寒蝉和灵龟
The Winter Cicada and the Wonder Tortoise
世人都说彭祖活了八百岁，是人间最长寿的了。
People say that once there was a man named PengZu, who at 800 years old had lived the longest life ever.
但有一种小虫叫做“朝菌”，朝生而暮死。
In contrast, there is a small bug called the Zhaojun that is born in the morning and is dead by nightfall.
它根本不知道什么叫“一个月”。
It doesn't even know what a month is .
另外有一种虫叫“寒蝉”，春生而夏死。
There is also an insect called the winter cicada , which is born in the Spring and dies in the Summer.
它根本不知道什么叫做“四季”。
It doesn't even know what the four seasons are,
可是楚国南方的海上有一只巨大的灵龟，五百年对它只是一个春季，五百年对它只是一个秋季。
However in the southern part of Chu, there lived the giant wonder tortoise , to whom five hundred years was a mere Spring.
上古时代有一种椿树，八千年对于它只是一个春季，八千年只是一个秋季。
And a long, long time ago, there lived the geri-tree, to which eight thousand years was a mere Autumn.
朝菌和寒蝉叫做“小年”。灵龟和椿树叫做“大年”。“小年”是不会了解“大年”的。
The Zhaojun and the winter cicada are called "short lives", while the wonder tortoise and the geri-tree are called "long lives".
彭祖对于灵龟和椿树来说，不也是“小年”吗？
To the wonder tortoise and the geri-tree, wasn't Pengzu just another "short life"?
世人都把彭祖认为是长寿，不也就是“小年”的悲哀吗？
People see Peng Zu as having lived a long life, but wasn't he really just another tragic "short life "?