Snowflake and the fir-tree

Once there was a snowflake
That landed on a fir tree
‘Now I shall never reach the sea!’, it cried.
The fir-tree answered:
Take it from an old salt:
There are many more joys in heaven
Even than snowflakes
‘Why are you telling me all this?’, said the snowflake.
The tree whispered:
To keep trying is hard on the energy
To keep failing is hard on the nerves
To keep learning is hard on the heart
Be glad your destiny is the ocean
Mine is only firewood.