HIGH up in the clear, pure air flew an angel, with a flower plucked from the garden of heaven. As he was kissing the flower a very little leaf fell from it and sunk down into the soft earth in the middle of a wood. It immediately took root, sprouted, and sent out shoots among the other plants.      

一个天使拿着一束采自天堂的花，高高地飞翔在清澈明净的天空中。在他亲吻花瓣的时候，一片小叶子掉了下来，落到林中肥沃松软的泥土里，叶子即刻生根，发芽，在灌木丛中伸出幼嫩的枝条。  "What a ridiculous little shoot!" said one. "No one will recognize it; not even the thistle nor the  stinging nettle."    

可是有声音说道：“好可笑的枝条啊！没人会喜欢的，就连蓟和刺人的荨麻也不堪与之为伍的。”

  "It must be a kind of garden plant, " said another; and so they sneered and  despised the plant as a thing from a garden.    

马上有声音附和：“这肯定是来自花园的另类。”于是，“这另类”便受到大家的嘲笑和蔑视。    

"Where are you coming? " said the tall thistles whose leaves were all armed with thorns. "It is   stupid nonsense to

allow yourself to shoot out in this way; we are not here to support you. "    

“你从哪里来？ ”蓟问道，蓟是一种高大的植物，叶子上布满了小刺。“你在这里生根发芽简直愚蠢，注定没人喜欢你的。”  

Winter came, and the plant was covered with snow, but the snow glittered over it as if it had sunshine beneath as well as above.      When spring came, the plant appeared in full bloom: a more beautiful object than any other plant in the forest. And now the professor of botany presented himself, one who could explain his knowledge in black and white. He examined and tested the plant, but it did not belong to his system of botany, nor could he possibly find out to what class it did belong. "It must be some degenerate species, " said he; "I do not know it, and it is not mentioned in any system. "  

冬天来了，雪盖住了它，还结出冰来，那叶子长出的植物便显得晶莹剔透，通体发光。春天到了，它开出绚烂的花来，美得让林子里所有的植物都相形见绌。这时，林子里来了一位植物学家，他是一位对植物学了如指掌的人。他细细地观察测量，却发现这株植物并不属于他所熟知的植物学范畴，也不知道该把它归属到哪个科类。“这肯定是一种退化的物种，”他说，“我不认识它，也未见它在植物分类体系中被提及过。”    

"Not known in any system! " repeated the thistles and the nettles.   The large trees which grew round it saw the plant and heard the remarks, but they said not a word either good or bad, which is the wisest plan for those who are ignorant.  

“名不见经传！”蓟和荨麻赶紧附和。听到这些议论，长在这株植物周围的古木，却一言不发，未置可否。其实，这才是对未知事物最明智的办法。    

There passed through the forest a poor innocent girl; her heart was pure, and her understanding increased by her faith. Her chief inheritance had been an old Bible, which she read and valued. From its pages she heard the voice of God speaking to her, and telling her to remember what was said of Joseph's brethren when persons wished to injure her. "They imagined evil in their hearts, but God turned it to good. " If we suffer wrongfully, if we are misunderstood or despised, we must think of Him who was pure and holy, and who prayed for those who nailed Him to the cross, "Father   forgive them, for they know not what they do. "      

一位天真的女孩从林中走过。她心地纯朴，她的信仰引领着她逐渐懂事。她主要的知识都源自她读过而且深爱的《旧约》。在它的字里行间，她听到上帝和她对话的声音，上帝告诉她，有人要伤害她时，一定要记住《圣经》中说过的关于约瑟兄弟的话。