◎ Anonymous

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel.

All claimed that they were the best. The most important. The most useful. The favorite.

Green said:

“Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

Blue interrupted:

“You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled:

“You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:

“I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:

“I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood—life’s blood！I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

Purple rose up to his full height:

He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination:

“Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear，drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor，rain began to speak:

“You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come tome.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued:

“From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.” And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

很久以前，世界上的各种颜色进行过一次激烈的争吵。

每一种颜色都说自己是最好的、最重要的、最有用的、最讨人喜欢的。

绿色说：

“显然，我是最重要的。我是生命和希望的标志。我被选作青草、树木以及叶子的颜色。没有了我，所有的动物都会死去。展望田野吧，你会看到，到处都有我。”

蓝色打断了它的话：

“你只考虑了地上，想想天空和海洋吧。水才是生命的基础呀，云彩把水分从深邃的大海带到了天空。天空给了人们空间、和平和宁谧。没有我的和平，你们将不复存在。”

黄色咯咯地笑出了声：

“你们都太严肃了。我给这个世界带来了笑声、欢乐和温暖。太阳是黄色的，月亮是黄色的，星星是黄色的。每一次你看向日葵的时候，整个世界也跟随着它开始欢笑。没有我就没有快乐。”

橙色马上开始自吹自擂：

“我可是健康和力量的颜色。我可能比较少见，但是我非常宝贵，因为我满足了人们生活的需要。我携带了最重要的维生素。想想胡萝卜、南瓜、柑橘、芒果和番木瓜。我并不经常出没在天空，但日出日落我在天际登场时，我的美丽足以惊世，极为引人注目，没有人还会想起你们。”

红色再也忍不下去了，它喊道：

“我，是你们所有人的主宰。我是血液——生命的血液！我是危险和勇敢的颜色。我愿意为了一个目标而斗争。我把烈火带入血液。没有了我，地球会像月亮一样变得空虚。我是激情和爱的颜色，是红玫瑰、猩猩木和罂粟的颜色。”

紫色站起身来：

它非常高，说起话来风度十足：“我是王权和力量的象征。国王、酋长、主教都选择了我，因为我象征着权威和智慧。人们不会质疑我！他们只能遵行和服从。”

最后，靛青说话了，它的声音比其他人都轻，但却比其他人都斩钉截铁：

“想想我吧。我是沉默的颜色。你们几乎注意不到我，但是如果没有我，你们全都会变得肤浅。我代表着思想和反省，代表着黎明的曙光和深邃的海水。你们需要我来平衡和比较，来祈祷和获得内心的安宁。”

就这样，各种颜色都在不停地吹嘘自己，每个人都深信自己无比优越。它们的争吵声越来越大。忽然，天地间电闪雷鸣。大雨无情地倾盆而下。颜色们惊恐地蜷缩起来，彼此挤在一起互相安慰，挨过这恐怖的时刻。

在一片喧嚣声中，雨开始说话了：

“你们这些愚蠢的颜色，彼此相互争斗，每个人都想支配别人。你们不知道每个人都是天造地设、独一无二、彼此不同的吗？大家携起手来吧。”

那些颜色都乖乖按照着雨的话，手牵着手团结在一起。雨接着说：

“从现在开始，每次下雨的时候，你们都要变成一个巨大的彩色弓形横跨天空，以证明你们能够和平相处。彩虹就是一个标志，明天的希望！”因此，每当下了一场及时雨冲刷这个世界时，就会有一道彩虹出现在天空，让我们记住，要彼此珍惜。