The Legend of the Apple Tree Man

The Legend of the Apple Tree Man

苹果树人的传说

Do you like apples? If so, you have a very special man to thank─or so legend would have you believe. In 1774 when America was about to become a new nation, a man named John Chapman was born─a man who would change the face of the American frontier. Not much is known about his childhood or his family. However, history books do tell us that he went to school and became very skilled with plants. There was one plant, however, that John preferred above all other plants: the apple tree.

你喜欢苹果吗？如果是这样，你有一个非常特别的人要感谢─或者传说会让你相信。 1774年，当美国即将成为一个新的国家时，一个名叫约翰·查普曼的人诞生了─ 一个会改变美国边境面貌的人。 关于他的童年和家庭，人们知之甚少。 然而，历史书确实告诉我们，他去了学校并且对种植很熟练。 然而，有一种植物是约翰最喜欢的：那就是苹果树。

To him, the apple tree was a sign of hope─the way it blossomed in the spring and produced enough apples in the fall to feed a person for a full year. He was a Christian man and was interested in sharing his apple trees and his love for God. Since he had no wife or children, he decided to leave his home in Massachusetts and travel west to plant apple trees. Like many settlers, John had heard rumors that the soil out West was dark and rich and ready for a good planting.

对他来说，苹果树是希望的象征─它在春天开花，秋天结出足够一个人吃一整年的苹果。 他是一个基督徒，乐于分享他的苹果树和他对上帝的爱。 由于他没有妻子或孩子，他决定离开马萨诸塞州的家，前往西部种植苹果树。 和许多殖民者一样，约翰也听到过传言，说西部的土壤又黑又肥沃，为良好的种植而准备。

This was all he needed to know to pack his bag. In his small bag, he carried a blanket, some apple seeds, his Bible, and a pot. It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed to survive. John moved from town to town, from plain to plain, from wilderness to wilderness, planting apple seeds. First, he would look for ground that was near water so the seeds would have something to drink. Then he would pull out the weeds or tall grasses from the soil, move large rocks and small stones, and then plow the field so the seedlings could plant their roots.

这就是他收拾行李所需要知道的一切。 在他的小袋子里，他带着一条毯子、一些苹果籽、他的圣经和一个罐子。 这并不多，但这是他生存所需的全部。 约翰从一个城镇搬到另一个城镇，从平原搬到平原，从荒野到荒野，播种苹果种子。 首先，他要找一块靠近水的地方，这样种子就有水喝了。 然后，他会从土壤中拔出杂草或高草，移动大石头和小石头，然后犁地，让幼苗能够生根。

After the seedlings had broken through the soil, John would build a fence around them to keep animals from eating the baby trees. In time the trees would become tall and strong. Then John would sell the trees to settlers as they moved west. The settlers would plant and eat from the trees at their new homes.

幼苗穿透土壤后，约翰会在它们周围建造围栏，防止动物吃掉小树。 随着时间的推移，这些树会变得又高又壮。 然后，当移民者向西迁移时，约翰会把这些树卖给他们。 移民们将在他们的新家园种植这些树并以其为食。

After all of the trees were sold, John would move farther west himself and begin the plantings again. Many settlers paid him a penny or two for each tree. However, some settlers didn’t have any money and could only promise to pay him later. Other settlers were moving on and couldn’t make that promise, so they paid John with used clothing or free meals. John Chapman was loved by all the settlers who knew him. Wherever he traveled, people spoke about the Apple Tree Man or, as he is popularly known, Johnny Appleseed.

在所有的树木都被卖掉后，约翰会自己搬到更远的西部，重新开始种植。 许多移民者为每棵树付给他一两便士。 然而，一些移民者没有钱，只能答应以后支付给他。 其他移民者继续前进并无法兑现承诺，所以他们用旧衣服或免费餐费支付给约翰。 约翰·查普曼受到所有认识他的移民者的喜爱。 无论他走到哪里，人们都会谈论苹果树人，或者他是众所周知的约翰尼·苹果籽。