登陆注册
14826500000306

第306章

IT was winter-time; the air was cold, the wind was sharp, but within the closed doors it was warm and comfortable, and within the closed door lay the flower; it lay in the bulb under the snow-covered earth.

One day rain fell. The drops penetrated through the snowy covering down into the earth, and touched the flower-bulb, and talked of the bright world above. Soon the Sunbeam pierced its way through the snow to the root, and within the root there was a stirring.

"Come in," said the flower.

"I cannot," said the Sunbeam. "I am not strong enough to unlock the door! When the summer comes I shall be strong!"

"When will it be summer?" asked the Flower, and she repeated this question each time a new sunbeam made its way down to her. But the summer was yet far distant. The snow still lay upon the ground, and there was a coat of ice on the water every night.

"What a long time it takes! what a long time it takes!" said the

Flower. "I feel a stirring and striving within me; I must stretch myself, I must unlock the door, I must get out, and must nod a good morning to the summer, and what a happy time that will be!"

And the Flower stirred and stretched itself within the thin rind which the water had softened from without, and the snow and the earth had warmed, and the Sunbeam had knocked at; and it shot forth under the snow with a greenish-white blossom on a green stalk, with narrow thick leaves, which seemed to want to protect it. The snow was cold, but was pierced by the Sunbeam, therefore it was easy to get through it, and now the Sunbeam came with greater strength than before.

"Welcome, welcome!" sang and sounded every ray, and the Flower lifted itself up over the snow into the brighter world. The Sunbeams caressed and kissed it, so that it opened altogether, white as snow, and ornamented with green stripes. It bent its head in joy and humility.

"Beautiful Flower!" said the Sunbeams, "how graceful and delicate you are! You are the first, you are the only one! You are our love! You are the bell that rings out for summer, beautiful summer, over country and town. All the snow will melt; the cold winds will be driven away; we shall rule; all will become green, and then you will have companions, syringas, laburnums, and roses; but you are the first, so graceful, so delicate!"

That was a great pleasure. It seemed as if the air were singing and sounding, as if rays of light were piercing through the leaves and the stalks of the Flower. There it stood, so delicate and so easily broken, and yet so strong in its young beauty; it stood there in its white dress with the green stripes, and made a summer. But there was a long time yet to the summer-time. Clouds hid the sun, and bleak winds were blowing.

"You have come too early," said Wind and Weather. "We have still the power, and you shall feel it, and give it up to us. You should have stayed quietly at home and not have run out to make a display of yourself. Your time is not come yet!"

It was a cutting cold! The days which now come brought not a single sunbeam. It was weather that might break such a little Flower in two with cold. But the Flower had more strength than she herself knew of. She was strong in joy and in faith in the summer, which would be sure to come, which had been announced by her deep longing and confirmed by the warm sunlight; and so she remained standing in confidence in the snow in her white garment, bending her head even while the snow-flakes fell thick and heavy, and the icy winds swept over her.

"You'll break!" they said, "and fade, and fade! What did you want out here? Why did you let yourself be tempted? The Sunbeam only made game of you. Now you have what you deserve, you summer gauk."

"Summer gauk!" she repeated in the cold morning hour.

"O summer gauk!" cried some children rejoicingly; "yonder stands one- how beautiful, how beautiful! The first one, the only one!"

同类推荐
  • 黑鞑事略

    黑鞑事略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 程杏轩医案

    程杏轩医案

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 经学通论

    经学通论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 枯崖漫录

    枯崖漫录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 华严清凉国师礼赞文

    华严清凉国师礼赞文

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 我要回农村

    我要回农村

    城市套路深,我要回农村!还差几个字才能创建作品!
  • 青春叹止

    青春叹止

    青春是每一个人生命中最美丽的时段,这个时候我们或许还很稚嫩,很渺小,但这个时候我们却有理想,有激情,我们可以用理想改变稚嫩,用激情改变渺小,用青春的火苗,点燃整个人生,造就自己的辉煌的同时,给予身边的人们温暖和光明,这是一部描写青春生活的写实小说,没有华丽的场面,只有平淡的生活,没有煽情的言语,只有真情流露的瞬间,没有九曲十八弯的情节,只有梦想与现实的激烈碰撞。
  • 青山云志

    青山云志

    (以古地球神话时代为背景,这是一本以探秘为主线的仙侠。在这里不是一个人的无敌,是无数豪杰的壮歌。)一次考古行动,平凡的少年被带入新世界。探寻回家路,揭开古地球的神话,见证世间数亿年的沧海桑田。为了情!孤身一人杀穿万古,为了爱!只手撑起一片天地
  • 圣亚学院:青春校园恋

    圣亚学院:青春校园恋

    稀奇古怪的超能力、诡异的蓝宝石,指引着她解开那未知的身世之谜……影少认识她……是她的未婚夫,这究竟到底隐藏着怎样的惊天大秘密!他和他的区别,一个爱她,一个对她很好,但是她却选择了第一条路……因为……她爱的人不是他……粉丝群:552653798,敲门砖“青春校园恋”,群主为夜大。
  • 幻神之神

    幻神之神

    秦列第一世乃佛祖座下大鹏鸟,古嫣第一世是天界讲经堂外灵池中的莲花,经过天界仙水的滋润,日日听道,终有所悟。最终修炼成神,化为莲花宝座。两人一次意外邂逅,互生爱慕,私下定终生,终因触犯天条,被贬下凡尘。第二世,他是北冥河中一条大鱼,名叫鲲,她是北冥河山涯边一朵火莲,他救了她,完成了业果,飞升扶摇直上青天,变身成鲲鹏大鸟,两人无奈错过,后几世,两人阴差阳错,始终不能在一起-----------风平,本书第一主角,天纵奇才,身怀异能,却身世惨苦,幼年全家被屠杀,自己侥幸逃脱,却又被仇人追杀,逼入绝境,意外生还---------
  • 乱世小雄

    乱世小雄

    “且壮士不死则已,死即举大名耳,王侯将相宁有种乎?
  • 尘落在风

    尘落在风

    蔡子尘是一个将近30的女孩,性格;随性,感性与理性结合能力max各种属性随意切换心理研究狂魔现实主义者并且喜欢分析研究数据,在一次应聘中偶遇了一位作家,并且让作家帮忙写本自己回忆式的自传,讲述了一个女孩从初中一直到现在的人生经历,形形色色的人物在她的人生中有着过客般的走场,经历了许多事件之后,女孩的成长蜕变,同时从小到大遇到的人给予了她很大的帮助,从小奠定了一定的狂傲资本。而从小到大她人生中的过客造就了女孩今天的成就,她与那些人物的些许零碎的公开的秘密,组成了她独一无二仅有的精彩人生。
  • 都市神装

    都市神装

    叶唯每天梦见自己穿上不同的神装就拥有不同的能力。直到一天,他意外得到进入虚界的物品,并发现在虚界通过某种条件,可以把虚界的东西兑换到现实世界,而虚界里,最强的实力都是通过神装实现的,于是他和其他进入虚界的人开始疯狂了!
  • 佛说阿难分别经

    佛说阿难分别经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。