城市退入了自己的世界，最后把乡村留给了乡村;当雪的旋涡还没有落下，叶的旋涡还没有落下的时候，有一个陌生人来到我们的院子里，他望着城市，但却以乡村的方式坐在那里，等着，直到他把我们拉出来，问他是谁。他证明了自己是这座城市，再次来到这里，寻找被它遗忘的东西，并保留它的圣诞节。他问我是否愿意卖掉我的圣诞树;我的森林吗?松树的幼树，好像一个地方，那里的房屋都是教堂，都有尖顶。我没有吗?我认为它们是圣诞树。我怀疑我是否有那么一刻想卖掉他们的脚，让他们坐上汽车，留下房子后面光秃秃的山坡，那里的阳光并不比月亮温暖。我吗?d hate to have them know it if I was. Yet more I?d hate to hold my trees except As others hold theirs or refuse for them, Beyond the time of profitable growth, The trial by market everything must come to. I dallied so much with the thought of selling. Then whether from mistaken courtesy And fear of seeming short of speech, or whether From hope of hearing good of what was mine, I said, ?There aren?t enough to be worth while.? ?I could soon tell how many they would cut, You let me look them over.? ?You could look. But don?t expect I?m going to let you have them.? Pasture they spring in, some in clumps too close That lop each other of boughs, but not a few Quite solitary and having equal boughs All round and round. The latter he nodded ?Yes? to, Or paused to say beneath some lovelier one, With a buyer?s moderation, ?That would do.? I thought so too, but wasn?t there to say so. We climbed the pasture on the south, crossed over, And came down on the north. He said, ?A thousand.? ?A thousand Christmas trees!?at what apiece?? He felt some need of softening that to me: ?A thousand trees would come to thirty dollars.? Then I was certain I had never meant To let him have them. Never show surprise! But thirty dollars seemed so small beside The extent of pasture I should strip, three cents (For that was all they figured out apiece), Three cents so small beside the dollar friends I should be writing to within the hour Would pay in cities for good trees like those, Regular vestry-trees whole Sunday Schools Could hang enough on to pick off enough. A thousand Christmas trees I didn?t know I had! Worth three cents more to give away than sell, As may be shown by a simple calculation. Too bad I couldn?t lay one in a letter. I can?t help wishing I could send you one, In wishing you herewith a Merry Christmas.