老人和三个年轻人
陈荣生 编译
（图片欣赏——申文学摄/襄阳）
从前，在一个村子里，有三个年轻人，他们都非常懒。
他们从不干活，只是四处闲逛。“可以睡觉，谁想干活，”他们中的一位说。他们不是大笑就是睡觉，而且总是在嬉戏作乐。
其他村民都觉得他们这样很烦人，没有一位村民喜欢他们。“这三个人想要什么样的生活呢？”他们心想。
后来有一天，三个年轻人在村子里转来转去，他们只是漫无目的地闲逛，拿其他村民来取乐。任何事情都能让他们哈哈大笑。
他们在逛荡的时候，看到了一位老人。这位老人正在他的田里辛勤劳作。
这位老人真的是非常老了。他那灰白头发和灰白胡须从远处就可以看到了。这三位懒人问老人：“你在那干什么呢？”
“我在种树，它们会结出很多果实，”老人答。
三位懒汉中的一位又问：“你为什么要这样做呢？你应该让你那老身子歇歇。毕竟，你活不到享受这些水果的那天！”
老人只是笑笑，选择不作回答。他知道，他们三人都很懒，不会知道给后代留下一些东西的乐趣。
“你应该停下来了，”另一个年轻人说。
“年轻人，我也许老了，而且像你们说的那样，我的身体也老了。但你们知道吗，我可能不久就会死去，但我种下的这些树将会结出比我生命更长的果实。我知道将会有很多人享受到我现在种植的树的果实，这让我感到很高兴！
“即使我死了，人们也会因为我的善行记住我。告诉我，人们会怎样记住你们呢？”老人说完，就继续干活了。
三个年轻人回家去了，但他们并不明白老人的意思。
（译自《床头故事》）
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The Old Man and the Three Young Men
Once upon a time in a village lived three young men. Now, these three men were extremely lazy.
They never did any work and they only lazed around.“Who wants to work, when you can sleep,” one of them said. They would laugh and sleep and be merry all the time.
All the other villagers found this very annoying. None of the other villagers liked them. “What kind of life do these three want?” they would wonder.
Then one day, while the three went around the village, just roaming aimlessly and making fun of the other villagers. Anything made the three laugh.
While they were roaming, they found an old man. The old man was hard at work in his field.
This man was extremely old. His graying hair and gray beard were visible from afar. The three lazy men asked the man, “What are you doing there?”
“I am planting some trees that would bear many fruits,” the old man replied.
One of the three lazy men asked again, “And why would you do that? You should be resting your old body. After all, you won’t be around here to enjoy these fruits!”
The old man only smiled and chose not to reply. He knew that the three of them were lazy and would not know the pleasure of leaving something behind for the coming generations.
“You should stop,” another one said.
“Young men, I may be old and my body as you said, is old too. But you see, I may die soon but these trees that I am planting will bear fruit for longer than my life. And it pleases me to know that there will be many people who enjoy the fruits of a tree that I am planting now!
“Even when I die, people will remember me for my good deeds. And how will people remember you, tell me?” the old man said as he went back to work. ”
The three young men went back home, but they did not understand what the old man meant.
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