The Garden Each day the prince loved to wander through his garden,
Contemplate the vibrant trees,
Inhale the perfume of a flower,
And admire the harmony of it all.
For him,
It was a source of indispensable renewal amidst the chaos of his days.
But one day a war broke out,
And the prince had to stay away for many months to protect his lands and honor his alliances.
Upon his long-awaited return to the castle,
After having warmly kissed his wife and hugged his children,
He rushed to his garden to once again be met with the calm and serenity he had so deeply missed.
How sorely disappointed he would be!
In the absence of a rigorous daily attention provided by the old caretaker,
The garden was in a sad state,
With stunted trees and wilted flowers.
Devastated,
The prince hurried to the foot of the large pine tree,
Which had always been so proud and majestic.
What happened?
He demanded.
After always watching the flowers of the apple tree bloom,
Then its fruits grow and ripen,
I became jealous.
I tried to be like the apple tree,
But I failed.
I was so overcome by despair that I began to wither.
Much to the prince's surprise,
Even the apple tree seemed to be dying.
Oh,
How the maple tree is beautiful with its flamboyant autumn leaves!
I seem so pale and insignificant at its side.
The prince ran to the foot of the maple tree to garner its secrets.
The perfume of the rose bush in bloom is so subtle and delicate.
I produce nothing so noble.
I feel useless and homely.
After exploring the entire garden,
The prince found nothing but a general lack of vitality.
Each plant lamented its inability to match its neighbor's beauty.
Only a red tulip had remained vibrant,
Humble but beaming radiantly from within the grass.
The prince leaned down to question her.
Are you not stricken down,
As are all of the other plants?
No,
Sir.
At first,
I must admit that I fell prey to despair.
I could never possess the bearing of the pine tree,
Nor the generosity of the apple tree,
And even less the flamboyance of the maple tree or the elegance of the rose bush.
But I thought about it and I realized that if you have allowed me to live here,
In the middle of this garden that is so precious to you,
It must be because you enjoy my simplicity.
Otherwise,
You would have ordered something else to be planted in my place.
So I did my utmost to be myself to the best of my abilities.
