优秀英语短篇散文：The Real Meaning of Peace

英语自学网

　　There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the
best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures.
But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them. One
picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering
mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All
who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
        　　The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above
was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the
side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at
all.
        　　But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush
growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest.
There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest
— in perfect peace.
        　　Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second
picture. Do you know why?
        　　“Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where
there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all
those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of
peace.”