There was once a placid¹ and beautiful town in which there were a couple of lovers who would often stay together on the top of the mountain enjoying the sunrise and by the sea appreciating the sunset. Everyone who knew them could not help envying them and praying for their happy love.

在一个详和而美丽的小镇上,有一对非常相爱的男女,他们常常都会在相依在山顶望日出,相偎在海边送夕阳,每个见过他们的人们都不禁会送出羡慕的目光和幸福地祈祷.

But one day, the man was severely² injured and lying in bed in hospital for several days without any consciousness. The woman guarded him by the bed in daytime, calling his name relentlessly³ while at night, she would go to the church and pray to God until her tears ran up.

可是有一天男人不幸受了重伤,他躺在医院的病床上几天几夜都没醒来过,白天女人就守在床前不停呼唤著毫无知觉的爱人,晚上她就跑到镇上的小教堂里祈祷上帝,她几乎快哭干了自己的眼泪.

A week passed by and the man was still sleeping. The woman pined away drastically, but she still persisted. One day, the God was finally moved by her love and persistence⁴ and would like to do her a special favor.

一个星期过去了,男人依然如故的昏睡著,而女人早已变得憔悴不堪了,但她仍然在苦苦地支撑著,终于有一天,上帝被这个痴情而执著的女人感动了,于是他决定给这女人一个例外.

The God asked her, “Do you really want to exchange your beloved’s life with yours? The woman answered without the least hesitation⁵, “Yes.” The God said, “Alright. I can help your lover recover quickly on the condition that you should promise to be a butterfly for three years. Do you agree with the deal? She said excitedly and firmly, “Yes, I do!”

上帝问她:你真的愿意用自己的生命来交换吗 女人毫不犹豫地回答:是的.上帝说:那好吧,我可以让你的爱人很快就好起来,但是你要答应化做三年的蝴蝶,这样的交换你也愿意吗 女人听了激动而坚定的回答到:我愿意!

The next day, the woman became a beautiful butterfly and said goodbye to God, flying hurriedly to the hospital. It turned out that the man came to his consciousness and waked up, talking with a doctor. She could not hear what they were talking about because she could not fly into the house. What she could do was watch her beloved through the windows helplessly.

天亮了,女人已经变成了一只美丽的蝴蝶,她告别了上帝便匆匆地赶回了医院.结果那男人真的醒了,而且他还正在跟一位医生交谈著什么可惜她听不到,因为她飞不进那间屋子,她只能隔著玻璃窗远远地望著自己心爱的人.

After several days, the man entirely⁶ recovered and went out of hospital, but he was unhappy and asking every passer-by for the woman’s information. However, no one knew where the woman went. The man searched her persistently⁷ without eating and resting. So much did he miss her that he was eager to see her immediately. Never did he know that the woman had turn into a butterfly that was flying around him all the time. She could not speak to and hug him. She could only bear the suffering that he did not realize her existence.

几天后男人便康复出院了,但是他并不快乐,他向每个路人打听女人的下落,但没人知道女人究竟去了哪.男人整天不食不休地寻找著,他是那么思念著她,那么想见到她,然而早已变成蝴蝶的女人却无时无刻不都围绕在他身边,只是她不会呼喊,不会拥抱,她只能默默地承受著他的视而不见.

After summer vanished, the autumn came, bringing waves of cold wind that shed leaves from trees. The butterfly had to leave the man at that time. She flew again on the man’s shoulder and used her thin wings to touch his face and used her tiny lips to kiss his forehead. Nevertheless, her tiny body could hardly be detected by him. Her small weeping could only be heard by herself. Finally, she had to say goodbye to him reluctantly and flew afar.

夏天结束了,凉凉的秋风吹落了树叶,蝴蝶不得不离开这里了,于是她最后一次飞落到男人的肩膀上,她想用自己轻薄的翅膀抚摸他的脸,用细小的嘴来亲吻他的额头,然而她微弱的身体实在不足以被他发现,一阵悲伤的哭泣声也只有蝴蝶自己听得见,她只好恋恋不舍地告别了爱人,飞向了远方.

Another spring came at the blinks of eyes and the butterfly was in a hurry to fly back to see the man, only to realize that there was a pretty lady standing⁸ by him. At that moment, she was so shocked that she almost fell down from the sky. She could barely believe what she saw and other people’s discussion about it.

转眼间很快便到了第二年的春天,蝴蝶迫不及待地飞回来寻找自己的爱人,然而熟悉的身影边竟站了一个漂亮的女人,那一刹那蝴蝶几乎快从半空中坠落下来,她实在不相信自己眼前的场景,更不想信人们口中的谈论.

People were talking about that the man was seriously ill during Christmas and that the pretty and cute female doctor took good care of him and that finally they fell in sweet love. The man seemed to be as happy as before……

人们讲述著圣诞节时男人病得有多严重,描述著那名女医生有多漂亮可爱,还描述说他们的爱情有多甜蜜当然,当然也描述了男人已经快乐如从前……

The butterfly felt heart-stricken. In the following days, she often saw the man take the woman to the top of the mountain and enjoy the sunrise with her. Also the man would take to woman to the seaside and enjoyed the sunset together. The butterfly knew that all these should have belonged to her, but now they belonged to another woman. She could do nothing but rest on the man’s shoulder off and on.

蝴蝶伤心极了,接下来的几天,她常常会看到自己的爱人带著那个女人到山上看日出,在海边送日落,曾经属于自己的一切,转瞬间主角都换成了另一个女人,而她自己除了偶尔能停落在他的肩膀上以外,竟什么也不能做

This summer seemed to be particularly long for the butterfly who flew in low spirits every day. She already lost her courage to get close to her beloved. His murmuring and laughing with his new girlfriend would suffocate⁹ her. Before the end of summer, the butterfly departed from the man to another place. Time seemed meaningless to the butterfly now.

这一年的夏天特别长,蝴蝶每天痛苦的低飞著,她已经再没有勇气接近自己的爱人,他和那女人之间的喃喃细语,他和她快乐的笑声都足以令自己窒息死去,于是在夏天还没结束之前,蝴蝶便早早地飞走了.花开花落,花落又花开,对于一只蝴蝶来说,时间似乎只意味著这些.

In the summer of the third year, the butterfly did not go to see her beloved frequently. He was only addicted¹⁰ to hugging his new girlfriend and kissing her without any time to realize the butterfly and any mood to memorize their past.

第三年的夏天,蝴蝶已经没有常常去看望自己的爱人的了,他轻拥著女人的肩,轻吻自女人的脸,根本就没有时间去留意一只心碎的蝴蝶,更没有心情去怀念过去.

On the last day of the third year when the deal between the God and the butterfly was almost over, the man held a wedding with his girlfriend. The church was crowded with people. The butterfly flew into the church quietly and rested on the shoulder of God, listening to the man’s oath to the bride and seeing him put a ring on her finger and kiss her sweetly. The butterfly could not help shedding her tears sadly.

上帝与蝴蝶约定的三年很快要结束了,就在最后的一天,蝴蝶的爱人跟那个女人举行了婚礼.小教堂里坐满了人,蝴蝶悄悄地飞了进去,轻落到上帝的肩膀上,她听著下面的爱人对上帝发誓说:我愿意!她看著爱人把戒指戴到那个女人手上,然后看著他们甜蜜地亲吻著,蝴蝶流下了伤心的眼泪.

God also felt sad and sighed to the butterfly, “Do you regret for what you have done?” The butterfly cleaned her tears on the face and said, “No.” God felt a bit relieved and said, “Tomorrow you can become human again.” But she shook her head and said, “No, I want to be a butterfly for the rest of my life……”

上帝心酸地叹息著:你后悔了吗 蝴蝶擦干了泪:没有.上帝又带著一丝愉悦地说:明天你就可以做回你自己了.蝴蝶摇了摇头:就让我做一辈子的蝴蝶吧……

In our lives, something is doomed¹¹ to be lost and some love is doomed to yield no result. To love someone does not mean to own him eternally. But once you own someone, you should cherish him to the best. Do you have a butterfly on your shoulder?

有些失去是注定的,有些缘份是永远不会有结果的,爱一个人一不定要拥有,但拥有一个人就一定要去好好的爱他. 你的肩膀上有蝴蝶吗?