一棵银杏与一棵银杏的爱情

薛涛 桃子

许多年前，一只绿色的鸟把两颗种子无意中撒落在旷野上。阳光的温暖，雨露的润泽，土壤的滋养，两颗种子萌发了。他们刚从土壳中晃出头就看见了对方，旷野空旷也很寂寞，他们看着对方长大，把对方当成了伴，但他们无法交流。

有一天，一只喜鹊从远方飞来，累了，见旷野中有两棵银杏，就飞过去，落在其中那棵高些的银杏上。高些的银杏是个男孩，他觉得机会来了。他想让头顶这只喜鹊飞到对面的矮银杏上，带去他的问候。矮银杏是个女孩子。

喜鹊歇够了，就飞走了。在以后的日子里，高银杏与矮银杏相互望着，望久了，心里产生了关怀之情。而高银杏则几乎每分每秒都深情地望着矮银杏，他说不清楚自己这是怎么了。

Many years ago， a green bird accidentally dropped two seeds on a meadow. With the warm sunlight and fertile soil， moistened by rain and dew， the seeds started to grow. They immediately beheld each other when they could just be seen above the ground. Vast was the meadow and lonely. They grew up and took each other as companion. But， what a pity - they could not speak to each other.

A magpie flew over one day. She had flown a long way and wanted to rest. She saw the two Ginkgo trees and landed on the taller tree. This tree was a boy， and he thought this was his best chance to talk to the other tree， who was a girl. So he asked the magpie to bring his greetings to the other ginkgo tree nearby.

The magpie had a good rest and away she flew， so the short ginkgo tree did not receive greetings from the tall tree. In the days that followed， the tall ginkgo and the short ginkgo looked at each other， and mutual care entered their hearts. The tall ginkgo， who gazed at the girl for every second and almost never took his eyes away from her， had a warm and fuzzy feeling he'd never felt before.

高银杏还想找个机会把自己的心情告訴矮银杏，比如再求助鸟，或者别人。

不知过了多少个日夜，机会又来了，从东北吹来一缕风。高银杏赶紧抖掉一片叶子，想托这缕风捎给对面的矮银杏。可是这缕风把事办得太毛糙，“呼”的一下把叶子卷走了，矮银杏根本就没收到那片叶子。

高银杏只好苦苦地立在旷野上，深情地望着矮银杏。

总算又有鸟飞来了，是一只山雀。可高银杏还没来得及把自己的想法说出来，这只性急的山雀就衔着树枝飞走了，她将那片树枝垒窝用了。

高银杏伤感地站立着。

在以后的日子里，高银杏把地下属于自己的那份水和养分让给了矮银杏一些。矮银杏收到了这意外的礼物，却不知它从何而来。一只蚯蚓爬过来把这一切歪曲了：“尽情享用吧，这是我从那棵高银杏那里为你搞到的，他长得比你高，不该再享用那么多的水和养分了。”

He wanted to tell the girl how he felt. But he had to wait for another chance. Maybe， it would be a bird. Maybe it would be someone else.

Many days and nights passed until his new chance appeared. A gust of wind came from the Northeast. The tall ginkgo shook his body in haste and let go a leaf， which he had hoped to be carried by the wind to the short tree. The wind had not done her work well. She blew by so fast that the leaf， swirled in her arms， was carried away. The short ginkgo did not receive the message.

Standing fast on the meadow， the taller tree still gazed at the short tree with affection. How bleak and lonely the meadow sometimes seemed to be！

At last， another bird came. It was a sparrow. But before the tall tree could utter a word， the impatient sparrow flew away with a twig in her mouth. The twig would be used in her nest.

The tall tree stood still， but with sadness.

In the following days， he spared some of his water and food for the girl. The short tree received the gift from underground， but did not know how it had come. An earthworm crawled up to her and said， “Enjoy！ I took them from the tall ginkgo tree. He is so tall and ought to give you some.”

高银杏不知道蚯蚓出卖了他，仍旧把一些水和养分让到矮银杏的那边。他衷心希望弱小的矮銀杏能长得再高些强壮些。时间一长，高银杏的体质坏了下来。但他挺住了。

矮银杏也发觉了高银杏的病态，很想问问他怎么了，但却无法与他沟通。矮银杏不知道这其中的究竟。

这时，高银杏却已看出矮银杏正一天天地强壮起来，心里也就安慰多了。那么即便她不知道自己的感情又怕什么呢！

有一天凌晨，空中正一块一块聚集云团。这一切都在悄悄进行。高银杏与矮银杏，还有整个旷野都在沉睡。空中一个闪电，耀眼的光芒把矮银杏刺醒了，而就在同时，这道闪电正朝她劈来！矮银杏惊呆了。可是火球飞着飞着却突然改变了方向……

砰！一道火光闪过，矮银杏不知道发生了什么，只是，受伤的并不是她。

天亮了，晴朗了，一切都看明白了。高银杏被闪电击过的伤口还冒着蓝烟。他大半个身子被烧煳了，原来，夜里他扬起枝条拦住了那个朝矮银杏飞去的火球。

矮银杏吃惊地望着受伤的高银杏—受伤的不该是他啊！

高银杏轻轻呻吟着，但带着快意。

The tall ginkgo did not know the earthworms lie. He kept giving his water and food to the girl. He heartily wished the girl could grow stronger and be healthier. As the days went by， the tall tree started to grow slowly and was not as strong. But he hung in there.

The short ginkgo noticed. She wanted to ask what was happening to her companion， but again， she could not speak. Indeed， she knew nothing of the whole deal， not a bit.

And the tall tree noted that the smaller tree was growing up！ Taller and stronger. He was very relieved. Why would it matter if she never knows anything then， he said to himself.

Early one morning， the clouds were coming from all directions and building up slowly. Nobody noticed what was going on. The tall ginkgo， short ginkgo and the vast meadow were all in their deep sleep. Lightning danced across the sky and the sharp light blinded everything with eyes -and awakened the short ginkgo. Alas！ It was piercing toward HER！ Stunned and unable to move， the short ginkgo watched the lightning strike closer and closer. What a miracle！ The fire ball suddenly changed its route and went another way...

“Thunk！” was what she heard. The short tree was not hurt but she didn't know what happened either. She herself was not hurt， so much to her knowledge.

Dawn approached and the sky grew brighter. Now she could see clearly. Blue smoke was still rising out of a wound in the tall ginkgo tree. When the lightning struck， half his body had been burned. He had saved the girl by flinging his arms-his branches and twigs-toward the horrible thing to lure it away from his friend.

I should be hurt， not him， the short ginkgo said to herself， bewildered.

And the tall tree moaned， but with secret pleasure in his heart.

曠野上出事了。那只自私的山雀飞来了，胡说八道的蚯蚓也爬来了。他们愧疚地把当时的真相告诉了矮银杏：当初有片叶子是高银杏送给她的……水和养分也是高银杏分给她的……

矮银杏不住地点头，她明白了一切。于是她用尽力气朝高银杏靠近。她想抚摸高银杏那正在流血的伤口。可要完全做到这一切是要很多时间的。一年过去了，矮银杏离高银杏还是远远的。

高银杏的呻吟越来越虚弱了。秋风刚一来，他枝头上的叶子就弱不禁风，纷纷飘落下来。

矮银杏没有放弃努力。她感动了许多喜鹊和山雀，连蚂蚁都来了，他们把矮银杏身上的叶子搬走，埋在高银杏的根下，那些叶子慢慢腐烂就能变成高银杏的养料了。

第二年，春天来了。一阵春风一场春雨，矮银杏发出一片片新叶。可是一看高银杏，他身子光秃秃的，没有醒来的迹象，矮银杏充满柔情地伸出枝头，能够触到高银杏了。原来，又经过半年多不停的努力，她已经不知不觉与高银杏靠近了几分。于是矮银杏就轻轻抚摸着高银杏，抚摸着他被闪电击打过的伤口……

这样就到了暮春。

一对踏春的恋人来旷野中旅行。他们一眼就看见了两棵几乎缠在了一起的银杏。他们久久望着这两棵情意绵绵的树，不肯离去。

男孩说：“那棵好像被火烧过，已经死掉了。”

女孩不愿相信这个事实，走过去，惋惜地看着，突然女孩跳了起来：“他没死，他发出了一片小叶儿！”

男孩不相信，走过去看：“不可能啊，他伤得多重啊……”

女孩想了想说：“是雌银杏的爱情救活了他。”

这时高银杏确实苏醒了，他感到全身的汁液又开始流动，他还看见了与他紧紧缠在一起的矮银杏。他轻轻地说：“我爱你！”

The big news soon spread over the meadow. The selfish sparrow came， and the earthworm came who always talked nonsense. Together， feeling ashamed， they told the short ginkgo the whole story， from the leaf， to the water and food from the tall tree.

The short tree nodded her head in enlightenment. She now knew it all. Trying to touch the bleeding wound and caress him， she made every effort to be closer， with all her might. But how long the work would take！ One year had passed when she found there was still a great distance between them.

Lower and lower was the voice of the tall ginkgo. The fall then came. The wind easily took the leaves off the tall ginkgo tree's branches， which were very weak now. His leaves fell down slowly， one by one.

The shorter tree kept on getting closer to him. The magpie was moved， so were the sparrows， and the ants. Together they removed the leaves of the shorter trees and buried them at the root of the tall tree. The rotting leaves became his food.

Spring came the next year with warm winds and soft rains. New leaves sprung up from the short ginkgo's branches. But no sign of awakening could be seen in the tall tree， whose body was still bare and bleak. Now the short tree could almost touch him. She stretched her tender twig and touched him. Now she caressed him， and she caressed the scar made by the lightning.

Now late spring was here.

A couple， who were on a spring outing， saw the two trees on the meadow， whose arms now entwined as lovers do. They looked at the two for a long time and were reluctant to leave.

“The taller tree is dead. He was struck by lightning and was set afire.” the boy said.

The girl approached the tree， not willing to believe what the boy said， and cried out ，“ No！ He is not dead. There is a small leaf， a new one！”

The boy walked closer disbelievingly.“This is impossible. You can see how badly he was hurt！” said he.

“It is the love of the other tree. She saved him！”the girl said decisively.

Now the tall ginkgo did wake up. He could feel the sap flowing again in his body. He opened his eyes and saw the smaller trees branches entwined with his. “ I love you！”said he softly.