依依在1岁半左右的时候，去亲子图书馆，听那里的姐姐讲解过中文的绘本《爱心树》。后来看到了这个故事的英文绘本，我感觉英文版更能展现这个故事的深刻内涵。尤其是作者创作的这首动听的同名英文歌曲为这个绘本增色不少。

   这个绘本的作者Shel Silverstein, 堪称二十世纪美国文艺界令人印象最为深刻的鬼才之一，少年时代就因为缺乏运动细胞、长相又不讨女孩子喜欢，因此决定把自己的时间用来写诗和作画，由于当时的他从未接触过任何名家的作品，反而发展出一种非常独特的个人风格，等到女孩子们因为他的表现而开始注意到他的时候，他已经忙得没有时间去理会她们了。出版於1964年的《爱心树》是他最早的儿童文学作品之一，也是最受推崇与喜爱的经典。

   这个绘本的文字部分，被作者改编的非常适合儿童阅读。故事的大意是这个样子的：

 　　A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and lay around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.

　　很久很久以前，有一棵又高又大的苹果树。一位小男孩，天天到树下来，他爬上去摘苹果吃，在树荫下睡觉。他爱苹果树，苹果树也爱和他一起玩耍。

　　Time went by... the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, but I don’t have money...but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

　　后来，小男孩长大了，不再天天来玩耍。一天他又来到树下，很伤心的样子。苹果树要和他一起玩，男孩说：“不行，我不再是小孩子了，不能再和你玩，我要玩具，可是没钱买。”苹果树说：“很遗憾，我也没钱，不过，把我所有的果子摘下来卖掉，你不就有钱了？”男孩十分激动，他摘下所有的苹果，高高兴兴地走了。然后，男孩好久都没有来。苹果树很伤心。

　　One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, but I don’t have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.

　　有一天，男孩终于来了，树兴奋地邀他一起玩。男孩说：“不行，我没有时间，我要替家里干活呢，我们需要一幢房子，你能帮忙吗？”“我没有房子，”苹果树说，“不过你可以把我的树枝统统砍下来，拿去搭房子。”于是男孩砍下所有的树枝，高高兴兴地运走去盖房子。看到男孩高兴树好快乐。从此，男孩又不来了。树再次陷入孤单和悲伤之中。

　　One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. The tree was happy, but it was not true.

　　一年夏天，男孩回来了，树太快乐了：“来呀！孩子，来和我玩呀。”男孩却说：“我心情不好，一天天老了，我要扬帆出海，轻松一下，你能给我一艘船吗？”苹果树说：“把我的树干砍去，拿去做船吧！”于是男孩砍下了她的树干，造了条船，然后驾船走了，很久都没有回来。树好快乐……但不是真的。

　　Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you...” the tree said.

　　“I don’t have teeth to bite,” the boy replied.

　　许多年过去，男孩终于回来，苹果树说：“对不起，孩子，我已经没有东西可以给你了，我的苹果没了。”

　　男孩说：“我的牙都掉了，吃不了苹果了。”

　　“No more trunk for you to climb on.”

　　“I am too old for that now,” the boy said.

　　“I really can’t give you anything... the only thing left is my dying roots,” the tree said with tears.

　　苹果树又说：“我再没有树干，让你爬上来了。”

　　男孩说：“我太老了，爬不动了。”

　　“我再也没有什么给得出手了……，只剩下枯死下去的老根，”树流着泪说。

　　“I don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.

　　“Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears...

　　男孩说：“这么多年过去了，现在我感到累了，什么也不想要，只要一个休息的地方。”

　　“好啊！老根是最适合坐下来休息的，来啊，坐下来和我一起休息吧！”男孩坐下来，苹果树高兴得流下了眼泪……

　　This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad... When we grown up, we left them, and only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that’s how all of us are treating our parents.

　　这就是我们每个人的故事。这颗树就是我们的父母。小时候，我们喜欢和爸爸妈妈玩……长大后，我们就离开他们，只在需要什么东西或者遇到麻烦的时候，才回到他们身边。无论如何，父母永远都在那儿，倾其所有使你快乐。你可能认为这个男孩对树很残酷，但这就是我们每个人对待父母的方式。

  这篇文章用的背景歌曲，就是《爱心树》The Giving Tree。由Shel Silverstein作词作曲，下面是英文歌词：

The Giving Tree

　　Once there was a giving tree
　　Who loved a little boy
　　And everyday the boy would come to play
　　Swinging from her branches
　　Sleeping in her shades
　　Laughing all the summer hours away
　　And so they loved, and oh the tree was happy
　　Oh, the tree was glad
　　
　　But soon the boy grew older
　　And one day he came and said
　　Can you give me some money, tree
　　To buy some things I've found
　　I have no money, said the tree
　　Just apples, twigs and leaves
　　But you can take my apples, boy
　　And sell them in the town
　　And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
　　Oh, the tree was glad
　　
　　Soon again the boy came back
　　And he said to the tree, I'm now a man
　　And I must have a house that's all my own
　　I can't give you a house, said the tree
　　The forest is my house
　　But you may cut my branches off
　　And build yourself a home
　　And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
　　Oh, the tree was glad
　　
　　And time went by and the boy came back
　　With sadness in his eyes
　　My life has turned so cold, he said
　　And I need sunny days
　　I'm nothing but my trunk, she said
　　But you may cut it down
　　And build yourself a boat and sail away
　　And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
　　Oh, the tree was glad
　　
　　And after years, the boy came back
　　From both ends of the world
　　I really cannot help you
　　If you ask another gift
　　I'm nothing but an old stump now
　　I'm sorry, boy, she said
　　I'm sorry, but I've nothing more to give
　　I don't need very much now
　　Just a quiet place to rest
　　The boy, he whispered with a weary smile
　　Well, said the tree, an old stump is still as good for that
　　Come, boy, she said, sit down
　　Sit down and rest a while
　　And so he did, and oh the tree was happy
　　Oh, the tree was glad