初级 远大前程

中级 王尔德的故事

Part Two: The Mother

The Star-Child lived with the woodcutter and his family but he was very different from them.

Every year the Star-Child became more beautiful: 

his skin was white like ivory, 

his hair was gold like the daffodils, 

his lips were like the petals of a red flower and his eyes were blue like the violets near a

river. 

The other people in the village had black hair and black eyes and they watched the Star-Child in wonder.

The Star-Child was very beautiful but very cruel, arrogant and selfish.

He laughed at the other children in the village and said, 

"Your parents are poor but I am noble, I come from a star."

 He had no pity for poor people. 

He laughed at ugly people and ill people. 

He hurt animals and he laughed when they suffered. 

He was very vain and loved his beauty. 

In summer he often went to the well in the priest's orchard and looked at the reflection of his face in the water. Then he was happy.

The woodcutter and his wife treated the boy well but they were very sad.

They often said to him, "We were good to you. 

We felt pity for you. 

Why are you so cruel? 

Why do you act in this way?"

The priest was very worried and said to him, "You must respect all God's creatures ! 

Even the fly is your brother. 

Why do you cause pain to others?"

But the Star-Child didn't listen. 

He continued to hurt animals and laugh at the problems of other people. 

The other children followed him because he was beautiful and could dance and make music. 

They followed his orders.

He was their leader and they became cruel and hard like him.

One day a poor beggar woman arrived in the village. 

Her clothes were very old and torn and she had no shoes on her feet. 

She was very tired and sat under a tree to rest. 

The Star-Child saw her and said to his friends, "Look at that ugly woman. 

We don't want her here," and they started to throw stones at the poor woman. 

She was terrified but she didn't stop looking at the Star-Child.

"What are you doing?" shouted the woodcutter when he saw this. 

"Stop immediately. Why do you have no pity for this poor woman?"

"I will not listen to you. You are not my father," replied the Star-Child.

"This is true, but when I found you in the forest I had pity for you."

The old woman was listening and when she heard these words she screamed and fainted. 

The woodcutter carried her into his house and his wife put meat and drinks on the table for her. 

But she did not eat or drink.

She asked, "Did this child come from the forest?

Did he have a gold cloak with stars on it? 

Did this happen about ten years ago?"

The woodcutter was very surprised. 

"Yes," he replied.

"And did he have an amber chain round his neck?"

"Yes he did," said the woodcutter. 

"Come with me and I will show you the cloak and the chain."

'The woman looked at these things and started to cry with joy. 

"He is my little son. I am his mother," she said. 

"I lost him in the forest ten years ago and I looked all over the world for him. 

Now I have him again." 

The woodcutter was very surprised and called the boy. 

"Come into the house and you will find your mother."

The Star-Child was very happy and ran in but when he saw her he said,"Where is my mother? 

I can see no-one, only a horrible beggar woman."

"I am your mother," she said.

"You are mad. 

I am not your son: you are dressed in old clothes, you are a beggar woman and I am a Star-Child!"

"But I recognized you when I saw you and I recognized your cloak of gold and your chain of amber.

 Robbers stole you from me. 

Come to me, my son.

Your love is very important for me.

" She opened her arms to him but he was very angry and closed the doors of his heart to her.

The woman cried.

 "Kiss me before I go because I travelled all over the world and I suffered much to find you."

"Never. You are very ugly. 

I prefer to kiss a toad or a snake."

The woman stood up and went out of the house. 

She was crying very much. 

The Star-Child was very happy when she went. He then went to play with his friends.

Part Three: The Punishment

The Star-Child went to his friends but when they saw him they laughed at him.

 "We don't want to play with you now because you're ugly," they said.

"Why do they say these things to me?" he thought. 

He went to the well to look at his reflection.

 He was different now: he had a face like a toad and skin like a snake.

Then the Star-Child understood and started to cry. 

"This is my punishment," he said. 

"I am very cruel and my mother suffered. Now I must find her and say sorry."

The woodcutter's little daughter said to him, "It's not important if you're ugly. Please stay.

 I will not laugh at you."

"No, this is my punishment," he replied. 

"I treated my mother very badly and now I must find her."

He ran into the forest calling, "Mother! Mother! I'm sorry, please come back." 

All day he called but nobody answered. 

When night came he slept on a bed of leaves, but when the animals saw him they ran away. 

They knew that he was a cruel boy.

He said to the mole, "You can go under the ground. 

Tell me if my mother is there?"

"I don't know if your mother is there. I

 cannot see because you hurt my eyes," replied the mole.

He said to a little bird, "You can fly over the trees. 

Tell me if you can see my mother."

"I don't know if your mother is there. 

I cannot fly because you hurt my wings," replied the bird.

He saw a little squirrel and asked, "Where is my mother?"

"I don't know," replied the squirrel.

 "You killed my mother. Do you want to kill your mother too?"

The Star-Child heard all these things and he cried and prayed to God to forgive him. 

He travelled to many different villages to find his mother, and the children of these villages laughed at him and threw stones at him.

Nobody had pity for the Star-Child.