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Who stole sleep from baby's eyes? I must know.
Clasping [2] her pitcher [3] to her waist, mother went to fetch water from the village near by.
It was noon. The children's playtime was over; the ducks in the pond were silent.
The shepherd boy lay asleep under the shadow of the
banyan tree
.
The crane stood grave and still in the swamp [4] near the mango grove [5] .
In the meanwhile the Sleep-stealer came and, snatching [6] sleep from baby's eyes, flew away.
When mother came back she found baby travelling the room over
on all fours
.
Who stole sleep from our baby's eyes? I must know. I must find her and chain her up.
I must look into that dark cave, where, through boulders [7] and scowling [8] stones, trickles a tiny stream.
I must search in the
drowsy
[9]
shade of the bakula
grove, where pigeons coo in their corner, and fairies' anklets tinkle in the stillness of starry nights.
In the evening I will peep into the whispering silence of the bamboo forest,where fire-flies squander [10] their light, and will ask every creature I meet, “Can anybody tell me where the Sleep-stealer lives? ”
Who stole sleep from baby's eyes? I must know.
Shouldn't I give her a good lesson if I could only catch her!
I would raid [11] her nest and see where she hoards [12] all her stolen sleep.
I would plunder [13] it all, and carry it home.
I would bind her two wings securely [14] , set her on the bank of the river, and then let her play at fishing with a reed among the rushes [15] and water-lilies [16] .
When the marketing is over in the evening, and the village children sit in their mothers' laps, then the night birds will mockingly [17] din [18] her ears with:
“Whose sleep will you steal now? ”
[1] stealer [ˈsti:lə] n． 小偷
[2] clasp [klɑ:sp] v． 紧紧抓住
[3] pitcher [ˈpitʃə] n. （有嘴和柄的）大水罐
[4] swamp [swɔmp] n． 沼泽
[5] grove [ɡrəuv] n． 果树林
[6] snatch [snætʃ] v． 突然抓取，夺
[7] boulder [ˈbəuldə] n． 圆石
[8] scowling [skauliŋ] v. （scowl的现在分词）皱眉头
[9] drowsy [ˈdrauzi] a． 沉寂的
[10] squander [ˈskwɔndə] v. 挥霍，浪费
[11] raid [reid] v． 突然袭击
[12] hoard [hɔ:d] v． 贮藏
[13] plunder [ˈplʌndə] v． 掠夺，劫掠
[14] securely[siˈkjuəli] ad． 牢固地
[15] rush [rʌʃ] n. 【植物】灯芯草
[16] water-lily [ˈwɔ:təˌlili] n. 【植物】睡莲
[17] mockingly[ˈmɔkiŋli] ad. 嘲笑地
[18] din [din] v． 絮聒不休地说