“ Poor flowers are quite dead, said little Ida, “they were so pretty yesterday evening, and now all the leaves are hanging down quite withered. What do they do that for, she asked, of the student who sat on the sofa; she liked him very much, he could tell the most amusing stories, and cut out the prettiest pictures; hearts, and ladies dancing, castles with doors that opened, as well as flowers; he was a delightful student. “Why do the flowers look so faded to-day? she asked again, and pointed to her nosegay, which was quite withered.
“Don't you know what is the matter with them? said the student. “The flowers were at a ball last night, and therefore, it is no wonder they hang their heads.
“But flowers cannot dance? cried little Ida.
“Yes indeed, they can, replied the student. “When it grows dark, and everybody is asleep, they jump about quite merrily. They have a ball almost every night.
“Can children go to these balls?
“Yes, said the student, “little daisies and lilies of the valley.
“Where do the beautiful flowers dance? asked little Ida.
“Have you not often seen the large castle outside the gates of the town, where the king lives in summer, and where the beautiful garden is full of flowers? And have you not fed the swans with bread when they swam towards you? Well, the flowers have capital balls there, believe me.
“I was in the garden out there yesterday with my mother, said Ida, “but all the leaves were off the trees, and there was not a single flower left. Where are they? I used to see so many in the summer.
“they are in the castle, replied the student. “You must know that as soon as the king and all the court are gone into the town, the flowers run out of the garden into the castle, and you should see how merry they are. The two most beautiful roses seat themselves on the throne, and are called the king and queen, then all the red cockscombs range themselves on each side, and bow, these are the lords-in-waiting. After that the pretty flowers come in, and there is a grand ball. The blue violets represent little naval cadets, and dance with hyacinths and crocuses which they call young ladies. The tulips and tiger-lilies are the old ladies who sit and watch the dancing, so that everything may be conducted with order and propriety.
“But, said little Ida, “is there no one there to hurt the flowers for dancing in the king's castle?
“No one knows anything about it, said the student. “The old steward of the castle, who has to watch there at night, sometimes comes in; but he carries a GREat bunch of keys, and as soon as the flowers hear the keys rattle, they run and hide themselves behind the long curtains, and stand quite still, just peeping their heads out. Then the old steward says, 'I smell flowers here,' but he cannot see them.
“Oh how capital, said little Ida, clapping her hands. “Should I be able to see these flowers?
“Yes, said the student, “mind you think of it the next time you go out, no doubt you will see them, if you peep through the window. I did so to-day, and I saw a long yellow lily lying stretched out on the sofa. She was a court lady.
“Can the flowers from the Botanical Gardens go to these balls? asked Ida. “It is such a distance!
“Oh yes, said the student “whenever they like, for they can fly. Have you not seen those beautiful red, white. and yellow butterflies, that look like flowers? They were flowers once. They have flown off their stalks into the air, and flap their leaves as if they were little wings to make them fly. Then, if they behave well, they obtain permission to fly about during the day, instead of being obliged to sit still on their stems at home, and so in time their leaves become real wings. It may be, however, that the flowers in the Botanical Gardens have never been to the king's palace, and, therefore, they know nothing of the merry doings at night, which take place there. I will tell you what to do, and the botanical professor, who lives close by here, will be so surprised. You know him very well, do you not? Well, next time you go into his garden, you must tell one of the flowers that there is going to be a grand ball at the castle, then that flower will tell all the others, and they will fly away to the castle as soon as possible. And when the professor walks into his garden, there will not be a single flower left. How he will wonder what has become of them!
“But how can one flower tell another? Flowers cannot speak?
“No, certainly not, replied the student; “but they can make signs. Have you not often seen that when the wind blows they nod at one another, and rustle all their GREen leaves?
“Can the professor understand the signs? asked Ida.
“Yes, to be sure he can. He went one morning into his garden, and saw a stinging nettle making signs with its leaves to a beautiful red carnation. It was saying, 'You are so pretty, I like you very much.' But the professor did not approve of such nonsense, so he clapped his hands on the nettle to stop it. Then the leaves, which are its fingers, stung him so sharply that he has never ventured to touch a nettle since.
“Oh how funny! said Ida, and she laughed.
“How can anyone put such notions into a child's head? said a tiresome lawyer, who had come to pay a visit, and sat on the sofa. He did not like the student, and would grumble when he saw him cutting out droll or amusing pictures. Sometimes it would be a man hanging on a gibbet and holding a heart in his hand as if he had been stealing hearts. Sometimes it was an old witch riding through the air on a broom and carrying her husband on her nose. But the lawyer did not like such jokes, and he would say as he had just said, “How can anyone put such nonsense into a child's head! what absurd fancies there are!
26,Dec., Boxing Day
人形机器人Chihira Kanae惊艳柏林国际旅游展
A portrait of god(上帝的画像)
The lost leisure time of our lives
芝加哥的别名:“多风城”
Over the hill: 走下坡路、风光不再
Pop ones clogs: 死掉
俚语:“在行、有一手”
俚语: 瞎买东西!
英语语法之动词“mean”的用法及考点
河南省某高中为防止谈恋爱分散注意力在食堂划红线
电影《愤怒的小鸟》通过复活节宣传片宣布正式起航
Widows weeds: 寡妇的黑色丧服
英国新规“What”“How”开头的句子用“感叹号”结尾才得分
硅谷现如今更青睐MBA毕业生
Cut and run: 逃离(军事常用语)
俗语:“隔墙有耳!”
研究表明练习太极等传统运动可以改善心血管疾病
俚语: 酒后之勇
A pie in the sky: 空想,空头支票
继“反手摸肚脐”之后现开始流行“A4腰”
全球排名第11位 全国生活成本最高城市——上海
Pecks bad boy: 捣蛋鬼
十年一遇:美国加利福尼亚死亡谷开满鲜花
俚语: 被迫认错
情景口语对话:圣诞礼物(A Christmas Gift)
【抢鲜看】上海迪士尼乐园让你一睹为快
趣解“Toady”(马屁精)
关于大象你不知道的12件事
中国近一半的购物是在手机上进行 价值5千亿美元
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |