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第28节

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The lark is up to meet the sun;

The bee is on the wing;

The ant her labor has begun;

The woods with music ring。



Shall birds and bees and ants be wise;

While I my moments waste?

Oh; let me with the morning rise;

And to my duties haste。



Why should I sleep till beams of morn

Their light and glory shed?

Immortal beings were not born

To waste their time in bed。



Jane Taylor '1783…1824'





BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES



Buttercups and daisies;

Oh; the pretty flowers;

Coming ere the spring time;

To tell of sunny hours;

While the trees are leafless;

While the fields are bare;

Buttercups and daisies

Spring up here and there。



Ere the snow…drop peepeth;

Ere the crocus bold;

Ere the early primrose

Opes its paly gold; …

Somewhere on the sunny bank

Buttercups are bright;

Somewhere midst the frozen grass

Peeps the daisy white。



Little hardy flowers;

Like to children poor;

Playing in their sturdy health

By their mother's door。

Purple with the north…wind;

Yet alert and bold;

Fearing not; and caring not;

Though they be a…cold!



What to them is winter!

What are stormy showers!

Buttercups and daisies

Are these human flowers!

He who gave them hardships

And a life of care;

Gave them likewise hardy strength

And patient hearts to bear。



Mary Howitt '1799…1888'





THE ANT AND THE CRICKET



A silly young cricket; accustomed to sing

Through the warm; sunny months of gay summer and spring;

Began to complain; when he found that at home

His cupboard was empty and winter was come。

Not a crumb to be found

On the snow…covered ground;

Not a flower could he see;

Not a leaf on a tree:

〃Oh; what will become;〃 says the cricket; 〃of me?〃



At last by starvation and famine made bold;

All dripping with wet and all trembling with cold;

Away he set off to a miserly ant;

To see if; to keep him alive; he would grant

Him shelter from rain:

A mouthful of grain

He wished only to borrow;

He'd repay it to…morrow:

If not; he must die of starvation and sorrow。



Says the ant to the cricket; 〃I'm your servant and friend;

But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend;

But tell me; dear sir; did you lay nothing by

When the weather was warm?〃 Said the cricket; 〃Not I。

My heart was so light

That I sang day and night;

For all nature looked gay。〃

〃You sang; sir; you say?

Go then;〃 said the ant; 〃and dance winter away。〃

Thus ending; he hastily lifted the wicket

And out of the door turned the poor little cricket。

Though this is a fable; the moral is good:

If you live without work; you must live without food。



Unknown





AFTER WINGS



This was your butterfly; you see; …

His fine wings made him vain:

The caterpillars crawl; but he

Passed them in rich disdain。 …

My pretty boy says; 〃Let him be

Only a worm again!〃



O child; when things have learned to wear

Wings once; they must be fain

To keep them always high and fair:

Think of the creeping pain

Which even a butterfly must bear

To be a worm again!



Sarah M。 B。 Piatt '1836…1919'





DEEDS OF KINDNESS



Suppose the little Cowslip

Should hang its golden cup

And say; 〃I'm such a little flower

I'd better not grow up!〃

How many a weary traveller

Would miss its fragrant smell;

How many a little child would grieve

To lose it from the dell!



Suppose the glistening Dewdrop

Upon the grass should say;

〃What can a little dewdrop do?

I'd better roll away!〃

The blade on which it rested;

Before the day was done;

Without a drop to moisten it;

Would wither in the sun。



Suppose the little Breezes;

Upon a summer's day;

Should think themselves too small to cool

The traveller on his way:

Who would not miss the smallest

And softest ones that blow;

And think they made a great mistake

If they were acting so?



How many deed of kindness

A little child can do;

Although it has but little strength

And little wisdom too!

It wants a loving spirit

Much more than strength; to prove

How many things a child may do

For others by its love。



Epes Sargent '1813…1880'





THE LION AND THE MOUSE



A lion with the heat oppressed;

One day composed himself to rest:

But while he dozed as he intended;

A mouse; his royal back ascended;

Nor thought of harm; as Aesop tells;

Mistaking him for someone else;

And travelled over him; and round him;

And might have left him as she found him

Had she not … tremble when you hear …

Tried to explore the monarch's ear!

Who straightway woke; with wrath immense;

And shook his head to cast her thence。

〃You rascal; what are you about?〃

Said he; when he had turned her out;

〃I'll teach you soon;〃 the lion said;

〃To make a mouse…hole in my head!〃

So saying; he prepared his foot

To crush the trembling tiny brute;

But she (the mouse) with tearful eye;

Implored the lion's clemency;

Who thought it best at last to give

His little prisoner a reprieve。



'Twas nearly twelve months after this;

The lion chanced his way to miss;

When pressing forward; heedless yet;

He got entangled in a net。

With dreadful rage; he stamped and tore;

And straight commenced a lordly roar;

When the poor mouse; who heard the noise;

Attended; for she knew his voice。

Then what the lion's utmost strength

Could not effect; she did at length;

With patient labor she applied

Her teeth; the network to divide;

And so at last forth issued he;

A lion; by a mouse set free。



Few are so small or weak; I guess;

But may assist us in distress;

Nor shall we ever; if we're wise;

The meanest; or the least despise。



Jeffreys Taylor '1792…1853'





THE BOY AND THE WOLF



A little Boy was set to keep

A little flock of goats or sheep;

He thought the task too solitary;

And took a strange perverse vagary:

To call the people out of fun;

To see them leave their work and run;

He cried and screamed with all his might; …

〃Wolf! wolf!〃 in a pretended fright。

Some people; working at a distance;

Came running in to his assistance。

They searched the fields and bushes round;

The Wolf was nowhere to be found。

The Boy; delighted with his game;

A few days after did the same;

And once again the people came。

The trick was many times repeated;

At last they found that they were cheated。

One day the Wolf appeared in sight;

The Boy was in a real fright;

He cried; 〃Wolf! wolf!〃 … the neighbors heard;

But not a single creature stirred。

〃We need not go from our employ; …

'Tis nothing but that idle boy。〃

The little Boy cried out again;

〃Help; help! the Wolf!〃 he cried in vain。

At last his master came to beat him。

He came too late; the Wolf had eat him。



This shows the bad effect of lying;

And likewise of continual crying。

If I had heard you scream and roar;

For nothing; twenty times before;

Although you might have broke your arm;

Or met with any serious harm;

Your cries could give me no alarm;

They would not make me move the faster;

Nor apprehend the least disaster;

I should be sorry when I came;

But you yourself would be to blame。



John Hookham Frere '1769…1846'





THE STORY OF AUGUSTUS; WHO WOULD NOT HAVE ANY SOUP



Augustus was a chubby lad;

Fat; ruddy cheeks Augustus had;

And everybody saw with joy

The plump and hearty; healthy boy。

He ate and drank as he was told;

And never let his soup get cold。



But one day; one cold winter's day;

He screamed out … 〃Take the soup away!

O take the nasty soup away!

I won't have any soup to…day。〃



Next day begins his tale of woes;

Quite lank and lean Augustus grows。

Yet; though he feels so weak and ill;

The naughty fellow cries out still …

〃Not any soup for me; I say:

O take the nasty soup away!

I won't have any soup to…day。〃



The third day comes; O what a sin!

To make himself so pale and thin。

Yet; when the soup is put on table;

He screams; as loud as he is able; …

〃Not any soup for me; I say:

O take the nasty soup away!

I won't have any soup to…day。〃



Look at him; now the fourth day's come!

He scarcely weighs a sugar…plum;

He's like a little bit of thread;

And on the fifth day; he was … dead!



From the German of Heinrich Hoffman '1798…1874'





THE STORY OF LITTLE SUCK…A…THUMB



One day; mamma said: 〃Conrad dear;

I must go out and leave you here。

But mind now; Conrad; what I say;

Don't suck your thumb while I'm away。

The great tall tailor always comes

To little boys that suck their thumbs;

And ere they dream what he's about;

He takes his great sharp scissors out

And cuts their thumbs clean off; … and then;

You know; they never grow again。〃



Mamma had scarcely turned her back;

The thumb was in; alack! alack!

The door flew open; in he ran;

The great; long; red…legged scissors…man。

Oh; children; see! the tailor's come

And caught ou

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