The Rose and the Gardener
Guidance for Reciting
Do you love life？Then do not squander time；for that's the stuff life is made of. This story tells that the holder of youth should never flaunt，without noticing its slipping away.
The Rose in the garden slipped her bud，
And she laughed in the pride of her youthful blood，
As she thought of the Gardener standing by―
“He is old―so old；and he soon will die！”
The full Rose waxed in the warm June air，
And she spread and spread，till her heart lay bare，
And she laughed once more as she heard his tread，
“He is older now. He will soon be dead！”
But the breeze in the morning blew，and found
That the leaves of the blown Rose strewed the ground；
And he came at noon，that Gardener old，
And he raked them softly under the mold.
And I wove the thing to a random rhyme，
For the Rose is Beauty；the Gardener，Time.
玫瑰与园丁
诵读导言
你热爱生命吗？那么，别浪费时间，因为生命是由时间组成的。有青春，但是别招摇，这是园丁告诉我们的道理。
中玫瑰绽开了蓓蕾，
她自恃年轻娇美，
讪笑那园丁站在她身边：
“他老迈――真老迈，死期不远！”
六月暖风吹得玫瑰盛开；
直开得袒心露怀，
她听到脚步声，再次讪笑：
“他更加老迈，就会死掉！”
上午的和风阵阵吹不停，
但见那玫瑰花瓣落纷纷；
老园丁来时已经是正午，
他轻拢着落花埋入泥土。
我聊将此事写一首小诗，
因为玫瑰虽为美，园丁却是时间。