To the Oak Tree
致橡树·舒 婷
If I love you --
我如果爱你——
I will never be a clinging trumpet creeper
绝不像攀援的凌霄花
Using your high boughs to show off my height
借你的高枝炫耀自己
If I love you --
我如果爱你——
I will never be a spoony bird
绝不学痴情的鸟儿
Repeating a monotonous song for green shade
为绿荫重复单调的歌曲
Or be a spring
也不止像泉源
Bringing cool solace all year long
常年送来清凉的慰藉
Or be a steep peak
也不止像险峰
Increasing your stature, reflecting your eminence
增加你的高度，衬托你的威仪
Even the sunlight
甚至日光
Even the spring rain
甚至春雨
No, all these are not enough
不，这些都还不够
I must be a ceiba tree beside you
我必须是你近旁的一株木棉
Be the image of a tree standing together with you
作为树的形象和你站在一起
Our roots, entwined underground
根，紧握在地下
Our leaves, touching in the clouds
叶，相触在云里
With each gust of wind
每一阵风过
We greet each other
我们都互相致意
But nobody
但没有人
Can understand our words
听懂我们的言语
You'll have your copper branches and iron trunk
你有你的铜枝铁干
Like knives, like swords, like halberds, too
像刀、像剑，也像戟
I'll have my crimson flowers
我有我的红硕花朵
Like heavy sighs
像沉重的叹息
And valiant torches
又像英勇的火炬
We'll share cold spells, storms and thunder
我们分担寒潮、风雷、霹雳
We'll share mists, hazes and rainbows
我们共享雾霭、流岚、虹霓
Seemingly always apart
仿佛永远分离
But also forever interdependent
却又终身相依
Only this can be great love
这才是伟大的爱情
The loyalty is here
坚贞就在这里
Love --
爱——
I love not only your strapping stature
不仅爱你伟岸的身躯
But also your firm stand,
the earth beneath you
也爱你坚持的位置，足下的土地
Interesting Facts About Oak Trees
Oak trees are a member of the beech tree family. The tree's scientific name is quercus or lithocarpus. All oak trees are deciduous trees, which means that they drop all of their leaves during one season. There are more than 400 species of oak trees. Oaks are common in home landscaping, but also grow in the wild.
Longevity
Oak trees are very hardy, and they live for a long time. Many oak trees live up to 200 years or more. According to LouisianaGardenClubs.org, there is a living oak tree near Lake Pontchartrain in Lewisburg, Louisiana, whose trunk is more than 38 feet in diameter. Louisiana foresters estimate the tree -- nicknamed the Seven Sister Tree -- is more than 1,200 years old.
Acorn Production
Acorns are not produced until the oak tree is at least 20 years old. Some oak trees will take up to 50 years to produce their first acorns. Acorns are produced in the fall, and drop off in late fall and early winter. A full-grown oak tree produces thousands of acorns each year.
Viability
Since oaks grow in the wild and drop tens of thousands of acorns each year, it would seem that there would be millions of oak trees as a result. In fact, however, most acorns that fall to the ground do not develop into oak trees. Acorns are very difficult to germinate, and only 1 out of every 10,000 acorns develops into an oak tree.
Water Needs
A mature oak tree requires a lot of water to remain healthy. After heavy rains, or growing along waterways, a full-grown oak tree absorbs 50 gallons of water per dayor more.
Sudden Death
Oaks are amazingly resilient, and rarely fall prey to insect infestations or the infections common in other trees. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, an oak-specific black mold began attacking oak trees along the California coast in 1995. The disease was dubbed Sudden Oak Death. The disease attacks and kills the tree within a matter of days. As of February 2010, Sudden Oak Death had been found in California, Oregon and several other U.S. states, as well as Britain and Germany.
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