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这是一座很大很茂密的森林，长满生有各种各样叶子的树。通常，每年的这个时候天气很冷了，甚至下雪了，可是这个十一月比较暖和，如果不是满林子的落叶——桔黄的，酒红的，金黄的，还有杂色的——也许以为还是夏天呢。这些落叶有些在白天，有些在夜里被雨打落，被风吹落，如今它们在森林的地面上形成了一条厚厚的落叶毯子。尽管已干枯，落叶仍散发出好闻的香味。阳光透过树枝照耀着它们，落叶上爬动着在秋天的暴风雨中不知怎么存活下来的虫子、苍蝇。落叶底下也为蟋蟀们提供了藏身之所，田鼠和许多其它生物也在大地上找寻庇护。
THE FOREST was large and thickly overgrown with all kinds of leaf-bearing trees. Usually, it is cold this time of year and it even happens that it snow, but this November was relatively warm. You might have thought it was summer except that the whole forest was strewn with fallen leaves－some yellow as saffron, some red as wine, some the color of gold and some of mixed color. The leaves had been torn down by the rain, by the wind, some by day, some at night, and they now formed a deep carpet over the forest floor. Although their juices had run dry, the leaves still exuded a pleasant aroma. The sun shone down on them through the living branches, and worms and flies which had somehow survived the autumn storms crawled over them. The space beneath the leaves provided hiding places for crickets, field mice and many other creatures who sought protection in the earth.
在一棵其它叶子都落了的树梢上，还有两片挂在一根细枝上：这是奥立和特鲁法。奥立和特鲁法也不知道为什么他们在所有的雨、寒夜和风中幸存了下来。没有人知道为什么有的树叶会飘落下来而有的树叶依旧长在树上？可是奥立和特鲁法认为答案在于他们深深地爱着对方。奥立比特鲁法年长几天，外形略大于特鲁法，可是特鲁法更漂亮精致。每当刮风下雨或开始下冰雹时，一片树叶并不能为另一片做些什么。然而每到这个时候，奥立都鼓励特鲁法。在最恶劣的暴风雨里，雷鸣电闪，狂风不仅刮落树叶，甚至刮断整根树枝，奥立央求着特鲁法：“坚持，特鲁法！尽你的全力坚持住！”
有时在寒冷的暴风雨之夜，特鲁法会抱怨：“我的时间到了，奥立，可是你要坚持住！”
“为了什么理由呢？”奥立问。“没有你我的生命毫无意义，如果你掉下去，我将跟你一起掉下去！”
“不，奥立，别这样！一片树叶只要能留在树上就不应该松手往下掉。”
“这全得靠你是否留下来陪我。”奥立回答。“白天我看着你爱慕你的美丽，夜里感觉着你的芬芳。只我一片树叶留在树上？决不！”
特鲁法说：“奥立，你的话真让我高兴，可是你说得不对。你很清楚我不漂亮了，看我多皱，变得多枯萎了啊！我唯一剩下的就是——我爱你。”
奥立说：“那不就够了吗？爱是所有力量中最高尚、最美好的。只要我们在这里彼此相爱，就没有风，没有雨或暴风雪能毁灭我们。告诉你，特鲁法，我从来没有像现在这么爱你。”
“为什么，奥立？为什么，我已经完全枯黄了。”
“谁说绿色漂亮黄色就不漂亮了？所有的色彩都同样漂亮。”
At times during cold and stormy nights, Trufa would complain: “My time had come, Ole, but you hand on!”
“What for?” Ole asked. “Without you, my life is senseless. If you fall, I’ll fall with you.”
“NO, Ole, don’t do it! So long as a leaf can stay up it mustn’t let go.”
“It all depends if you stay with me,” Ole replied. “By day I look at you and admire your beauty. At night I sense your fragrance. Be the only leaf on a tree? No never!”
“Ole, your words are so sweet but they’re not true,” Trufa said. “You know very well that I’m no longer pretty. Look how wrinkled I am, how shriveled I’ve become! Only one thing is still left me－my love for you.”
“Isn’t that enough? Of all our powers love the highest, the finest,” Ole said. “So long as we love each other we remain here, and no wind, rain or storm can destroy us. I’ll tell you something, Trufa－I never loved you as much as I love you now.”
“Why, Ole? Why? I’m all yellow.”
“Who says green is pretty and yellow is not? All colors are equally handsome.”
奥立刚说完这些话，特鲁法这几个月里一直害怕的事发生了——一阵风刮来从细枝上拉扯松了奥立。特鲁法开始颤抖、晃动，似乎她很快也要被刮落了，可是她牢牢抓住了。她看到奥立掉了下去在空中摇晃着，她用叶子的语言大声喊：“奥立，回来！回来啊，奥立！”
可是她甚至话都没能说完，奥立就从视野里消失了。他跟地上的其它落叶混合在一起，而特鲁法孤伶伶地留在了树上。
And just as Ole spoke these words, that which Trufa had feared all these months happened－a wind came up and tore Ole loose from the twig. Trufa began to tremble and flutter until it seemed that she, too, would soon be torn away, but she held fast. She saw Ole fall and sway in the air, and she called to him in leafy language: “Ole! Come back! Ole! Ole!”
But before she could even finish, Ole vanished from sight. He blended in with the other leaves on the ground, and Trufa was left all alone on the tree.
只要天还没黑，特鲁法不管怎样还能设法忍受悲痛。可是天渐渐黑冷下来，并开始下起刺骨的雨，她绝望了。不知怎么地她觉得所有树叶不幸的责任要怪树，要怪长有巨大树枝的树干。树叶掉了，而树干仍旧高大牢固地扎根在大地上，没有风雨或冰雹能掀翻它。这些对树有什么要紧呢，它有可能永远存活下去，可是成为一片树叶呢？在特鲁法看来，树干就像上帝，它用树叶覆盖自己几个月，然后又抖落它们；在树干高兴的时候就用树的汁液滋养树叶，而后又渴死它们。特鲁法请求树把奥立还给她，让夏天再一次来临，可是树没有注意到它的祈求。
