7. “Dear old tree ! She has taken care of us all our lives, and fed us, and held us up to the sun, and been to us a kind mother, and now we will do something for her. We will get under ground and turn ourselves into food to feed her with, for she'll be sure to wake up hungry after her long nap! ”

8. Good little things! The rains helped them, and the winds,in this way: the rains beat them into the ground,and the winds blew sand over them, and there they turned themselves into something very nice for the old MapleTree, something good to take.

And now, as she wakes up again in the spring and takes a full meal of it, she is once more lively and happy, and many fresh young leaves unfold to clothe her limbs.

1. 一棵枫树在春日里醒来，在东风里抖擞着枝条。“自然母亲呀，”她说道，“寒冷令我抖个不停。看看我的身体！赤裸又丑陋！鸟儿们就要从南方回来了，我可得让自己变得漂亮点儿。它们马上就要筑巢了呢。喔！能有个鸟巢可以令树多么高兴呀！可它们不会来我这儿，我还没有一片叶子，不能掩护它们呀！”

2. 慈爱的自然母亲微笑了起来，为枫树女儿披上茂密的绿装，叶子多得数不胜数！这不但能为鸟巢遮蔽风雨，还能让枫树变得美丽动人。鸟儿们很快就在这里搭建起家园，并可以预期在此过一个热闹蓬勃的夏日。

3. 枫树现在兴高采烈的，对自己的叶子非常满意。它们在阳光的照耀下是那样的美丽，轻风对它们轻吐着甜言蜜语，令叶子欢欣地舞动起来。一对金色的知更鸟在她身上安了家，画眉鸟也时常到访。每一天都是阳光灿烂，歌声飘扬！要是幼嫩的小叶子在夏日的炎热中干渴了，自然母亲就会喂给它们清凉的雨水。于是，枫树过得更快活了。

仲夏时节的森林展现出枝叶繁茂的壮观景象