这个故事里主要有两个神，Jupiter和Mercury.
Jupiter，朱庇特，即希腊神话中的宙斯Zeus, 是诸神之王，the king of the gods. 太阳系中最大的行星，木星，即以他命名，英语就叫Jupiter。
Mercury，是Jupiter最喜爱的儿子，希腊神话中的名字叫Hermes,赫耳墨斯, 其标志是穿着一双带翅膀的凉鞋(winged sandals)。 九大行星中的水星以他命名，就叫Mercury.
这个故事中还有两个凡人，是一对年老的贫穷的夫妻，丈夫叫Philemon, 妻子叫Baucis, 故事最后变成了两棵树，即题目里的橡树oak tree和菩提树Linden tree。
故事是怎么开始的呢？起因全在于Jupiter奥林匹斯山上的无比完美的一切感到厌烦了。
But Jupiter, the king of the gods, was bored. He could not eat another bite of ambrosia, the food of the gods. He would not listen to another note sung by Apollo as he played his lyre. Jupiter shut his eyes tight so that he could not see the Graces do the same dance over and over.
It was too perfect to bear.
他再不想吃天上的神食，也不想听阿波罗美妙的琴声，也不想再看美慧女神的歌舞。这一切都太完美，以至于让人无法忍受。
他召来最爱的儿子Mercury，决定去人间看看。他泽被众生，但还不知道凡人是否足够善良，值得他的特殊守护。
“Come with me down to Earth. We're going to test the kindness of the people of Phrygia to see if they are worthy of my special protection," Jupiter told him.
他们装扮成穷苦的流浪汉去一家一家的敲门，结果试了几百家，无论是富的，还是穷的，都被拒之门外。
“No!" was the answer they got every time. The people of Phrygia slammed doors in their faces. They forced Jupiter and Mercury away from their homes.
Mercury下结论说这些凡人们都不值得你的保护，Jupiter也很生气，但他不相信所有人都自私而低劣。他决定尝试最后一家，如果还是如此，就要对这些百姓施以报复。
"These people are not worthy of your protection, Father," Mercury said. Jupiter was angry. He could not believe that these people were so selfish and mean.
"Let's try one more home," Jupiter said, "or I shall have to take my revenge on these folks."
这最后的一家，便是Baucis和Philemon的家。但这是非常非常小的一间小屋，几乎都不能遮风蔽雨，是他们所见过的最穷最小的房子，几乎到不能称之为房子的地步。院子里只有一棵干巴巴的卷心菜，和一只骨瘦如柴的鹅。
They came upon a tiny hut with a rickety roof of reeds. The house offered no protection from the weather. It was the poorest and smallest home that they had found. In fact, it was so small and poor that it could hardly be called a house at all. In the garden there was one scrawny cabbage. In the yard there was one bony goose.
但是没想到这家人，Baucis和Philemon, 自己一无所有，却打开门迎了他们进去，并热情地招待了他们。
"Come in!" Philemon said. "You look as though you've journeyed long."
"You must be weary. Set your feet beside the fire, " Baucis offered.
From their nearly bare cupboards, Baucis and Philemon set out every morsel of food they had. They placed a dish of olives, a bowl of turnips, two roasted eggs, and two bowls of cabbage soup on the table.
从他们几乎空空如也的橱柜里，Baucis和Philemon把仅有的一点食物都拿出来摆到他们面前: 一碟橄榄，一碗萝卜，两片煎蛋，和两碗卷心菜汤。
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