來源：英語學習
To the Oak Tree
致橡樹·舒 婷
If I love you --
我如果愛你——
I will never be a clinging trumpet creeper
絕不像攀援的凌霄花
Using your high boughs to show off my height
借你的高枝炫耀自己
If I love you --
我如果愛你——
I will never be a spoony bird
絕不學痴情的鳥兒
Repeating a monotonous song for green shade
為綠蔭重複單調的歌曲
Or be a spring
也不止像泉源
Bringing cool solace all year long
常年送來清涼的慰藉
Or be a steep peak
也不止像險峰
Increasing your stature, reflecting your eminence
增加你的高度，襯托你的威儀
Even the sunlight
甚至日光
Even the spring rain
甚至春雨
No, all these are not enough
不，這些都還不夠
I must be a ceiba tree beside you
我必須是你近旁的一株木棉
Be the image of a tree standing together with you
作為樹的形象和你站在一起
Our roots, entwined underground
根，緊握在地下
Our leaves, touching in the clouds
葉，相觸在雲裡
With each gust of wind
每一陣風過
We greet each other
我們都互相致意
But nobody
但沒有人
Can understand our words
聽懂我們的言語
You'll have your copper branches and iron trunk
你有你的銅枝鐵幹
Like knives, like swords, like halberds, too
像刀、像劍，也像戟
I'll have my crimson flowers
我有我的紅碩花朵
Like heavy sighs
像沉重的嘆息
And valiant torches
又像英勇的火炬
We'll share cold spells, storms and thunder
我們分擔寒潮、風雷、霹靂
We'll share mists, hazes and rainbows
我們共享霧靄、流嵐、虹霓
Seemingly always apart
彷彿永遠分離
But also forever interdependent
卻又終身相依
Only this can be great love
這才是偉大的愛情
The loyalty is here
堅貞就在這裡
Love --
愛——
I love not only your strapping stature
不僅愛你偉岸的身軀
But also your firm stand,
the earth beneath you
也愛你堅持的位置，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.