佚名/Anonymous
There was once a rose who had been smiling ever since her birth.
In winter, when the thrilling wind was blowing, all the other roses shrank from the cold or withered, but she was still in her full bloom, smiling confidently.
In autumn, when the drenching rain was pouring, all the other roses wilted with bad spirit, but she was still in her full bloom, smiling arrogantly.
In summer, when the burning sun suspended in the blazing sky, all the other roses gasped relentlessly, or even fainted, but she was still in her full bloom, smiling perseveringly.
In spring, when the hardhearted sandstorms were sweeping the land, all the other roses lay muffled on the ground, but she managed to stand up, with a bittersweet smile.
In all the bad weather, she would say to her fellows,“Be a rosy rose!”They heard her, but still withered, wilted, gasped or lay muffled. They don't know how she could overcome all the trouble, smiling, but they respected her with great admiration, regarding her as a real rose—their Queen.
But one stormy day a man came with a camera. He had heard about the smiling rose and decided to come and see her, deliberately, in bad weather. The smiling rose stood in the storm, smiling, the other roses were beaten to the ground. The man's mind was filled with wonder, what an inspired photo he would get!
But just the next moment a prejudice came up in his mind, and he said to the weather-beaten roses,“Do you know why she's always in such high spirit, why she's always smiling?”The other roses rose slightly from the ground, shaking their heads with eyes wide open.“Because—”the man announced,“She is a flirt! And she lures me here in such weather simply to praise her and scorn you!”The roses bounced up on their feet, shaking with the greatest astonishment they'd ever encountered. Suddenly they turned their heads towards the smiling rose, their Queen, staring at her with an imposing mixture of anger, surprise and some contempt. The smile of the smiling rose had frozen, and instead all the roses saw on her face the anguish of a broken heart.“Look at how her smile has changed!”The man ordered,“Look at what she hides under the rose!”The smiling rose fainted.