一个美丽的童话，演绎着一段忧伤的故事……

　　A young student loved a beautiful girl. He said “I am going to a dance tonight, and I am going to take the beautiful girl.”

　　But the girl said, “I am not going to the dance tonight, because I haven't got a red rose.”

　　“I went to a dance last week, and I put a red rose on my white dress. All of the people said, ‘That is very beautiful,' and I was happy.”

　　The student said, “I am going to bring you a red rose, and then I am going to take you to the dance.” The beautiful girl was happy.

　　The student went to his garden, but there were not any roses in it. He sat on a bench, and he cried. He said, “The beautiful girl is not going to come to the dance tonight, because I have not got a red rose.”

　　There was a nightingale in a tree in the garden. She loved the student. She said, “His beautiful eyes are red, because he is crying. I am going to bring him a red rose.”

　　She flew to a big garden, and she went to a brush. There were roses on it. This bush loved songs. The nightingale said, “Do you want a song?”

　　The bush said, “Yes, I do.”

　　The nightingale said, “And I want a rose.”

　　The bush said, “Sing me a song, and then take one of my roses.”

　　The nightingale sang a beautiful song, and then she said, “Now I am going to take a red rose.”

　　The bush said, “But I have not got any red roses. All of mine are white.”

　　The nightingale said, “I love the student, and I am going to give him a red rose.”

　　There were big thorns on the bush. The nightingale flew to one of them. There was a beautiful, white rose under it.

　　The nightingale pushed the thorn into her breast. She hurt a lot, but pushed it into her heart. Blood came out. She fell on the white rose.

　　The nightingale said, “The rose is red now.” She took it, and flew to the student's window. She put the rose down, and she knocked at the window. Then she fell into the street. She was dead.

　　The student went to the window, and he opened it. He said, “There is a beautiful red rose here. Who put it here?” He was very happy.

　　He ran to the beautiful girl's house, and he said, “I have brought you a red rose.”

　　The girl looked at it, and she said, “I do not want it. A rich man has brought me some jewels. They are more beautiful than a rose. He is going to take me to the dance.”

　　The student went home again. He threw the rose out of the window, and it fell on the dead nightingale.

　　A wheel crushed both of them, and people said, “Our street is very dirty. Look at that dead bird, and look at that dirty flower.”

　　(文/柯杨； 英语辅导报冀教高一版 04~05学年度第22期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)