THERE was once a young man who was studying tobe a poet.He wanted to become one by Easter,to marry,and to live by poetry.To write poems,he knew,was onlyto invent something,but he could not invent anything.Hehad been born too late,everything had been taken up be－fore he came into the world,everything had been writtenand told about.

 "Happy people who were born thousands of yearsago!"said he."They could easily become immortal¹!Hap-py even,those who were born hundreds of years ago,forthen there was still something to make a poem about;howthe world is written out,and what can I write poetryabout?"

He worried about that till he became sick and ill. Wretched man!no doctor could help him,but perhaps thewise woman could!She lived in the little house beside thefield gate,which she opened for those riding and driving:she could open up more than the gate,she was wiser thanthe doctor,who drives in his own carriage and pays taxesfor his rank.

 "I must go out to her!"said the young man.

The house she lived in was small and neat,but drearyto behold;there was neither tree nor flower;a bee－hive,which was very useful,stood outside the door;there was asmall potato patch,also very useful;and a ditch with sloe－bushes which had flowered and now bore berries,whichdraw the mouth together if one tastes them before they havegot frost.

"That is a true picture of our unpoetic time,I seehere!"thought the young man,and it was always a thought,a grain of gold,that he found by the wise woman's door.

"Write it down!"said she."Crumbs² are also bread!I know why you come here;you cannot invent anything,and yet you want to be a poet by Easter!"

"Everything has been written down!"said he;"ourtime is not the old time!"

"No!"said the woman,"in olden times the wisewomen were burned,and poets went about with emptystomachs and holes in their elbows.The time is good,itis the very best!but you have not the right outlook on thething.You have not sharpened your hearing,and you donot say the Lord's Prayer at night.There is quite a lot ofall kinds of things to write poems about and tell of,if onecan tell.You can glean³ it from the plants and fruits ofthe earth,draw it from the running and the still waters,but you must understand it,understand how to catch asunbeam.Now try my spectacles,put my ear－trumpet inyour ear,pray to our Father,and leave off thinking ofyourself!"

The last thing was very difficult,more than a wisewoman ought to ask.

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1 immortal
adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的
参考例句：
The wild cocoa tree is effectively immortal.野生可可树实际上是不会死的。 The heroes of the people are immortal!人民英雄永垂不朽！

2 crumbs
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式
参考例句：
She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。 Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？

3 glean
v.收集(消息、资料、情报等)
参考例句：
The little information that we could glean about them was largely contradictory.我们能够收集到的有关它们的少量信息大部分是自相矛盾的。 From what I was able to glean,it appears they don't intend to take any action yet.根据我所收集到的资料分析，他们看来还不打算采取任何行动。

4 blessing
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。

5 watery
adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的
参考例句：
In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。 Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

6 withered
adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。 The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

7 steered
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导
参考例句：
He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。 The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ripened
v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 draughts
n. <英>国际跳棋
参考例句：
Seal (up) the window to prevent draughts. 把窗户封起来以防风。 I will play at draughts with him. 我跟他下一盘棋吧！

10 backwards
adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地
参考例句：
He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。 All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。