Аннотация: "Сказка о скворце и канарейке" из цикла "Сказки у реки" на английском языке
A Story about a Sparrow and a Canary
You may know that there are many kinds of birds who fly away to warm countries for winter. You must have seen a stately angle of migrating birds crossing the sky southwards in autumn and back to their nesting places in spring. The prolonged honking of wild geese and the cooing of cranes sound the end of one summer and then their songs announce and welcome back the new summer.
Some migrating birds are really small, sparrows for example. Now I am going to tell you what happened to one of them.
It was on the way back after a winter break, and it was getting late when they both happened to settle for the night (until dawn) on the same tree branch.
The young sparrow burst into whistling and twittering on seeing how beautiful the other bird (who he had never seen before), was. Actually, he was showing off!
Female canaries are not very bright. Male canaries are yellow and we recognize them this way, whereas their "better halves" are not. Nevertheless, females have an excellent ear for music, and all of them have exquisite manners.
The sparrow got into a conversation with the canary, telling her about the earth insects and worms - there were plenty of those in the garden near his bird-house - he also mentioned caterpillars. His life was full and the pleasures he got from it were quite gastronomic as you can see.
"What kind of sunsets do you have, I wonder?" asked the canary.
"Sunsets?" replied the sparrow a bit puzzled. "Sunsets are very quick in our places - you have to be very swift to snatch an ant, an odd one that is slow to hide for the night in some ants" shelter".
"And stars ...? What sort of stars can you see over your garden?" asked the canary.
"On a clear night they are very bright", chirped the sparrow in a cheerful voice. "They may shine so bright as to allow me to spot a beetle who has not been careful enough to hide himself", said the sparrow proudly.
"And how about the sea? ...or a river? Have you got any?" - continued the canary, getting a bit disappointed in her attempts to change the direction of the discussion.
"Oh, certainly. A wide river is flowing just off our garden, and there are swarms of midges and clouds of mosquitoes over it! It"s brilliant! And if you decide to visit me I will do my best to treat you to delicious dragon-fly.
Canary came from Canary Isles, which are washed by the huge mighty Atlantic Ocean. Scarlet and amber sunsets go one after another over the steel-coloured silk of the water. Stately palm-trees rustle in the wind, waving their translucent fans...
Canary was used to different songs. She could have sung about her islands to the sparrow, but she didn"t - he would not have been able to hear her. The words they were twittering were alike, but their souls spoke differently. So very soon the canary got disappointed and bored.
The little sparrow went on and on chirping. His "Chew-worm, chew-worm" could be heard again and again. He was so busy talking that his new friend stood no chance of opening her beak. The canary, who had good manners, did not interrupt him - with her eyes open she fell asleep. Hardly had the first rays of the rising sun touched the tree when she flew off.
"Come to visit our garden", she heard the sparrow calling.
"Thank you very much", replied the canary politely, "But I don"t think I will", and she flew to her islands.