第34章 群蛙

盛夏之日，一隻青蛙同他的伴侶說道："我擔心我們的夜歌打攪了住在岸上房子裡的人們。" 他的伴侶答道："哎呀，難道他們白天的談話沒有打擾了我們的寂靜嗎？"雄蛙說："讓我們別忘了，也許我們在夜間唱得太多哩。" 他的伴侶道："讓我們也別忘了，他們在白天閒談叫嚷得太過分啊。" 雄蛙說："牛蛙用他那上帝禁止的轟鳴吵醒了整個街坊，你覺得如何呢？"他的伴侶答道："哎，政治家、牧師和科學家都來到岸邊，使空氣裡充滿了喧鬧而又毫無韻律的聲音，你又怎麼說呢？"於是雄蛙提議："哦，讓我們比人類高明些吧。讓我們在夜裡保持沉默，把我們的歌兒藏在我們的心裡，儘管月亮需要我們的節奏，繁星需要我們的韻律，都在發出呼籲呢。至少，讓我們沉默一二夜，或者甚至三夜吧。"

他的伴侶道："很好，我同意。我們拭目以待你那寬容的心帶來的後果。" 那天夜裡，群蛙默不作聲，第二夜他們也沒有作聲，而第三夜又是默不作聲。 說也奇怪，住在湖邊房子裡的一個愛說話的婦人，第三天下樓來吃早餐時，大聲對她的丈夫說道："這三夜我都沒有睡成。耳中聽到蛙聲時，我才睡得安安穩穩。不過，必定是出了什麼事了。青蛙三夜沒有唱歌了；我失眠缺覺得幾乎要發瘋了。" 雄蛙聽到了這一席話，向他的伴侶轉過身來，眨巴著眼睛，說道："我們因為默不作聲也幾乎要發瘋了，難道不是嗎？"他的伴侶答道："是的，夜的寂靜沉重地籠罩著我們。我現在明白了，我們毋須為這些人的安寧舒適而停止唱歌，他們非有喧鬧的聲音來充實他們的空虛不可。"

那天夜裡，月亮就不是白白的為青蛙的節奏而呼籲了，繁星就不是白白的為青蛙的韻律而呼籲了。 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. 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.