2025/02/12攝於文華高中校園圍牆
天雨了。我走在文華高中旁的人行道上，路過長在圍牆鐵柵上的兩棵小榕樹。
It was raining. I was walking on the sidewalk beside Wen-Hua High School when I passed by two small banyan saplings growing on the metal fence of the wall.
這兩棵小樹是我無意間發現的。兩年前第一次看見時，較小的一棵還更瘦小，葉子也沒這麼大，如今兩片葉子也濃綠可愛了。
I discovered these two little trees by accident. When I first saw them two years ago, the smaller one was even thinner, with smaller leaves. Now its two leaves have grown lush and lovely.
小樹有斷枝，意謂著曾經長過葉子，只是枯萎凋謝了。誠然，在這麼惡劣的條件下生存本就不容易，能量必須省著用，所以不管看過幾回，小樹永遠只有一根樹枝長出葉子，而我也沒有見過小樹的根。
One of the small trees has a broken branch, meaning it once grew leaves that later withered away. Indeed, surviving under such harsh conditions is not easy; energy must be conserved. So no matter how many times I have seen them, the little trees always have only one branch bearing leaves, and I have never seen their roots.
我曾想移除小樹，但略為施力後總不忍真的下手。我想，在資源這麼貧脊、曝曬如此熱燙的鐵柵上活著，不用我動手，也許一段時間之後，我就會看見兩棵枯木了吧？
I once thought of removing the saplings, but each time I applied a little force, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I thought that with such poor resources and the scorching heat of the iron fence, even without my intervention, perhaps after some time I would simply see two dead sticks.
但今天，兩棵小樹仍好好地活在鐵柵上。一天的陰雨，濕透了小樹一身，有一片枯葉的那棵，一根斷枝上還冒出一點小小的嫩芽。
But today, the two little trees were still living on the fence. The day's rain had soaked them completely, and on the one with a dried leaf, a tiny new bud was sprouting from a broken branch.
雨，不只下在高聳的行道樹上、粗壯的校園植栽上。在惡劣的鐵柵上，有兩棵不起眼的小樹，也同樣沐浴在恩雨之中。
Rain does not fall only on the tall street trees or the sturdy plants on campus. On the harsh iron fence, two inconspicuous little trees are likewise bathed in the rain of grace.
「只是我告訴你們，要愛你們的仇敵，為那逼迫你們的禱告。這樣就可以作你們天父的兒子；因為他叫日頭照好人，也照歹人；降雨給義人，也給不義的人。......所以，你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣。」（馬太福音5:44–45, 48）
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. …
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
(Matthew 5:44–45, 48)
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