Lesson 13: The Shepherd Who Planted the Tree

Lesson 13: The Shepherd Who Planted the Tree

Jean Giorno

To really understand a person, you have to observe what they do over the long term. If he is generous and selfless, does not expect anything in return, and leaves a lot to the world, then it is safe to say that this is a rare good person.

It was in 1913 that I made a long trip into the French Provence Plateau to the Alps. It is 1,230 meters above sea level, and as far as the eye can see, it is full of wasteland. On the bare hill, there was not a single tree. In the boundless wilderness, I walked for three days and finally came to an abandoned village. A church with a collapsed spire shows that it was once inhabited, but now shows no sign of life. It was a clear June day, and the sun was about to scorch people. Since I ran out of water two days ago, I urgently needed to find drinking water. I thought there should be a well in the village, but when I found it, I found that it had long dried up.

I walked for another five hours, full of arid land and weeds, thinking: I am afraid that there is no hope of finding water. Just as I was climbing a hill, I suddenly saw a figure in the valley in the distance, and at first I thought it was a dead tree, but anyway, I walked over. It turned out to be a shepherd, and he was surrounded by a flock of sheep, lazily lying on the hot mountainous grounds.

The shepherd made me drink from his kettle and took me to his hut on the mountain. He drew water from a deep well for me, and the water was sweet. He rarely speaks, as does everyone who lives alone. But you can feel that he is a confident and strong-willed person. To me, he was like a mysterious spring gushing out of this barren land.

He did not live in a tent, but in a solid stone house. It can be seen that he is a stone house built little by little in this desolate highland, the roof is very tight, and the wind blows through the roof tiles, making a sound like the waves rushing to the shore and lapping against the shore. The room was neatly tidy, the dishes were cleanly washed, there was not a speck of dust on the floor, the shotgun had just been oiled, and there was a pot of hot soup boiling on the stove. His beard had just been shaved, his clothes had been carefully sewn stitch by stitch, and the patches and stitches were so fine that they were barely visible.

On the third day, I said goodbye to the shepherd.

On the fourth day, the following year, the First World War broke out. Five years in the military made me almost forget about the "shepherd who planted trees". After the war, I set foot on the road to the plateau again. At first glance, the area looks roughly the same, except at the end of the uninhabited village, a thin mist is seen, like a carpet, spread on the plateau. I couldn't help but think of him. I think those 10,000 oak trees must have grown into a large forest! In five years of war, how can an old man in his fifties live?

On the fifth day, in fact, Elzea Bufiye was not only alive, but his body was even healthier than before. Now he no longer herds sheep because the flock gnaws off the saplings he planted. The war did not interfere with his life, and he has been planting trees without distractions. Oak trees, beech trees, and birch trees.

On the sixth day, the oak tree planted in 1910 is now ten years old, taller than me, and looks spectacular. I was speechless, and he was still silent. We wandered quietly all day in the forest he planted. The forest is divided into three parts, the largest of which is eleven kilometers long and the widest is three kilometers. It was created from the hands and heart of this man, without any outside technical support. I learned that in addition to destroying, human beings can be created like God.

On the seventh day, the shepherd insisted on doing what he wanted. This invisible piece of beech is proof that they are as tall as my shoulders. The large oak trees are also very lush, so you don't have to worry about being eaten by animals. He pointed to a birch forest and said it had been planted five years ago. He planted all the birch saplings in the valley where he thought the surface was wet, and it turned out that he was right, and these birch trees stood tall, like a teenager standing upright.

On the eighth day, as we turned back to the village, a riverbed that had been dry for a long time was now gurgling. It's the knock-on effect of planting trees, and it's the most amazing miracle I've ever seen.

On the ninth day, starting in 1920, I visited the old man who planted the tree almost every year. I've never seen him have any doubts or wavering, just persistently planting trees, and only God knows how hard it is!

On the tenth day, in June 1945, I saw the old man planting the tree for the last time, who was eighty-seven years old. As I drove into the highlands and embarked on this road to the wilderness, I couldn't believe my eyes. The woods retain rain and snow, long-dried springs spring spring up, and the river gurgles into the pond, where linden trees are planted.

On the eleventh day, whenever I think of this old man who planted trees, relying on the physical strength and perseverance of one person to turn this desert into an oasis, I feel how great the power of man is! But thinking of what kind of Duan strength and selflessness are needed to accomplish something, I have infinite admiration for this ordinary skilled sheep from the bottom of my heart. He did what only heaven could do.