群蛙

盛夏之日，一只青蛙同他的伴侣说道："我担心我们的夜歌打搅了住在岸上房子里的人们。"

他的伴侣答道："哎呀，难道他们白天的谈话没有打扰了我们的寂静吗？"雄蛙说："让我们别忘了，也许我们在夜间唱得太多哩。"

他的伴侣道："让我们也别忘了，他们在白天闲谈叫嚷得太过分啊。"

雄蛙说："牛蛙用他那上帝禁止的轰鸣吵醒了整个街坊，你觉得如何呢？"他的伴侣答道："哎，政治家、牧师和科学家都来到岸边，使空气里充满了喧闹而又毫无韵律的声音，你又怎么说呢？"于是雄蛙提议："哦，让我们比人类高明些吧。让我们在夜里保持沉默，把我们的歌儿藏在我们的心里，尽管月亮需要我们的节奏，繁星需要我们的韵律，都在发出呼吁呢。至少，让我们沉默一二夜，或者甚至三夜吧。"

他的伴侣道："很好，我同意。我们拭目以待你那宽容的心带来的后果。"

那天夜里，群蛙默不作声，第二夜他们也没有作声，而第三夜又是默不作声。

说也奇怪，住在湖边房子里的一个爱说话的妇人，第三天下楼来吃早餐时，大声对她的丈夫说道："这三夜我都没有睡成。耳中听到蛙声时，我才睡得安安稳稳。不过，必定是出了什么事了。青蛙三夜没有唱歌了；我失眠缺觉得几乎要发疯了。"

雄蛙听到了这一席话，向他的伴侣转过身来，眨巴着眼睛，说道："我们因为默不作声也几乎要发疯了，难道不是吗？"他的伴侣答道："是的，夜的寂静沉重地笼罩着我们。我现在明白了，我们毋须为这些人的安宁舒适而停止唱歌，他们非有喧闹的声音来充实他们的空虚不可。"

那天夜里，月亮就不是白白的为青蛙的节奏而呼吁了，繁星就不是白白的为青蛙的韵律而呼吁了。

The Frogs

Upon a summer day a frog said to his mate, "I fear those people living in that house on the shore are disturbed by our night-songs."

And his mate answered and said, "Well, do they not annoy our silence during the day with their talking?"

The frog said, "Let us not forget that we may sing too much in the night."

And his mate answered, "Let us not forget that they chatter and shout overmuch during the day."

Said the frog, "How about the bullfrog who that they clatter and shout overmuch during the day."

Said the frog, "How about the bullfrog who disturbs the whole neighbourhood with his God-forbidden booming?"

And his mate replied, "Aye, and what say you of the politician and the priest and the scientist who come to these shores and fill the air with noisy and rhymeless sound?"

Then the frog said, "Well, let us be better than these human beings. Let us be quiet at night, and keep our songs in our hearts, even though the moon calls for our rhythm and the stars for our rhyme. At least, let us be silent for a night or two, or even for three nights."

And his mate said, "Very well, I agree. We shall see what your bountiful heart will bring forth."

That night the frogs were silent; and they were silent the following night also, and again upon the third night.

And strange to relate, the talkative woman who lived in the house beside the lake came down to breakfast on that third day and shouted to her husband, "I have not slept these three nights. I was secure with sleep when the noise of the frogs was in my ear. But something must have happened. They have not sung now for three nights; and I am almost maddened with sleeplessness."

The frog heard this and turned to his mate and said, winking his eye, "And we were almost maddened with our silence, were we not?"

And his mate answered, "Yes, the silence of the night was heavy upon us. And I can see now that there is no need for us to cease our singing for the comfort of those who must needs fill their emptiness with noise."

And that night the moon called not in vain for their rhythm nor the stars for their rhyme.