故事
蘭花，生長在長江中下遊深山幽谷之中，沒有花枝招展的豔麗，卻有淡雅高潔、質樸文靜的氣質，不為無人而不芳，不因清寒而萎縮，故有「花中君子」之稱。
The orchids which grow in a secluded valley on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River donot have the beauty of the flutter of blossoming branches, but they have an air of eleganceand literary dignity. Their fragrance is exuded whether there are people to appreciate themor not, and the frost does not wither them; the orchid truly bears the name 「Gentleman ofFlowers.」
相傳，屈原遭奸臣陷害被楚懷王放逐，帶著他心愛的蘭花和書簡在仙女山上辦起了學堂。一天，仙女山的蘭花娘娘雲遊路過一間茅舍，正好發現屈原講課，於是站在窗外靜靜地聽。屈原正慷慨激昂地向學生們講授振興楚國的道理。屈原那赤誠的愛國深情令蘭花娘娘特別感動。她知道屈原向來喜歡蘭花，臨走時便將屈原栽種在窗下的三株蘭花點化成精。
The story goes that when the poet Qu Yuan was banished by King Huai of Chudue to the achinations of the king’s evil ministers, he took his beloved orchids andbamboo-strip books, and set up a school on Fairy Mountain. One day, the Orchid Goddessof Fairy Mountain, while floating on a cloud, happened to pass a thatched cottage. Inside,Qu Yuan was teaching a class, vigorously romoting righteous conduct for the Kingdomof Chu. The goddess stood outside the window quietly listening, particularly impressedby the poet’s deeply-felt patriotism. She knew that Qu Yuan had always loved orchids, sobefore she left she endowed three orchids which Qu Yuan had planted under the window with supernatural power.
幾天後，屈原繼續拖著虛弱的病體堅持給學生們講課。當他講到奸佞當道禍國殃民時，心中強烈的憤怒與擔憂難以平息，一口鮮血從口中噴出來，恰巧濺落在窗外的蘭花旁。弟子們心疼得直抹眼淚。
One week later, Qu Yuan dragged his weak and sickly body to the school to teach anotherclass. This time, the theme was how evil men had brought ruin to their country andpeople. Qu Yuan became so emotionally enraged that blood gushed out of his mouth andsplashed on the orchids outside the window. The pupils were so upset at this that they hadto wipe tears from their eyes.
第二天清晨，學生們驚訝地發現那三株蘭花，竟長成一大蓬，足有幾十株。屈原聞著淡雅的清香，看著潔白的蘭花，身體日漸好起來了。學生們喜出望外，覺得那蘭花一定有靈性，一同將蘭花移栽到學堂四周。
Early the next morning, the students were astonished to discover that the three orchidshad become a huge cluster. When Qu Yuan breathed the fresh odor of the orchids, hebecame healthier. The students were overjoyed and inspired by the orchids, and they togetherplanted more orchids all around the school.
說來也真奇怪！那蘭花第一天就生出根來，第二天便抽出嫩芽，第三天則伸枝展葉，第四天竟綻蕾開花，到了第五天每一株又發出新的根莖來。屈原便率領學生們在溪邊、山間移栽，蘭花因此香飄山谷。山裡老農笑著說：「十二畝稱一畹，屈大夫種的蘭花，怕有三畹了！我們這裡呀，真該改名叫蘭花鄉了。」
Marvelous to relate, on the very first day these orchids produced sprigs, on the secondday soft buds, and on the third day branches and leaves. On the fourth day, the buds beganto sprout, and on the fifth day each one put forth new stems! Qu Yuan led his pupils toplant orchids by a local stream and in mountain gorges. Soon, the hills and valleys werefilled with the scent of orchids. The farmers of the area smiled, and said, 「Twelve mu (Onemu equals 0.7 of a hectare) of land is called one wan. It seems that Master Qu has plantedthree wan with orchids. We should call this place Orchid Land.」
隨後，蘭花從三畹到六畹，又由六畹到了九畹。從此，仙女山下的這條清溪就叫九畹溪了。九畹溪邊的蘭花，一年盛似一年，醉人的芳香溢滿整條西陵峽，香飄全歸州，直至香透了半個楚天！
After that, three wan of orchids expanded to six wan, and then from six wan to ninewan, and the stream below Fairy Mountain got the name 「Jiuwan (nine wan) Stream.」The orchids growing beside Jiuwan Stream increased in number year after year, and filledWestern Ling Gorge with their heady perfume. Their fragrance was wafted as far asGuizhou, and perfumed half the sky over the Kingdom of Chu!
最終，屈原還是懷著一腔報國熱情和耿耿忠心出山了。然而，令鄉親們沒想到的是，那一年五月的一天，九畹溪畔、芝蘭鄉裡茂盛的蘭花，突然全部凋零枯萎而死，只留下陣陣暗香，仿佛陣陣哀嘆與哭泣……鄉親們預感不祥，心裡十分不安，生怕屈大夫發生什麼不測。果然，兩天之後傳來噩耗，就在蘭花凋謝的那天，屈大夫含冤投身汨羅江自盡，以死殉國。人們悲痛不已，仙女山上的蘭花娘娘也哭腫了眼睛。
In the end, Qu Yuan left the mountains, nurturing a burning desire to serve his countryin his breast. But, much to the surprise of the local people, on the first day of the fifthmonth by the lunar calendar that year, all the orchids, which had been growing so luxuriouslyby Jiuwan Stream and around Zhilan Village suddenly withered and died, leavingbehind only a faint hint of their fragrance – like sighs and tears. The villagers had a senseof foreboding and unease, as if something untoward had happened to Master Qu. Sureenough, two days later there came the dire news that Qu Yuan, overwhelmed by a senseof grievance, had thrown himself in the Miluo River, and died. He had sacrificed himselffor his country. The people were filled with grief, and the Orchid Goddess of Fairy Mountainwept till her eyes were swollen.
屈原一生有無數詩句吟頌蘭花，讚美蘭花。他的代表作《離騷》獨創的「香草美人」意象，代表屈原的愛國深情和獨立高潔的人格。屈原就像蘭花一樣高潔堅貞，古人由此也尊他為蘭花花神。
Qu Yuan wrote many poems throughout his life in praise of orchids. In his masterpiece Li Sao, we find a poem in which the orchid is called, 「Fragrant Plant Beauty,」 signifyinghis patriotic, pure and high-minded character, and because Qu Yuan’s qualitieswere so much like those of the orchid, people in ancient times honored him as the 「OrchidGod.」
故事要旨
蘭一直是中國人意識裡的君子人格的象徵，深受歷代國人推崇。屈原如同蘭花，有「不為無人而不芳，不因清寒而萎縮」的高潔品性。他深愛自己的國家，不與小人同流合汙，保持「世人皆濁我獨清」的氣節，與蘭花精神高度契合。
In the minds of the Chinese people the orchid has always been a symbol of a gentlemanlycharacter, and thus has been extolled down the generations. The pure nature of QuYuan was like that of the orchid, which 「exudes its fragrance only in the service of thepeople」 and 「does not wither despite the frost.」 He did not mingle with lowly men, andwas not tainted by them. He maintained his virtue, considering 「all others are muddy,only I am pure」 – just like the lofty nature of the orchid.
來源丨《用英語講中國故事（基礎級）》
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