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Spiritism for
Kids
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Célia Xavier
Camargo -
Portuguese
Spanish |
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Year 6 - N°
259 - May 6,
2012
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Translation
Johnny Silveira
- silveirajohnny@yahoo.com |
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The Proud Tree
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Breaking the
land that
harboured the
seed, the
seedling was
born strong and
healthy.
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The other trees
in the orchard,
her sisters,
were immediately
enchanted by the
new shoot, and
kindly did
everything they
could to make
her life more
comfortable.
The small plant,
however, soon
proved to be
selfish and
proud, treating
all with
arrogance and
contempt,
conscious of her
beauty.
Indeed, the
little plant
grew strong and
beautiful. She
was a beautiful
fruit tree and
as she
developed she
became more and
more conceited
and unpleasant. |
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She would say to
the other trees:
- Look at these
beautiful
leaves! What
tone and lustre! Nobody
has acolourful
guise like mine.
Soon, she had
grown so much
that she
surpassed her
companions in
height. She was
a huge mango
tree, and
looking down at
the other below,
she would speak
with contempt:
- Look how much
I've grown! I
have a broad and
strong trunk and
soon I shall
reach the sky.
When the wind
blew with
violence, she
laughed at the
despair of the
other trees
trying resist
the strong gusts
that
threatened
to break
their
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branches,
and
would
say,
convinced: |
- Only I am able
to withstand the
winds and storms
for I am not
weak like you!
On one occasion,
when the river,
unable to
withstand the
volume of water
caused by heavy
rains in the
region,
overflowed and
flooded the
orchard, the
mango tree
belittled the
other smaller
trees, which
fought valiantly
to avoid being
washed away,
saying that only
she was firmly
rooted and
secure.
And the trees,
humiliated,
lowered their
heads, without
saying anything.
When the farmer
came to spread
pesticide in the
orchard, she
steadfastly
refused, saying
firmly:
- I do not need
protection. I am
strong and
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sturdy. Nothing
can kill
me. Moreover,
the
poison
chokes
me and
leaves
me all
dirty! |
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But one day that
beautiful mango
tree that
believed herself
invincible, able
to withstand the
winds and
storms, floods
and inundations,
proud of her
size and beauty,
felt herself
getting weak.
She no longer
had courage or
spirit. Soon,
her leaves were
getting ugly and
falling off. Her
trunk lost its
firmness and her
branches got
brittle. She no
longer produced
loads of those
beautiful, sweet
and soft fruit.
When the farmer,
realizing that
the mango tree
was sick,
examined her, it
was too
late. The
beautiful and
proud mango tree
was doomed. She
had been
attacked by
small and
insignificant
worms that
gnawed her
powerful |
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trunk. |
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Aunt Celia
(Illustrations de
Kátia R. Roosen-
Rünge)
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