Anne Frank的樹

"The Diary of Anne Frank"這本書, 未讀過也聽過吧. Anne Frank是二次大戰時的猶太藉女孩, 與家人躲在荷蘭一屋的角樓裡, 而她的日記就是在逃避納粹德軍時寫的. 後來她和家人被發現及逮捕, 去了集中營, 之後她死於傷寒.

右邊的相片是Anne Frank及家人躲藏的屋及窗前看到的西洋栗樹(Horse Chestnut Tree). 原來她在日記裡三次提過這棵樹(Anne Frank House website):

23 February 1944
The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn’t speak.

18 April 1944
April is glorious, not too hot and not too cold, with occasional light showers. Our chestnut tree is in leaf, and here and there you can already see a few small blossoms.

13 May 1944
Our chestnut tree is in full blossom. It is covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.

這棵樹至今仍生存, 但命不久已, 據今天報道, 它將被砍下來. 其實早在Anne Frank那個年代開始, 這樹已開始有點毛病, 但阿姆斯特丹當局一直不惜一切都把它保留, 更曾動用160,000歐元來修復及延長其壽命.

更多有關Anne Frank博物館(那屋後來改成博物館), 可看: www.annefrank.org