There was a man who had four sons.
He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly.
So he sent them each on a quest, in turn,
to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
 
有一個人，他有四個兒子。
他希望他的兒子能夠學會不要太快對事情下結論，
所以，他依次給他四個孩子一個問題，
要他們分別出去遠方看一顆桃子樹。
 
The first son went in the winter,
the second in the spring,
the third in summer,
and the youngest son in the fall.
 
大兒子在冬天前往，二兒子在春天，
三兒子在夏天，小兒子則是在秋天前往。
 
When they had all gone and come back,
he called them together to describe what they had seen.
 
當他們都前去也都返家之後，
他把他們一起叫到跟前形容他們所看到的情景，
 
The first son said that
the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
 
大兒子說那棵數很醜、枯槁、扭曲。
 
The second son said
no it was covered with green buds
and full of promise.
 
二兒子則說，不是這樣子，
這棵樹被青青的嫩芽所覆蓋，充滿了盼望。
 
The third son disagreed;
he said it was laden with blossoms
that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful,
it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
 
三兒子不同意，他說樹上花朵綻放、充滿香氣，
看起來十分美麗，這美景事他從來不曾見到過的。
 
The last son disagreed with all of them;
he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit,
full of life and fulfillment.
 
小兒子也不同意他們三人的說法。
他說樹上結滿了果子、累累下垂。
充滿了生命果子與豐收。