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来,在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
  • She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里,打开电灯。
17 dart oydxK     
v.猛冲,投掷;n.飞镖,猛冲
参考例句:
  • The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
  • Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。
18 unison gKCzB     
n.步调一致,行动一致
参考例句:
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。
19 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。


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