盛夏之日募狂，一只青蛙對他的伴侶說道：“我擔(dān)心我們的夜歌打攪了住在岸上房子里的人們顿仇。”
他的伴侶答道：“呀古徒，難道他們白天的談話沒有打擾我們的寂靜嗎拓提？”
雄蛙說：“讓我們別忘了，也許我們在夜間唱得太多哩隧膘〈”
他的伴侶道：“讓我們也別忘了，他們在白天閑談叫嚷得太過分啊疹吃”囊桑”
雄蛙說：“牛蛙用他那上帝禁止的轟鳴吵醒了整個街坊，你覺得如何呢萨驶？”
他的伴侶答道：“哎歉摧，政治家、牧師和科學(xué)家都來到岸邊腔呜，使空氣里充滿了喧鬧而又毫無韻律的聲音叁温，你又怎么說呢？”
于是雄蛙提議：“哦育谬，讓我們比人類高明些吧券盅。讓我們在夜里保持沉默书幕，把我們的歌兒藏在我們的心里乐疆，盡管月亮需要我們的節(jié)奏驾孔，繁星需要我們的韻律拍冠，都在發(fā)出呼吁呢雕凹。至少吟策，讓我們沉默一二夜估脆，或者甚至三夜吧任洞『垦睿”
他的伴侶道：“很好花鹅，我同意。我們拭目以待你那寬容的心帶來的后果枫浙∨偎啵”
那天夜里，群蛙默不作聲箩帚，第二夜他們也沒有作聲真友，而第三夜又是默不作聲。
說也奇怪紧帕，住在湖邊房子里的一個愛說話的婦人盔然，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。耳中聽到蛙聲時愈案，我才睡得安安穩(wěn)穩(wěn)挺尾。不過，必定是出了什么事了站绪。青蛙三夜沒有唱歌了遭铺；我失眠缺覺得幾乎要發(fā)瘋了』肿迹”
雄蛙聽到了這一席話掂僵，向他的伴侶轉(zhuǎn)過身來，眨巴著眼睛顷歌，說道：“我們因為默不作聲也幾乎要發(fā)瘋了，難道不是嗎幔睬？”
他的伴侶答道：“是的眯漩，夜的寂靜沉重地籠罩著我們。我現(xiàn)在明白了麻顶，我們毋須為這些人的安寧舒適而停止唱歌赦抖，他們非有喧鬧的聲音來充實他們的空虛不可「ㄉ觯”
那天夜里队萤，月亮就不是白白地為青蛙的節(jié)奏而呼吁了，繁星就不是白白地為青蛙的韻律而呼吁了矫钓。
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 disturbs the whole neighborhood 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.
