A Child's Dreams of a Star

There was once a child and he strolled about a good deal, and thought of a number of things. He had a sister, who was a child too, and his constant companion. These two used to wonder all day long. They wondered at the beauty of the flowers; they wondered at the height and blueness of the sky; they wondered at the depth of the bright water; they wondered at the goodness and the power of God who made the lovely world.

They used to stay to one another , sometimes, supposing all the children upon earth were to die, would the flowers, and the water, and the sky be sorry? They believed they would be sorry. For, they said, the buds are the children of the flowers, and the little playful streams that gambol down the hillsides are the children of the water; and the smallest bright specks playing at hide-and-seek in the sky all night, must surely be the children of the stars; and they would all be grieved to see their playmates, the children of men, no more.

-Charles Dickens

孩子梦中的星星

从前有个小孩, 总是东走西逛，想到许许多多的东西。他有个妹妹， 也是个小孩，成了他形影不离的小伙伴。这两个孩子成天到晚对一切都感到惊奇；他们对深深的清澈海水感到惊奇；上帝创造出了美好的世界，他们对上帝的善良和威力也感到惊奇。
他们总是彼此海陆天空地聊，有时假想，如果天下所有的儿童都死去的话，鲜花、大海和天空会不会因此而难过呢？他们相信会难过的。他们说，因为佩雷是鲜花的产儿，潜着山腰喧腾的顽皮小溪是大海的产儿；天空中整夜底玩着抓迷藏游戏的明亮小不点儿，肯定就是星星的产儿；要是再也看不到一起玩耍的伙伴、大人的孩子们，天地万物都会伤心的。
查尔斯. 或更斯