Once upon a time there were four seeds who were good friends of each other. Taken up by the wind they finally landed in a jungle clearing . There they remained, hidden in the ground, hoping they would be able to grow up and become beautiful trees.
But when the first seed began germinating , they realized it wouldn't be such an easy task. In that clearing there lived a group of monkeys, and the smallest monkeys would amuse themselves by throwing bananas at any plant they noticed was starting to grow. Using this game, the monkeys learnt how to throw bananas and they also kept the clearing free of vegetation.
They threw so many bananas at that first seed that it was almost split in two. And when it told the other seeds what happened, they all agreed it would be better to wait for that group of monkeys to move on, before they attempted to grow.
Well, they all thought that, apart from one, who thought she should at least attempt it. And when she tried she was pelted with bananas, and was left folded over in two. The other seeds got together and asked her to stop trying, but that little seed was completely determined to become a tree, and time and again she would try and try. On each new occasion the little monkeys had slightly improved their air, and so the little seed ended up doubled over yet again.
But the seed didn't give up. Every time they pelted her with bananas, she tried even harder, despite her friends begging her to stop, and telling her to wait until the monkeys left. And so, for days, weeks and months the little plant was attacked by the monkeys, and she always ended stooped and doubled over. For a few days she would manage to avoid the bananas, but then the next day some monkey would hit her, and it would all start over again.
And then, one day, she didn't double over. She was hit by a banana, and then another, but none of them managed to make her stoop. She had taken so many blows, and been doubled over so many times, that she was full of hard knots and scars that helped her to grow more strongly than the other seeds. So, her slim trunk got thicker and more resistant, until it could withstand the impact of a banana. And she was already so well developed that nor could the little monkeys uproot her from the ground. And there she stayed, growing, growing and growing.
Thanks to the extraordinary strength of her trunk she could continue overcoming all difficulties, until she became the most majestic tree in the jungle. Meanwhile her friends remained hidden in the ground, and they continued as ever, hoping that those horrible monkeys would abandon the clearing, never realizing that those very same monkeys were the only ones capable of strengthening the seeds' trunks by their method of throwing bananas, something that would prepare the seeds for all the problems they would confront during their growth.
从前，有四颗种子，她们是好朋友。一阵风把她们刮到了丛林里的一片空地上。她们就待在原地，藏在土里，希望自己将来能长成美丽的大树。
第一颗种子开始发芽的时候，她们才意识到长成大树并不是件容易的事儿。在这片空地上住着一群猴子，最小的猴子们一见到有生长迹象的植物就扔香蕉玩儿，猴子们通过这个游戏学习如何扔香蕉，这片空地上也从来不长植物。
猴子们朝第一粒种子扔了好多香蕉，这粒种子几乎被砸成两半。她给其他种子讲述了自己的遭遇，大家都觉得还是等这群猴子搬走之后再试着生长吧。
可是，有那么一颗种子还是觉得至少应该试一试。她果然也遭到了香蕉的攻击，搞得自己被折成了两半。其他的种子都来劝她别试了，但是小种子要长成大树的决心非常坚定。她试了一次又一次。接下来的每一次小猴子们都稍稍改进投掷方法，小种子一次次被砸弯。
可是小种子从未放弃过。每次猴子们朝她扔香蕉，朋友们都劝她放弃，告诉她等猴子们走了就能生长了，可是她只会更努力。就这样，一天天、几个礼拜甚至几个月过去了，小种子一直被香蕉砸来砸去，每次都砸得弯腰折断。有几天，她竟然能够躲开香蕉了，可是接下来的一天，又有几只猴子砸她，一切又要从头再来。
后来，有一天，她没被砸断。一只香蕉砸过来，接着又一只，但是没有一只能把她砸弯。她承受过太多打击，折断过太多次，周身遍布着坚硬的结节和伤疤，正是因为这样，她才比别的种子长得结实。她纤细的躯干变粗了，也更有抵抗力，终于禁得住一只香蕉的击打了。她长势良好，连小猴子都不能把她连根拔起了。她就在原地长啊，长啊，一直长。
凭着分外结实的躯干，她不断克服了所有的困难，终于长成了丛林里最宏伟的树。她的朋友们呢？都还待在土里，一如既往地盼着恐怖的猴子们离开空地，却没意识到正是因为那群猴子扔香蕉，种子们才能长出结实的躯干。只要禁得住香蕉的击打，就能面对生长过程中会遇到的所有问题。
-clearing [ˈklɪərɪŋ] n. 林中空地
-germinate [ˈdʒɜːmɪneɪt] v. 发芽
-pelt [pelt] v. 连续攻击
-stoop [stuːp] v. 屈服；倾斜
-knot [nɒt] n. 结节
-majestic [məˈdʒestɪk] adj. 宏伟的
世人只道“树欲静而风不止”，反过来，倘若风停，树又怎会为了哪怕片刻的安静而努力不迭？