The Songs of The Crickets

The crickets sang in the grasses. They sang the song of summer's ending, a sad, monotonous song. "Summer is over and gone," they sang. "Over and gone, over and gone. Summer is dying, dying."

The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year--the days when summer is changing into fall--the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change.

Everybody heard the song of the crickets. Avery and Fern Arable heard it as they walked the dusty road. They knew that school would soon begin again. The young geese heard it and knew that they would never be little goslings again. Charlotte heard it and knew that she hadn't much time left. Mrs. Zuckerman, at work in the kitchen, heard the crickets, and a sadness came over her, too. "Another summer gone," she sighed. Lurvy, at work building a crate for Wilbur, heard the song and knew it was time to dig potatoes.

"Summer is over and gone," repeated the crickets. "How many nights till frost?" sang the crickets. "good-bye, summer, good-bye, good-bye."

The sheep heard the crickets, and they felt so uneasy they broke a hole in the pasture fence and wandered up into the field across the road. The gander discovered the hole and led his family through, and they walked to the orchard and ate the apples that were lying on the ground. A little maple tree in the swamp heard the cricket song and turned bright red with anxiety.

很美的英文，译成中文如下：

                                    蟋蟀的歌

    蟋蟀在草丛里唱歌。它们唱的是夏季即将谢幕之歌，一支忧伤而单调的歌。唱到：“夏天要收场了，结束了”，它们唱，“收场了，结束了，收场，结束了。夏天在死亡，在死亡。”

    蟋蟀们觉得告诉大家夏日不能持久是它们的责任。即使在在夏天转入秋天――这一年中最美丽的日子­――蟋蟀还是向大家传播哀伤和变化的消息。

    人人都听到了蟋蟀的歌。阿拉布尔家的艾弗里和弗恩走在泥路上时听到它，知道快要开学了；小鹅仔们听到它，知道它们再也不是鹅宝宝了；夏洛听到它，知道自己时间不多了；在厨房干活的阿拉布尔太太听到它，心中也不由得一阵伤感。她叹了一口气说：“又是一个夏天过去了”；正在给威尔伯做板条箱的勒维听到它，知道挖土豆的季节到了。

    “夏天收场了，结束了”，蟋蟀一遍又一遍地吟唱，“到冷天还有多少个夜晚啊”？蟋蟀唱道，“再见了，夏天，再见了，再见了”！

    羊听到蟋蟀的歌声，觉得浑身不自在，在牧场板墙上撞出洞来，走到大路那边的田野上去；公鹅发现了这个洞，带领它一家大小钻出去，到果园里吃熟落在地上的苹果；沼泽地上一棵小槭树听到蟋蟀的歌声，急得叶子都变红了。