自然之歌(六) Adapt

Animals and people Adapt, or change, to fit their environment.


The Whys of Eyes

If I lived in a hole, like a mole,
And saw only darkness,
Would my eyes be small?
If I peered through the evening shadows,
Like an owl,
Would my eyes be large and wise ?

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)
作者： Diana Anastasio

眼睛的疑问

若我住在地洞里，
像鼹鼠那样，
所见的只有黑暗，
那我的眼睛会不会变得很小？
若我能看透黑暗中的影子，
像猫头鹰一样，
那我的眼睛岂不又大又聪慧？


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Tread Softly

I do not need the wings of a bird
to soar beyond a mountain's canvas.
I go on foot, treading higher, uphill,
Giant strides fading to labored baby steps,
Past quaking aspen.

I do not need flippers,
Because I live on the land,
Or a parrot's beak,
Or claws like a falcon. But I need lips so than I can kiss you,
And fingers so that I can hold your hand.

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)
作者： Diana Anastasio


轻轻迈步

我无需鸟儿的翅膀
高飞过群山之颠
我以双脚迈向高处，登山，
巨大的脚印逐渐褪去孕育出婴孩的足迹，
走过颤动的山杨。

我无需鳍肢，
因我家就在陆地，
或鹦鹉之喙，
猎鹰的爪。
但我需要可以亲吻你的双唇,
和轻轻握你小手的手指。

自然之歌(五) Complete Metomorphosis

Sometimes one creature, such as a caterpillar, completely changes shape and becomes something else, such as a pupa and then a butterfly. This is called Complete Metomorphosis.


How Odd to Be a Butterfly

How odd to be a butterfly,
For butterflies don't know
That once they all were caterpillars
Not too long ago.

How odd to be a butterfly,
For butterflies don't know
That once they all were pupas
Not too long ago.

How odd to be a butterfly,
For butterflies don't know
A peaceful hush will follow them
No matter where they go.

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)
作者： Diana Anastasio


当蝴蝶多么奇妙

当蝴蝶多么奇妙，
因为蝴蝶不知道，
他们曾经由毛毛虫蜕变而来，
就在不久以前。

当蝴蝶多么奇妙，
因为蝴蝶不知道，
他们曾经化蛹而来，
就在不久以前。

当蝴蝶多么奇妙，
因为蝴蝶不知道，
寂静与平和将一直跟随着它，
无论海角或天涯。

自然之歌(四) Metamorphosis

Some animals completely change their body shape as they grow older. This is called Metamorphosis.

Frog on a Log

When did this frog, by my log,
Cease to be a tadpole?
When did his long arrow tail shrink and disappear?
When did he stop breathing through gills?
Swimming through cattails?
When did you leave your brothers behind, little frog,
And begin to watch me with those vast new eyes?

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)
作者： Diana Anastasio


树桐上的小青蛙

树桐边的小青蛙，
从什么时候开始停止当蝌蚪？
它箭般的长尾巴什么时候开始萎缩并且消失了？
它什么时候开始不再用鳃呼吸？
改用尾巴游泳？
噢小青蛙，你什么时候离开了你的弟兄们，
用你那全新的大眼睛瞪着我瞧？



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自然之歌(三) Echolocation

Some animals, such as dolphins and bats, send out sounds to find their way or to catch prey. The sounds bounce off objects and echo back to the animals. This is called Echolocation.


If I Could Ride a Dolphin

Oh, to ride a dolphin,
To leap and dive and play.
If I could ride a dolphin,
We'd click to find our way.

We'd skim around a submarine,
And slide around a whale,
Our clicks would echo off them
And guide us as we sailed.

We'd click our way through sunken ships
Hidden in the sea.
Oh, to ride a dolphin.
What magic that would be!

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)
作者： Diana Anastasio

倘若我乘在海豚背上翱游

噢，乘坐在海豚背上，
在大海中跳跃，下潜和嬉戏。
倘若我乘坐在海豚背上，
我们会一起尖叫着找寻方向。

我们在潜水艇四周滑行，
在鲸鱼身边溜过，
就凭回声，
当我们飘游的向导。

我们用回声寻获了
躺在深海中的沉船。
噢，乘坐在海豚背上，
是多么美妙的事情！

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自然之歌(二) Camouflage

Many animals and insects escape danger by hiding in places that are the same colors as they are. This is called Camouflage.

I Thought It Was a Twig

I almost snapped a walking stick.
It wasn't very big.
I was strolling through the woods,
And thought it was a twig.
The walking stick lay taut and still.
It almost fooled me,
Until I saw it shudder as
My fingers touched the tree.
I almost snapped a walking stick.
It wasn't very big.
Until its body trembled,
I thought it was a twig.

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)

作者： Diana Anastasio

我以为那是一根细枝

我差点儿就打下了一只竹节虫。
它不很大，
让在树林中闲逛的我，
还以为是一根细枝。
竹节虫身子紧绷着不动，
几乎把我耍了。
一直到我察觉它的颤抖，
在我用手指触碰树的时候。
我差点儿就打下了一只竹节虫。
它不很大，
一直到它的身子颤抖以前，
我都以为那是一根细枝。

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自然之歌(一) Instinct

无意间读到Diana Anastasio的‘Tread Softly’，才知道原来童诗可以这么美。 忍不住试着翻译，才发现我的牛津字典不知道被丢到哪里去了。

希望有那么一首诗，让JJ圆圆和老三在往后面对低潮的时候， 突然想起，吟唱着抬头仰望闪烁的星空。

Some things, such as flying south, weaving a spider's web, and buiding a nest, are done by instinc. It's just built in, like blinking and suckling are for humans.

Silken Scaffold

I wish I were a spider,
For I would know, just know,
Without being told,
How to spin a silken ladder,
And a spiral scaffold.
If my woven scaffold snapped
Would you be my silken net?
Or must I spin a parachute
To carry me to the cold, hard ground below?

摘自‘Tread Softly’(www.readinga-z.com)


丝织攀架

我愿是蜘蛛，
因我知晓，本能的知晓，
不需要谁来告诉我，
如何织成一道光滑的梯子，
和旋转的攀架。
若我的攀架毁了
你是否愿意做我的救生网？
抑我必须及时编织一个降落伞，
让自己安全地降落到冰冻的，坚硬的地面？

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Morning Twilight

Sometimes, in the soft morning twilight,
When the world is silent and the shadows still,
I tiptoe out to the little roofless house
And lie in the dawn dew, weaving daffodils through my fingertips.
Above my head, a corner nest slips a twig or two.
Spiders spin and weave,
Twisting silken webs.
A monarch butterfly wait to go
Thousands of miles to escape the snow.
How do they know?
How do they know?
I close my eyes, and wonder why.

摘自‘Tread Softly’(http://www.readinga-z.com/)

晨光

有时候，在轻柔的晨光中，
当万物俱寂影子凝固，
我踮着脚尖走到无顶的屋外
在晨露中躺下，用指尖编织着黄水仙。
头上，角落的鸟巢中有一两枝新芽探出。
蜘蛛在编织，
如丝般的网。
一只王蝶蓄势待发
准备远行千里躲避冷酷的寒冬。
他们如何知晓？
他们如何知晓？
我闭上眼睛，想个究竟。

注：Mornach butterfly
大型彩蝶，翅膀棕橙色，上有黑色网纹。飞行慢，却能从加拿大至墨西哥作远途飞行。

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柔光宝宝

如果你有一个小宝宝，
那么每个夜晚，
当她慢慢入睡，
象不象天空渐渐浮现的星星，
温柔发着光？

如果你有一个小宝宝，
那么每个清晨，
当她慢慢醒来，
象不象海上缓缓升起的太阳，
温暖发着光？

我有一个小宝宝，
象星星，象太阳。


－－－几米

月亮星星睡觉觉

月亮盖上我的家
星星在月亮的家
等月亮回来
刷牙洗脸睡觉觉


－－JJ在大山脚婆婆家吃过团员饭，一时兴起说，妈妈，月亮盖上我的家。我问，那星星呢？一边拿来纸笔记录。他爸笑说，又要放进Blog里了。

牵着小手在屋前空地散步，抬头发现满天的星星，象碎钻。不记得曾经在过年期看过这样的星空。以前过年总是忙，看电视呀，玩烟花啊，一刻也闲不下来。嫁人后，每年回夫家总多少有些不自在。是JJ，总是无所谓，在哪里都能玩得很开心，都能发现好玩的新大陆，都给妈妈打开一片璀璨的星空。

碗

angkat cawan 你说
小小的手捧著
世界给你的碗

碗里的小海螺骑在大鲸鱼身上说
我们到大海里找海星玩
海星说这里有很多打架鱼
你们要小心哦


注：慧玉阿姨起的头，JJ接龙。