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The swallows gay in sunshine play, and frolic all the summer day.
燕子在陽光下快樂玩耍，整個夏天都在嬉鬧。
On nimble wing, alert, they spring, then wheel about in airy ring.
它們擁有敏捷的雙翼，警覺地跳來跳去，然后在空中來回盤旋。
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發了，然后閃電般向上沖去。它們消失在我們的視線里。
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.
在夏天蔚藍的穹頂下，在高空中玩耍。在冬天霜雪來臨之前大家都知道,它們往哪里飛去了。
As they live entirely upon insects, and as the insect tribes either die or remain torpid in the winter,
由于它們完全靠捕食昆蟲生活，而冬天的昆蟲要么死掉要么冬眠，
something warns them that they must leave the place which can no longer supply them with food.
這讓它們意識到必須離開這個食物匱乏的地方。
But when the warmth of spring hatches the insect eggs, and brings out myriads of tiny creatures into the sunshine,
但是許多昆蟲會在溫暖的春天破殼而出，到時就會有無數的小昆蟲帶到陽光下。
the same something teaches them to return again to the place whence they came.
這也教會它們要返回冬天離開的地方了。
We call it instinct; but that is only another name for the guiding hand of that great Creator who,
我們把這種能力稱為“本能”，但這只是偉大的造物主導向的另一個名稱，
as the Bible tells us, bids the swallow observe the time of her coming.
據《圣經》記載，造物主在合適的時間會將燕子呼喚出來。
There are four different species of swallow which visit us—the swift, the chimney swallow, the house martin, and the sand martin.
我們見到的燕子有四種——褐雨燕、煙囪雨燕、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.
它們的翅膀沒有什么分別，只不過前兩種飛行速度更快。
The martins are smaller, and have more white about their under parts,
家燕體型相對較小，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時，它們雪白的肚子能反射太陽光，就像一束束燈光。
