第10章 THE STINGING NETTLS 带刺的荨麻

Alfred saw a beautiful flower growing on the farther side of a deep ditch, and he ran forward to get it for his sister Mary. Mary begged him not to do so, lest he should tumble into the ditch. But Alfred would have his own way.

As he was going down the bank, his foot slipped; and he would have fallen into the ditch, had he not caught hold of some nettles that were growing near. He was not long in scrambling up the bank again, for the sharp sting of the nettles made him forget the beautiful flower.

“There now!” said he; “talk of everything being useful! I am quite sure a stinging nettle is of no use in the world. See how it has stung my fingers! They are covered with white blisters, and tingle terribly. I am quite sure grandpapa was wrong when he said that everything was useful.”

“Perhaps not,” said the old gentleman, who at that moment peeped over the hedge. “But I shall go round by the gate, and come to you.”

In a few minutes the old gentleman was with them, examining the smarting fingers of his grandson.

“Well now, grandpapa, please to tell me of what are nettles are, for I cannot think that they are of the least use whatever.”

“The nettle,” replied the old gentleman, “has no doubt many uses of which I am ignorant; but I shall point out a few, which may show you that God has not formed it in vain. And I shall begin with the use of which the nettle has been to you, Alfred.”

“To me, grandpapa! I am quite sure that it has been of no use to me.”

“No use! M said the old gentleman, smiling. “Why, did it not save you from tumbling into the ditch?” Here Alfred looked rather foolish, while his grandfather went on: “It is not a very long time, Alfred, since you were praising your nettle-soup. The soup was made of the tender tops of young nettles, and I daresay you remember it very well.”

“Oh. yes!” said Mary. “It was old Martha Smith who told my mother to give it to us; she said it would do us ‘a power of good.’”

“I am glad you remember it But let us look at the nettle little nearer.” Just then a bee alighted on one of the nettle flowers. “Do you think that bee. if he could speak, would say that the nettle was of no use? See! he is gathering honey from it, and perhaps finds it as useful as the blooming rose.”

The old gentleman then sat down on the bank; and having his gloves on, he turned over some of the nettle leaves.

“Look here!” said he. “Here is the insect called the ladybird, with its red bade spotted with black. I daresay this ladybird finds the nettle of some use, or it would not take shelter under its leaves.

“Then, again, here is a spider that has woven his web from one leaf to another: no doubt the spider finds the nettle of some use too. So that the bee, the ladybird, and the spider are all against you.”

Here Alfred and Mary looked at each other, as if now quite satisfied that the nettle had not been made in vain. But their grandfather still went on:

“Nettles are often useful in keeping young people in the right path. When your sister begged you, Alfred, not to go near the ditch, you heeded her not; but when the nettle pointed out your error, you were convinced of it in a moment.

“The nettle, moreover, teaches a useful lesson. Look at Alfred's Angel's: they are not stung where he grasped the nettle firmly, but only in the parts that touched it lightly. Many little trials of the world are of the same character: give way to them, they annoy you; meet them bravely, they injure you not, for you overcome them.

“Another excellent Lesson to be got from the nettle is, to mind your own business, and not to meddle with that of other people. Let the nettle alone—it never stings you; trespass upon it—you must take the consequences.”

“I might say a good deal more; but if the nettle assists in forming a wholesome food—if it affords honey to the bee, shade and shelter to the ladybird and the spider—if it keeps young people in the proper path, and supplies us with useful lessons— you must allow that the stinging nettle has not been made in vain.

—Old Humphrey

Questions

Why did Alfred go down the bank of the ditch? What saved him from falling? What made him forget the flower? In what did he say his grandpapa was wrong? Who answered him? Of what use did he say the nettle had been to Alfred? What had Alfred been praising some time before? What insects seemed to find the nettle of some use? How are nettles often useful to young people? What parts of Alfred's fingers were not stung? What does this teach about the trials of life? How does the nettle tell you that you should mind your own business?

Pronunciation

beau'-ti-ful smart'-ing re-mains' les'-son

net'-tles ig'-no-rant re-mem'-ber firm'-ly

use'-ful be-gin' a-light'-ed cliar'-ac-ter

blis'-ters tum'-bling gath'-er-ing ex'-cel-lent

ter'-ri-bly fool'-ish la'-dy-bird bus'-iness

gn'-tle-man prais'-ing point'-ed sup-plies’

Dictation

Tender-handed stroke a nettle.

And it stings you for your pains;

Grasp it tike a man of mettle,

And it soft as silk remains.

阿尔弗莱德看见一个深沟里有一朵漂亮的花在盛放，他跑过去想把这朵花摘下来送给他的妹妹玛丽。玛丽担心他会掉到沟里，请求他不要那么做，但是阿尔弗莱德自有办法。

就在他走下沟边的时候，他的脚打滑了；要不是他一把抓住生长在附近的荨麻，他就会掉进深沟里。他决定不再沿着沟边走，因为荨麻草的刺痛感让他忘记了美丽的鲜花。

“在这边！”他说道，“说些有用的话！我非常确定带刺的荨麻在这个世界上是毫无用处的。看它刺伤了我的手指！我的手指上布满白色的水疱，简直疼死人了。当我的爷爷说世间万物皆有用时，我确定他说错了。”

“也许我没说错，”此时爷爷看着树篱说道。“但是我应该沿着沟边走，来到你身边。”

几分钟过后，老人到了他们身边，开始检查孙子被刺伤的手指。

“现在，爷爷，请您告诉我荨麻到底是什么东西，因为我认为它们是这个世界上最没用的事物。”

“荨麻，”老人回答道，“毫无疑问它有很多我不知道的用处，但是我会列举几点我知道的，这些用处可以向你证明上帝创造它绝非毫无意义。我先将你身边的荨麻有用之处告诉你吧。”

“对我来说，爷爷！我非常确定它对我毫无用处可言。”

“毫无用处！”老人笑着回答。“为什么，难道它没有保护你避免跌入沟里吗？”爷爷继续说，阿尔弗莱德好像并没有听懂。“阿尔弗莱德，不久前你称赞你喝的荨麻汤。汤是由嫩荨麻的柔软顶芽做的，我敢说你一定记得。”

“是的，”玛丽回答道，“是玛莎·史密斯告诉妈妈做给我们喝的，她说荨麻汤会赋予我们‘强大的力量。’”

“我很高兴你还记得。但是让我们再靠近一点儿观察荨麻。”正在这时，一只蜜蜂落在一朵荨麻花上。“你觉着如果那只蜜蜂可以说话，它会说荨麻毫无用处吗？看！它正从荨麻花里采蜜呢，或许它会觉得荨麻花和一朵盛放的玫瑰一样有用。”

接着，老人坐在沟边，戴上手套，摘下一些荨麻草的叶子。

“看这儿！”他说道，“这是一种叫作瓢虫的昆虫，它红色的背上零星分布着一些小黑点。我敢说这只瓢虫认为荨麻是有用处的，否则它不会把荨麻草的叶子下面当作自己的避难所。”

“还有，这里有只蜘蛛正在两片叶子之间织网：毫无疑问，蜘蛛也认为荨麻是有用处的。那样的话，蜜蜂、瓢虫以及蜘蛛全都反对你的看法。”

阿尔弗莱德和玛丽彼此看了一眼，似乎非常满意荨麻并不是一无是处。不过爷爷继续讲。

“荨麻经常为年轻人指引正确的道路。当你的妹妹请求你不要靠近深沟的时候，你并没有听从她的劝告；但是当荨麻指出你的错误时，你在那一刻确信自己错得心服口服。”

“而且，荨麻给你好好上了一课。看看阿尔弗莱德的脚踝：他紧紧抓住荨麻的地方并没有被刺伤，仅仅是轻轻地触碰了部分皮肤。世界上有很多类似特征的考验：避开它们，它们会让你苦不堪言；勇敢地直面它们，它们不会伤害你，因为你已经击败了它们。”

“从荨麻身上你还能得到一个很好的教训，那就是管好自己的事，不要掺和别人的事。离荨麻远一点儿——它绝不会刺伤你；你去践踏它——你就要为此付出代价。”

“我可能说的有点儿多；但是如果荨麻能够帮助促进营养膳食的形成——如果它可以为蜜蜂提供蜂蜜，为瓢虫、蜘蛛提供遮阴避难的地方——如果它能让年轻人步入正确的道路，给我们提供有用的教训，——你必须认同带刺的荨麻绝非是毫无用处的。

——老汉弗莱