评论
打印
The swallows gay in sunshine play, and frolic all the summer day.
燕子在阳光下快乐玩耍，整个夏天都在嬉闹。
On nimble wing, alert, they spring, then wheel about in airy ring.
它们拥有敏捷的双翼，警觉地跳来跳去，然后在空中来回盘旋。
New troops advance, in mazy dance, then onward shoot with lightning glance. Far off we spy.
又一群燕子以迷一般的舞姿出发了，然后闪电般向上冲去。它们消失在我们的视线里。
Their play-place high, in the blue vault of summer sky; and fain would know which way they go. Ere winter brings its frost and snow.
在夏天蔚蓝的穹顶下，在高空中玩耍。在冬天霜雪来临之前大家都知道,它们往哪里飞去了。
As they live entirely upon insects, and as the insect tribes either die or remain torpid in the winter,
由于它们完全靠捕食昆虫生活，而冬天的昆虫要么死掉要么冬眠，
something warns them that they must leave the place which can no longer supply them with food.
这让它们意识到必须离开这个食物匮乏的地方。
But when the warmth of spring hatches the insect eggs, and brings out myriads of tiny creatures into the sunshine,
但是许多昆虫会在温暖的春天破壳而出，到时就会有无数的小昆虫带到阳光下。
the same something teaches them to return again to the place whence they came.
这也教会它们要返回冬天离开的地方了。
We call it instinct; but that is only another name for the guiding hand of that great Creator who,
我们把这种能力称为“本能”，但这只是伟大的造物主导向的另一个名称，
as the Bible tells us, bids the swallow observe the time of her coming.
据《圣经》记载，造物主在合适的时间会将燕子呼唤出来。
There are four different species of swallow which visit us—the swift, the chimney swallow, the house martin, and the sand martin.
我们见到的燕子有四种——褐雨燕、烟囱雨燕、家燕和崖沙燕。
They are all much alike as we see them on the wing, except that the first two are of swifter flight.
它们的翅膀没有什么分别，只不过前两种飞行速度更快。
The martins are smaller, and have more white about their under parts,
家燕体型相对较小，肚子下的白色部位也更多，
so that on a summer evening the rays of the setting sun are thrown back from their snowy breasts like flashes of light.
所以在夏季夜晚落日时，它们雪白的肚子能反射太阳光，就像一束束灯光。
