The humming-bird! the humming-bird!

So fairy-like and bright;

It lives amongst the sunny flowers,

A creature of delight!

In the radiant islands of the East,

Where fragrant spices grow,

A thousand thousand humming-birds

Go glancing to and fro.

Like living fires they flit about,

Scarce larger than a bee,

Amongst the broad palmetto leaves,

And through the fan-palm tree.

There builds her nest the humming-bird,

Within the ancient wood,

Her nest of silky cotton-down,

And rears her tiny brood.She hangs it to a slender twig,

Where it waves light and free,

As the campanero tolls his song

While rocks the mighty tree.

All crimson is her shining breast,

Like to the red, red rose;

Her wing is the changeful green and blue

That the neck of the peacock shows.

Thou happy, happy humming-bird,

No winter round thee lowers;

Thou never saw'st a leafless tree,

Nor Land without sweet flowers:

A reign of summer joyfulness

To thee for life is given;

Thy food the honey from the flower,

Thy drink the dew from heaven!

—MARY HOWITT

Pronunciation

fai'-ry-like thou'-sand change'-ful sum'-mer spic'-es

sun'-ny crim'-son pea'-cock joy'-ful-ness liv'-ing

isl'-ands shin'-ing leaf'-less hon'-ey hap'-py

Write

radiant ancient summer

fragrant slender joyfulness

glancing leafless flower

蜂鳥！蜂鳥！

聰明像個小精靈；

它住在向陽花間，

是個快樂的小東西！

東方島嶼上，

陽光燦爛，

香料芬芳，成千上萬的蜂鳥，

來來回回地掠過。

它們像跳動的火焰輕快地飛來飛去，

僅僅比蜜蜂大一點，

它們在寬大的美洲蒲葵葉間飛翔，

穿過風扇葉棕櫚樹的樹干。

蜂鳥將巢

筑在古老的樹林里，

她的巢如絲綿一般，

里面養育著她的幼鳥。

她把巢掛在一個細長的嫩枝上，

巢在嫩枝上輕輕地自由搖擺，

就像蜂鳥在一邊歌唱，

一邊搖晃著大樹。

她的胸脯是深紅色的，

就像一支紅紅的玫瑰；

她的翅膀是富于變化的綠色和藍色，

就像孔雀脖子的顏色。

你這個快樂、快樂的蜂鳥啊，

你的身邊沒有冬天；

你永遠不會看到落盡葉子的禿樹，

也不會看到沒有芳香花朵的土地。

你生活在

夏日的歡樂之中，

你吸著鮮花的花蜜，

你飲著天堂的露珠！

——瑪麗·豪伊特