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The Nightingale and the Rose--Oscar Wilde

"She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses," cried the young Student, "but in all my garden there is no red rose."
From her nest in the oak tree the Nightingale heard him and she looked out through the leaves and wondered.
"No red rose in all my garden!" he cried, and his beautiful eyes filled with tears. "Ah, I have read all that the wise men have written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose my life is made wretched."

"Here at last is a true lover," said the Nightingale. "Night after night have I sung of him, and now I see him.
"The Prince gives a ball tomorrow night," murmured the young Student, "and my love will be there. If I bring her a red rose she will dance with me till dawn.

I shall hold her in my arms, and she will lean her head upon my shoulder. But there is no red rose in my garden, so I shall sit lonely and my heart will break."

"Here, indeed, is the true lover," said the Nightingale. Surely love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds and opals.
"The musicians will play upon their stringed instruments," said the young Student, "and my love will dance to the sound of the harp and the violin. She will dance so lightly that her feet will not touch the floor. But with me she will not dance, for I have no red rose to give her," and he flung himself down on the grass, and buried his face in his hands, and wept.

"Why is he weeping?" asked a green Lizard, as he ran past him with his tail in the air.
"Why, indeed?" said a Butterfly, who was fluttering about after a sunbeam.
"Why, indeed?" whispered a Daisy to his neighbor, in a soft, low voice.
"He is weeping for a red rose," said the Nightingale.
"For a red rose?" they cried, "how very ridiculous!" and the little Lizard, who was something of a cynic, laughed outright. But the Nightingale understood the Student's sorrow, and sat silent in the Oak-tree.

Suddenly she spread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She passed through the grove like a shadow and like a shadow she sailed across the garden.

In the centre of the grass-plot stood a beautiful Rose-tree, and when she saw it she flew over to it. "Give me a red rose," she cried, "and I will sing you my sweetest song."
But the Tree shook its head.

参考译文

“她说只要我送她红玫瑰，她就愿意和我跳舞。”那个年轻学生大声说。“可在我的花园里，根本找不到红玫瑰。”

他的这番话让橡树巢里的夜莺听见了，她从绿叶丛中探出头来，向外张望着，思索着。

“我的花园里根本找不到红玫瑰！”他哭了，一双美丽的眼睛噙满了泪水。“唉！我读过智者们所写的所有文章，知道了哲学的所有奥秘；可就因为缺少一朵红玫瑰，我的生活变得这样的不愉快。”

“这儿终于有一位真正的有情人了，”夜莺说。“我夜复一夜地歌唱有情人，现在我总算见到他了。”

“明天晚上王子要开舞会，”年轻学生低声念叨，“我的心上人将要前往。假如我送她一朵红玫瑰，她就会陪我跳舞到天亮；我就能拥她在怀中，她也会把头靠在我的肩上。但是我的花园里根本找不到红玫瑰，因此我将只能孤零零地坐着，听任伤心。”

“这的确是位真正的有情人。”夜莺说。爱情确实是一件奇妙的事情，它比绿宝石和蛋白石更珍贵。

“乐师们会弹奏他们的弦乐器，”年轻学生说，“我的心上人将随着竖琴和小提琴的乐声翩翩起舞。她的舞姿是那样的轻盈，脚好像都没有挨着地板。然而她就是不会同我跳舞，因为我没有红玫瑰献给她。”说完他扑倒在草地上，双手捂着脸痛哭起来。

“他为什么哭啊？”一只绿色的小蜥蜴高高地翘起尾巴从他身旁跑过时，这样问道。

“就是啊，为什么呢？”一只正追着一缕阳光跳舞的蝴蝶说。

“就是啊，为什么呢？”一朵雏菊用轻柔的声音对自己的邻居低声说道。

“他在为一朵玫瑰而哭泣。”夜莺说。

“为一朵玫瑰？”他们叫了起来。“真可笑！”那个有点愤世嫉俗的小蜥蜴大笑起来。但是夜莺了解学生悲伤的原因，她默默无语地坐在橡树上。

忽然她展开了自己棕色的翅膀，朝天空飞去。她像个影子似的飞过了小树林，又像个影子似的飞越了花园。

在草地的中央长着一棵美丽的玫瑰树，夜莺看到那棵树后，就朝它飞去。“给我一朵红玫瑰吧！”她大声说道，“我会为你唱我最甜美的歌。”

但是树儿摇了摇头。

词汇释义

1.philosophy n. 哲学,哲理

例句：

Ethics is a branch of philosophy.
伦理学是哲学的分科.

2.wretched adj. 可怜的,不幸的,卑鄙的

例句：

The hotel food was absolutely wretched.
那家旅馆的饭菜极差。

3.Nightingale n. 夜莺

例句：

The nightingale sings sweetly at night.
这只夜莺夜里唱得很好听。

4.emerald n. 翡翠,绿宝石,翠绿色

例句：

The pendant was set with pearls surrounding an emerald.
这耳坠中间是一块翡翠，四周镶着珍珠。

5.sunbeam n. 日光

例句：

A sunbeam rests on the bookshelf.
一道阳光照在书架上。

6.soar v. 往上飞舞,高耸

例句：

Th price of this article have soar up since last year.
去年以来这种货物的价格已大幅度上涨。

难句解析

1.and my love will dance to the sound of the harp and the violin. She will dance so lightly that her feet will not touch the floor.

【难句释义】my love will dance following the melody of the harp and the violin.

【难句解析】dance to:随（音乐）起舞；dance with和某人跳舞

2.But with me she will not dance, for I have no red rose to give her," and he flung himself down on the grass...

【难句释义】"But she will not dance with me, because I haven't a red rose to give her,"and then he threw himself down on the grass disappointedly.