一株垂垂老矣的常青藤

When my daughter was in grade school one day she brought home 4 tiny twigs.
我女儿读小学的时候，有天放学回家，她带回了4只细细的小树枝

They were trees given to the students by the school to plant.
这些树枝是学校发给学生们的，让他们带回家种植

None of them looked very hardy
他们看上去都有些弱不禁风

but with a hope for the future
不过我还是心存着一丝希望

I got a spade and planted them in our backyard.
就拿来铁铲，把它们种到了后院里

Over the years an accident with the lawnmower and poor soil brought an end to three of them.
数年时间过去，一起与割草机有关的意外事件，加上贫瘠的土壤，让4棵小树中的3棵都不幸夭折了

All that was left was a single evergreen .
唯一幸存下来的是一株常青藤

It grew crooked and very slowly.
它长得歪歪扭扭，长势也十分迟缓

It never got very tall and tilted to one side.
它从未长到很高的高度，还总是歪向一边

In the end it looked more like a fat bush than a tree.
到最后，它看上去更像是一丛肥大的灌木，而非一棵树

I noticed a few years ago too that it was starting to die.
数年前我就注意到，它已经开始衰老

The lower branches were becoming bare.
下层的树枝开始变得光秃秃的

The needles on the branches a little further up had turned brown.
上端的枝条上，那些尖尖的树叶也开始变成棕色

Only the top third of the tree was still green.
只有最顶端第三层的枝叶还青翠着

Last summer I did my best to save it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer but to no avail.
去年夏天，我竭尽全力想要救活它，给它喂了一大堆肥料，结果去无济于事

This morning I went out and looked at it again.
今天早上，我出门的时候又看了它一次

I was deciding on whether it would be better to just cut it down.
我考虑着是不是应该直接把它砍掉为好

It sure would make mowing the lawn easier
这样一来修剪草坪也会比较容易

and I would no longer have to watch it slowly decay .
我也再不用看着它慢慢枯萎，心生悲苦了

As I walked over to take a closer look at it, however,
可是，当我慢慢走近它，仔细一看

I noticed something moving within the needles.
我发现树叶丛中有什么东西在移动

It was a robin patiently building a nest in the topmost branches.
那是一只知更鸟，它正栖在最高的枝条上，不辞劳苦的想把自己的窝搭在那里

I smiled when I looked at it
我看着它微笑了

and decided that maybe this old tree had some life and usefulness left in it yet.
我想，或许这棵老树还有一丝生机尚存，也还有些用处

It may not be healthy or pretty
或许它并不健康，也不够漂亮

but it was still giving a bird a home
但它还能给鸟儿提供一个安身之所

and oxygen to this world.
还能给世界一些氧气

This tree reminded me of something too.
这棵树让我想起了什么

All of our lives have purpose.
每个人活着都有自己的目标

All of our lives have meaning.
我们的生命都有内在的意义

It doesn’t matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly.
无论我们是年轻力壮还是年老病弱，都没有关系

Until our last breath there are things for us to do, love for us to give, and joy for us to share.
直到我们停止呼吸前最后一刻，我们都有事情可以去做，我们都还怀着爱可以给予别人，还能分享自己的快乐

Until our last moment here we can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.
直到我们生命的最后一刻，我们还可以奉献一份力量，让世界成为更好，更美丽的地方。