漸漸升了起來，接骨木花一朵接一朵地冒了出來，又新鮮又潔白；長長的樹枝也長了出來；甚至從壺嘴那兒，它們也向四面八方生長，形成了一叢灌木 —— 不，是一棵高大的接骨木樹，它把樹枝伸到床邊，把窗簾都推到了一邊；樹上有那麼多的花朵，散發著如此甜美的香氣！在樹中間坐著一位面容和藹的老婦人，穿著一身奇特的衣服；衣服綠得像樹葉，還鑲著大大的白色花朵，讓人很難說清那到底是真正的布料，還是接骨木樹的樹葉和花朵。

And the little boy looked at the teapot; the lid rose up gradually, the elder-tree blossoms sprang forth one by one, fresh and white; long boughs came forth; even out of the spout they grew up in all directions, and formed a bush — nay, a large elder tree, which stretched its branches up to the bed and pushed the curtains aside; and there were so many blossoms and such a sweet fragrance! In the midst of the tree sat a kindly-looking old woman with a strange dress; it was as green as the leaves, and trimmed with large white blossoms, so that it was difficult to say whether it was real cloth, or the leaves and blossoms of the elder-tree.

“這位婦人叫什麼名字？” 小男孩問道。

“what is this woman’s name?” asked the little boy.

“嗯，羅馬人和希臘人過去常把她叫做德律阿得斯，” 老人說；“但我們不懂這個。在水手聚居的地方，他們給她起了個更好的名字；在那兒她被叫做接骨木樹媽媽。”

“well, the Romans and Greeks used to call her a dryad,” said the old man; “but we do not understand that. out in the sailors’ quarter they give her a better name; there she is called elder-tree mother.

現在，你可得認真聽她講，好好看看這棵美麗的接骨木樹。

Now, you must attentively listen to her and look at the beautiful elder-tree.

“就在那邊，有一棵這樣的大樹，開滿了花；它長在一個簡陋小院的角落裡；一天下午，在明媚的陽光下，兩位老人坐在這棵樹下。他是一位很老很老的水手，她是他的老伴兒；他們已經有了曾孫輩，很快就要慶祝金婚了，但他們不記得具體日期了，而接骨木樹媽媽就坐在樹上，看上去和這邊這棵樹上的她一樣開心。