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那时候，小青蛙还太小，老青蛙还不老，他们主要在青草池塘附近生活，那里的水草非常丰美。
小青蛙和老青蛙是一场大雨过后认识的。当时，小青蛙屁股后面的尾巴还没有丢，青草池塘四周全是青草和新泥的香味。从那天开始他俩就不分开了。
Once upon a time， Little Frog was young and small， while Old Frog was not too old. Most of the time， they lived near the pond where lush green grass grew.
They first met after a heavy rain. Little Frog still had his tail behind him and the fresh flavor of grass and mud was everywhere around their pond home. From that day on， they went everywhere together.
青蛙基本上是跳着走路的。老青蛙走在前面说：“出发了，小东西，跟上！”小青蛙便乖乖跟在后面。有时候小青蛙也生气，“嘿，等等我，我跳不远。”老青蛙便说：“我可以等你，飞虫可不等你，要不快点跳，我们会饿死的。”
小青蛙要跟在老青蛙后面学习跳跃。有一次，小青蛙练习从一片荷叶跳到另一片荷叶，结果扑通掉在水里。自己还被吓了一跳。老青蛙蹲在对面的大荷叶上面呱呱大笑。
他们在草丛里跳来跳去的多半是为了食物。
Instead of running， they hopped. Old Frog led the way and said， “Here we go little one. Be quick！” Little Frog would then picked up and followed him. Sometimes Little Frog was upset with Old Frog， crying out， “Hey！ Please wait for me！ I can't do that！ I can't jump far like you！” Old Frog replied， “I can wait for you but the flying insects won't. If you don't learn to jump， we will starve！”
So the young frog practiced， jumping from one lotus leaf to another but he always splashed into the water. Little Frog was taken aback when this happened， but Old Frog couldn't help but laugh.
Here and there they hopped through the grass， looking for food.
小青蛙當然喜欢食物，但最喜欢的事情还是老青蛙蹲在池塘边睡觉，这时候不用跳来跳去的。有一回有一只红蜻蜓从老青蛙头顶飞过，小青蛙看见了，心想：“这飞虫是不要命了。”与蜻蜓的肉相比，小青蛙更喜欢看红蜻蜓在池塘上空飞来飞去的样子。在这里，要是没有她们飞来飞去的也太单调乏味了。小青蛙担心总有一天她们要被老青蛙捕光。
Little Frog loved food but he also liked when Old Frog took a nap. Then he could have a good rest， too. One day when Old Frog was sleeping， a red dragonfly flew over him. Little Frog saw her and said to himself， “She is risking her neck.” Little Frog liked to see the dance of the dragonflies over the pond and he thought of them less as food now. The pond would be a dull place without the dragonflies flying over. Little Frog was afraid the dragonflies would all become food for Old Frog.
“幸亏现在老青蛙是睡着的！”小青蛙小声告诉蜻蜓，“快离开，你下面有一张大嘴呀！你没有看见吗？”
其实老青蛙是假装睡觉，他猛地吐出长长的舌头。当然这一次他没得手，红蜻蜓及时飞离了险境，红蜻蜓在空中向小青蛙致谢。
老青蛙很生气，“小东西，这不是开玩笑的时候！你得跟我学会捕食的方法！”
“For heaven's sake， Old Frog is sleeping now！” Little Frog whispered to the red dragonfly. “Leave here. There is a hungry mouth below you！ Don't you see it？”
But Old Frog was just pretending to sleep. He stuck out his tongue， long and quick！ Luckily， he missed his target this time. The dragonfly flew off at great speed and was safe. She danced in gratitude at the young frog. Old Frog was mad！ “Don't be an idiot， little one！ You must learn to catch food！”
时间不知不觉过去，小青蛙屁股后面的尾巴也不知什么时候丢掉了。为这个，小青蛙蹲在一片荷叶上伤心地望着夕阳，整个傍晚都不肯说一句话。老青蛙却说：“那东西以前我也有的。想长大总得丢掉些东西，丢掉了尾巴，你就是地地道道的青蛙了，从前你只是一只蝌蚪。”
Day by day， time passed. Day melted into night and back into day again. No one really noticed when Little Frog lost his tail. When he found out， Little Frog， seated on a lotus leaf， was unusually quiet， not speaking a word all evening. He heard Old Frog say， “Well， I used to have a tail， too. As you grow up， you have to lose something. Losing your tail means you are a real frog now.”
小青蛙喃喃地說：“我更喜欢做一只蝌蚪啊……”然后扑通一声跳进青草池塘。小青蛙不愿意让老青蛙看见他流眼泪。小青蛙从水下浮上来的时候，老青蛙仍旧蹲在那里。老青蛙在等小青蛙上来。老青蛙说：“想流眼泪又不愿意让别人看见，就是真的长大啦。”
“But I feel more like being a tadpole...”said the young frog in a low voice. He jumped in the pond， making a big splashing sound. He did not want Old Frog to see him crying. When he came out of the water， the older frog was still there. Old Frog said， “If you don't want others to see you weep， you are indeed a grown frog. You were a tadpole and now you are a frog.”
红蜻蜓在空中飞来飞去，小青蛙和老青蛙在青草和水草之间跳过来游过去，时间一天一天过去，后来那些事情都变成从前的事情了。在小青蛙看来，除了丢了一条尾巴，日子跟过去比还有了别的不同——这期间小青蛙与那只红蜻蜓悄悄地恋爱了。小青蛙指着月亮发誓，说将来要娶红蜻蜓做妻子，红蜻蜓说，只怕一个天上飞一个水中游，将来一起生活不太方便。小青蛙说这不算什么，他可以减减肥，身体变轻了，再做个手术把脚蹼改成翅膀，飞上天也是有可能的。红蜻蜓提醒小青蛙做手术是很疼的，小青蛙说再疼他也不怕。红蜻蜓听了很感动，同意考虑考虑。这件事，老青蛙一直被蒙在鼓里。
The dragonflies still flew over the pond each day. The two frogs still hopped， swam and had fun together. And what was news， gradually became memory. For the young frog， there was a big difference in his life， beyond losing his tail. He was in love！ He was in love with the red dragonfly！ Little Frog swore to the moon he would marry her， but the red dragonfly asked how this could be， with her flying and him swimming. The young frog thought he could exercise more and lose weight. Maybe his feet could be modified so that he could fly. And he didn't mind suffering for true love. Red Dragonfly was moved. The older frog knew nothing of this budding relationship.
有一天，小青蛙和老青蛙一前一后跳上岸，想去另外一个地方找食物，突然从一片蒲草后面飞来一支闪着银光的梭镖，直朝老青蛙刺来。小青蛙喊道：“快跳开！”老青蛙迟钝了一下才用力跳开，梭镖戳伤了它的后脚蹼。老青蛙及时跳回池塘，没有被俘虏。
老青蛙受伤了。
小青蛙看着老青蛙，说：“为什么不快点躲开啊？是你教过我的，梭镖来的时候，要……”
One day， the young frog led the way to the river bank. Suddenly， a spear with silver light flew at Old Frog from a cluster of cattails！！ Little Frog yelled， “Dive！！” Old Frog almost didn't move fast enough. It took some effort to jump into the water. It was a narrow escape！ Old Frog was hurt.
Little Frog judged him with his eyes， and said， “Why didn't you jump quicker？ You taught me to move fast when the spear comes！”
老青蛙皺了皱眉，笑了一下：“小东西，怎么说呢，我也不知道……哎哟，有点疼！”
老青蛙的伤很快就好了，但再出门的时候，往往落在小青蛙的后面，小青蛙要经常蹲在前面等他赶上来。一天下午，老青蛙望着西沉的太阳突然明白了：我老了，我已经是一只很老的青蛙啦！
老青蛙慢腾腾地赶上小青蛙，“小东西，我想，我是老了吧。”
小青蛙还不明白“老了”是什么意思，只是答应着：“大概是吧。”
Through the pain， Old Frog managed a smile. He said， “Well little one， what can I say？ ...I don't know... Ouch！”
The older frog soon recovered but when they went out， he lagged behind more often. More than one time， the younger frog had to stop and wait for him. This new knowledge of himself sank in as he was looking toward the setting sun. “Oh， God. I am a very old frog now！”
Old Frog tried his best to catch up with Little Frog and said， “Little one， I think I am old.”
Little Frog did not truly understand the word “old”； he replied without thinking much，“Maybe so.”
老青蛙就在这个时候变成了老青蛙，小青蛙也彻底忘记了自己的小尾巴，丢掉就丢掉了吧。小青蛙对红蜻蜓说，他得照顾照顾老青蛙了，再没时间为一条小尾巴伤心了。红蜻蜓答应帮助小青蛙照顾老青蛙，虽然她不太喜欢他。
小青蛙要经常提醒老青蛙：“闪开，有只水靴踏过来了。”老青蛙的眼神大不如从前。
So Old Frog truly became an old frog and Little Frog had forgotten about his tail. Let what is lost be lost. Little Frog thus told the red dragonfly that he had to take care of the old frog and had no time to think about his tail now. The red dragonfly said she would help with the older frog， though she did not really take a fancy to him.
Old Frog's eye sight was poor now. Often， Little Frog had to remind Old Frog， “Jump to the side！ Mind the rubber boots coming from behind！”
是这样的，还是那个男孩，梭镖不见了，现在整天举着一张安装了竹竿的细网，在蒲草丛里到处粘蜻蜓玩。小青蛙真替红蜻蜓担心，就让红蜻蜓暂时离开了这片池塘。临别，小青蛙说他永远等她。
男孩在池塘边粘蜻蜓玩，有一天失足掉在池塘里，男孩挣扎着大喊救命。老青蛙和小青蛙只能蹲在旁边看着，他们一时还决定不了该不该救他。还好，一个女人跑过来了，她跳进池塘，把男孩托上了岸。可是她自己却不会游泳，池水渐渐淹没了她。小青蛙跳下荷叶向女人游过去，可是荡漾的池水把他推开了。老青蛙说：“小东西，你帮不上她，跟我一起为她祈祷吧。”
男孩在岸上趴了一会儿，终于清醒过来，喊着：“妈妈，妈妈！”他找到了竹竿，“妈妈，抓住它！”
女人得救了，男孩抱住女人，“妈妈！”女人说：“妈妈没事了！”
小青蛙跳回到荷叶上，学着男孩喊道：“妈妈，妈妈……”
妈妈是什么意思，小青蛙不知道。
老青蛙笑了，“小东西，叫得真不错，我以为你永远都不会叫呢。”
The boy， who used to carry a spear， discarded it and had a new weapon – a spider web. He made it to catch dragonflies. Little Frog was very worried and he asked the red dragonfly to leave the pond for the time being. He said goodbye and that he would always wait for her.
The boy wiled away his time at the pond with his net. One day he slipped and fell into the water. “Help！ Help！” There was nothing the two frogs could do， and they couldn't decide whether they should try anyway. Luckily， a woman ran over and jumped into the pond to save the boy but she couldn't swim！ Little Frog jumped from his Lotus leaf toward her， but was pushed away by a wave. Old Frog said， “There is nothing we can do to help her. Pray. Pray with me！” When the boy came to his senses， he cried， “Mama！！ Mama！！” He found the pole and stretched his arm to hand it to his mom. “Take it！ Catch it Mom！”
The woman was saved and the boy hugged her close， not letting go. “Mama！” The woman replied， “It's alright. Don't worry.”
Little Frog hopped back on his lotus leaf. He imitated the boy， saying “Mama！ Croak！ Mama！ Croak！”
What did Mama mean？ Little Frog had no idea.
Old Frog smiled. “Little one， you did a good imitation！ I didn't think you could say that word！”
有了老青蛙夸奖，小青蛙蹲在一片大荷叶上，望着天空中升起的一轮圆月，笨拙地叫个不停。趁着小青蛙唱歌，老青蛙悄悄潜入水中，向池塘深处游去。很快，老青蛙在对面上了岸，他去寻找新的池塘了。有一个意识不断地提醒他，他必须到另一个地方生活。
“他长大了，该有自己的生活了。他想娶红蜻蜓也不错的。”老青蛙愉快地想着。老青蛙就这样离开了，离开时小青蛙不知道。
小青蛙发现老青蛙不见时，青草池塘的水面还没有恢复平静，细小的波浪上面正反射着零碎的月光。
小青蛙一直等了许多个夜晚，老青蛙都没有回来。这个时候小青蛙格外想念红蜻蜓，要是有个伙伴陪他一起想念老青蛙，他心里也许会好受一点。又一个傍晚来临了，红蜻蜓居然回来了，红蜻蜓在弥漫水汽的青草池塘上空停住，那样子不太真切，小青蛙怀疑红蜻蜓是在自己的梦中。不过小青蛙还是高兴极了，说：“我一直等着你啊，你还活着！你没有被别的网粘去，这太好了！”
Encouraged， Little Frog sat on his leaf in the moonlight， repeating his word long and loud. While he was singing， Old Frog slipped off his leaf and dived deep into the water. His goal was the other side of the river. It was time to find a new pond where he could live out the rest of his life.
“He is grown up now. He should have his own life. He wants to marry the red dragonfly and that isn't so bad.” Old Frog was pleased by his thoughts. It was then that the senior frog took his leave， but Little Frog took no notice of his parting.
The pond was still rippled， shattering the moonlight in little waves.
Little Frog waited and waited； many nights passed and Old Frog did not return. By this time， Little Frog missed the red dragonfly badly. He really wanted her company. Not too long after， the red dragonfly did return. The air was diffused with moisture， damp but not foggy. The dragonfly hovered over the water， her dim figure making Little Frog wonder if he was dreaming. “You came back！ I am so glad！ I have been waiting since you left！ I am very happy you didn't get caught in the net！”
红蜻蜓落在一个莲蓬上面，说：“其实我离开两天后就撞在一张蜘蛛网上……所以我一直不能来看你。”
小青蛙马上哭了，这是他长大以后第一次当着别人的面哭，他实在忍不住了。
小青蛙说：“你还是死了……”
红蜻蜓说：“是啊，我不能嫁给你啦。”
小青蛙扎到水里，把眼泪洗掉又浮上来，他得先忘掉自己的婚事，“你知道吗，老青蛙沒打招呼就走了。”
The red dragonfly landed on the seedpod of a lotus and spoke. “I did get caught in a net just two days after leaving here. That is why I can't come over to see you.”
Little Frog wept. It was the first time he had cried in front of her but he couldn't hold back. “You are dead，” he said. “Yes. That means I can't marry you now.”
Little Frog dived into the pond， washing his tears away， and floating slowly to the surface. He needed time to gather himself. “Did you know Old Frog left， too？ He left without a word.”
红蜻蜓说：“我看见老青蛙了，我和他在另外一个地方过着平静的生活，那地方水草丰美。”
小青蛙说：“带我去那里吧，我们马上出发吧。”
红蜻蜓说：“你还不能去，但你要答应我好好在青草池塘活着。唉，我该走了……答应我好好活着……”红蜻蜓说着从莲蓬上飞起来，消失在青草池塘上面的梦一样的雾气里。
小青蛙一急，从荷叶上面掉下来，刚才的情景真的是一个梦。
小青蛙突然明白了什么，便回到一片最大的荷叶上面不停地喊道：“妈妈妈妈，妈妈！”
别的小青蛙们也来了，帮他喊：“妈妈，妈妈……”
“I saw him. He and I are living in another world. There is a pond and grass there， too.”
“Take me there！ Let's go now！”
“No. You can't go. You must promise to live here， safe and sound. I must go now.” Saying this， she lifted off and disappeared into the dream-like mist on the pond.
Little Frog was eager to call her back and he fell from his leaf. It truly was a dream but he came to a new understanding.
He jumped to the biggest leaf and cried aloud， “Croak！ Croak！” This was the word he learned to call the dear ones in his life.
Other frogs were coming. They called out with Little Frog， “Croak！ Croak！ Croak！ Croak！”
盛夏來到了，傍晚的青草池塘传来一片哀伤的蛙鸣。
盛夏来到了，小青蛙和他的小伙伴们已经是大青蛙了。
The heart of summer is here. In the evening， a chorus of frogs can be heard from the pond.
The heart of summer is here – Little Frog and his new friends have grown big and strong.
小青蛙和老青蛙是一场大雨过后认识的。当时，小青蛙屁股后面的尾巴还没有丢，青草池塘四周全是青草和新泥的香味。从那天开始他俩就不分开了。
Once upon a time， Little Frog was young and small， while Old Frog was not too old. Most of the time， they lived near the pond where lush green grass grew.
They first met after a heavy rain. Little Frog still had his tail behind him and the fresh flavor of grass and mud was everywhere around their pond home. From that day on， they went everywhere together.
青蛙基本上是跳着走路的。老青蛙走在前面说：“出发了，小东西，跟上！”小青蛙便乖乖跟在后面。有时候小青蛙也生气，“嘿，等等我，我跳不远。”老青蛙便说：“我可以等你，飞虫可不等你，要不快点跳，我们会饿死的。”
小青蛙要跟在老青蛙后面学习跳跃。有一次，小青蛙练习从一片荷叶跳到另一片荷叶，结果扑通掉在水里。自己还被吓了一跳。老青蛙蹲在对面的大荷叶上面呱呱大笑。
他们在草丛里跳来跳去的多半是为了食物。
Instead of running， they hopped. Old Frog led the way and said， “Here we go little one. Be quick！” Little Frog would then picked up and followed him. Sometimes Little Frog was upset with Old Frog， crying out， “Hey！ Please wait for me！ I can't do that！ I can't jump far like you！” Old Frog replied， “I can wait for you but the flying insects won't. If you don't learn to jump， we will starve！”
So the young frog practiced， jumping from one lotus leaf to another but he always splashed into the water. Little Frog was taken aback when this happened， but Old Frog couldn't help but laugh.
Here and there they hopped through the grass， looking for food.
小青蛙當然喜欢食物，但最喜欢的事情还是老青蛙蹲在池塘边睡觉，这时候不用跳来跳去的。有一回有一只红蜻蜓从老青蛙头顶飞过，小青蛙看见了，心想：“这飞虫是不要命了。”与蜻蜓的肉相比，小青蛙更喜欢看红蜻蜓在池塘上空飞来飞去的样子。在这里，要是没有她们飞来飞去的也太单调乏味了。小青蛙担心总有一天她们要被老青蛙捕光。
Little Frog loved food but he also liked when Old Frog took a nap. Then he could have a good rest， too. One day when Old Frog was sleeping， a red dragonfly flew over him. Little Frog saw her and said to himself， “She is risking her neck.” Little Frog liked to see the dance of the dragonflies over the pond and he thought of them less as food now. The pond would be a dull place without the dragonflies flying over. Little Frog was afraid the dragonflies would all become food for Old Frog.
“幸亏现在老青蛙是睡着的！”小青蛙小声告诉蜻蜓，“快离开，你下面有一张大嘴呀！你没有看见吗？”
其实老青蛙是假装睡觉，他猛地吐出长长的舌头。当然这一次他没得手，红蜻蜓及时飞离了险境，红蜻蜓在空中向小青蛙致谢。
老青蛙很生气，“小东西，这不是开玩笑的时候！你得跟我学会捕食的方法！”
“For heaven's sake， Old Frog is sleeping now！” Little Frog whispered to the red dragonfly. “Leave here. There is a hungry mouth below you！ Don't you see it？”
But Old Frog was just pretending to sleep. He stuck out his tongue， long and quick！ Luckily， he missed his target this time. The dragonfly flew off at great speed and was safe. She danced in gratitude at the young frog. Old Frog was mad！ “Don't be an idiot， little one！ You must learn to catch food！”
时间不知不觉过去，小青蛙屁股后面的尾巴也不知什么时候丢掉了。为这个，小青蛙蹲在一片荷叶上伤心地望着夕阳，整个傍晚都不肯说一句话。老青蛙却说：“那东西以前我也有的。想长大总得丢掉些东西，丢掉了尾巴，你就是地地道道的青蛙了，从前你只是一只蝌蚪。”
Day by day， time passed. Day melted into night and back into day again. No one really noticed when Little Frog lost his tail. When he found out， Little Frog， seated on a lotus leaf， was unusually quiet， not speaking a word all evening. He heard Old Frog say， “Well， I used to have a tail， too. As you grow up， you have to lose something. Losing your tail means you are a real frog now.”
小青蛙喃喃地說：“我更喜欢做一只蝌蚪啊……”然后扑通一声跳进青草池塘。小青蛙不愿意让老青蛙看见他流眼泪。小青蛙从水下浮上来的时候，老青蛙仍旧蹲在那里。老青蛙在等小青蛙上来。老青蛙说：“想流眼泪又不愿意让别人看见，就是真的长大啦。”
“But I feel more like being a tadpole...”said the young frog in a low voice. He jumped in the pond， making a big splashing sound. He did not want Old Frog to see him crying. When he came out of the water， the older frog was still there. Old Frog said， “If you don't want others to see you weep， you are indeed a grown frog. You were a tadpole and now you are a frog.”
红蜻蜓在空中飞来飞去，小青蛙和老青蛙在青草和水草之间跳过来游过去，时间一天一天过去，后来那些事情都变成从前的事情了。在小青蛙看来，除了丢了一条尾巴，日子跟过去比还有了别的不同——这期间小青蛙与那只红蜻蜓悄悄地恋爱了。小青蛙指着月亮发誓，说将来要娶红蜻蜓做妻子，红蜻蜓说，只怕一个天上飞一个水中游，将来一起生活不太方便。小青蛙说这不算什么，他可以减减肥，身体变轻了，再做个手术把脚蹼改成翅膀，飞上天也是有可能的。红蜻蜓提醒小青蛙做手术是很疼的，小青蛙说再疼他也不怕。红蜻蜓听了很感动，同意考虑考虑。这件事，老青蛙一直被蒙在鼓里。
The dragonflies still flew over the pond each day. The two frogs still hopped， swam and had fun together. And what was news， gradually became memory. For the young frog， there was a big difference in his life， beyond losing his tail. He was in love！ He was in love with the red dragonfly！ Little Frog swore to the moon he would marry her， but the red dragonfly asked how this could be， with her flying and him swimming. The young frog thought he could exercise more and lose weight. Maybe his feet could be modified so that he could fly. And he didn't mind suffering for true love. Red Dragonfly was moved. The older frog knew nothing of this budding relationship.
有一天，小青蛙和老青蛙一前一后跳上岸，想去另外一个地方找食物，突然从一片蒲草后面飞来一支闪着银光的梭镖，直朝老青蛙刺来。小青蛙喊道：“快跳开！”老青蛙迟钝了一下才用力跳开，梭镖戳伤了它的后脚蹼。老青蛙及时跳回池塘，没有被俘虏。
老青蛙受伤了。
小青蛙看着老青蛙，说：“为什么不快点躲开啊？是你教过我的，梭镖来的时候，要……”
One day， the young frog led the way to the river bank. Suddenly， a spear with silver light flew at Old Frog from a cluster of cattails！！ Little Frog yelled， “Dive！！” Old Frog almost didn't move fast enough. It took some effort to jump into the water. It was a narrow escape！ Old Frog was hurt.
Little Frog judged him with his eyes， and said， “Why didn't you jump quicker？ You taught me to move fast when the spear comes！”
老青蛙皺了皱眉，笑了一下：“小东西，怎么说呢，我也不知道……哎哟，有点疼！”
老青蛙的伤很快就好了，但再出门的时候，往往落在小青蛙的后面，小青蛙要经常蹲在前面等他赶上来。一天下午，老青蛙望着西沉的太阳突然明白了：我老了，我已经是一只很老的青蛙啦！
老青蛙慢腾腾地赶上小青蛙，“小东西，我想，我是老了吧。”
小青蛙还不明白“老了”是什么意思，只是答应着：“大概是吧。”
Through the pain， Old Frog managed a smile. He said， “Well little one， what can I say？ ...I don't know... Ouch！”
The older frog soon recovered but when they went out， he lagged behind more often. More than one time， the younger frog had to stop and wait for him. This new knowledge of himself sank in as he was looking toward the setting sun. “Oh， God. I am a very old frog now！”
Old Frog tried his best to catch up with Little Frog and said， “Little one， I think I am old.”
Little Frog did not truly understand the word “old”； he replied without thinking much，“Maybe so.”
老青蛙就在这个时候变成了老青蛙，小青蛙也彻底忘记了自己的小尾巴，丢掉就丢掉了吧。小青蛙对红蜻蜓说，他得照顾照顾老青蛙了，再没时间为一条小尾巴伤心了。红蜻蜓答应帮助小青蛙照顾老青蛙，虽然她不太喜欢他。
小青蛙要经常提醒老青蛙：“闪开，有只水靴踏过来了。”老青蛙的眼神大不如从前。
So Old Frog truly became an old frog and Little Frog had forgotten about his tail. Let what is lost be lost. Little Frog thus told the red dragonfly that he had to take care of the old frog and had no time to think about his tail now. The red dragonfly said she would help with the older frog， though she did not really take a fancy to him.
Old Frog's eye sight was poor now. Often， Little Frog had to remind Old Frog， “Jump to the side！ Mind the rubber boots coming from behind！”
是这样的，还是那个男孩，梭镖不见了，现在整天举着一张安装了竹竿的细网，在蒲草丛里到处粘蜻蜓玩。小青蛙真替红蜻蜓担心，就让红蜻蜓暂时离开了这片池塘。临别，小青蛙说他永远等她。
男孩在池塘边粘蜻蜓玩，有一天失足掉在池塘里，男孩挣扎着大喊救命。老青蛙和小青蛙只能蹲在旁边看着，他们一时还决定不了该不该救他。还好，一个女人跑过来了，她跳进池塘，把男孩托上了岸。可是她自己却不会游泳，池水渐渐淹没了她。小青蛙跳下荷叶向女人游过去，可是荡漾的池水把他推开了。老青蛙说：“小东西，你帮不上她，跟我一起为她祈祷吧。”
男孩在岸上趴了一会儿，终于清醒过来，喊着：“妈妈，妈妈！”他找到了竹竿，“妈妈，抓住它！”
女人得救了，男孩抱住女人，“妈妈！”女人说：“妈妈没事了！”
小青蛙跳回到荷叶上，学着男孩喊道：“妈妈，妈妈……”
妈妈是什么意思，小青蛙不知道。
老青蛙笑了，“小东西，叫得真不错，我以为你永远都不会叫呢。”
The boy， who used to carry a spear， discarded it and had a new weapon – a spider web. He made it to catch dragonflies. Little Frog was very worried and he asked the red dragonfly to leave the pond for the time being. He said goodbye and that he would always wait for her.
The boy wiled away his time at the pond with his net. One day he slipped and fell into the water. “Help！ Help！” There was nothing the two frogs could do， and they couldn't decide whether they should try anyway. Luckily， a woman ran over and jumped into the pond to save the boy but she couldn't swim！ Little Frog jumped from his Lotus leaf toward her， but was pushed away by a wave. Old Frog said， “There is nothing we can do to help her. Pray. Pray with me！” When the boy came to his senses， he cried， “Mama！！ Mama！！” He found the pole and stretched his arm to hand it to his mom. “Take it！ Catch it Mom！”
The woman was saved and the boy hugged her close， not letting go. “Mama！” The woman replied， “It's alright. Don't worry.”
Little Frog hopped back on his lotus leaf. He imitated the boy， saying “Mama！ Croak！ Mama！ Croak！”
What did Mama mean？ Little Frog had no idea.
Old Frog smiled. “Little one， you did a good imitation！ I didn't think you could say that word！”
有了老青蛙夸奖，小青蛙蹲在一片大荷叶上，望着天空中升起的一轮圆月，笨拙地叫个不停。趁着小青蛙唱歌，老青蛙悄悄潜入水中，向池塘深处游去。很快，老青蛙在对面上了岸，他去寻找新的池塘了。有一个意识不断地提醒他，他必须到另一个地方生活。
“他长大了，该有自己的生活了。他想娶红蜻蜓也不错的。”老青蛙愉快地想着。老青蛙就这样离开了，离开时小青蛙不知道。
小青蛙发现老青蛙不见时，青草池塘的水面还没有恢复平静，细小的波浪上面正反射着零碎的月光。
小青蛙一直等了许多个夜晚，老青蛙都没有回来。这个时候小青蛙格外想念红蜻蜓，要是有个伙伴陪他一起想念老青蛙，他心里也许会好受一点。又一个傍晚来临了，红蜻蜓居然回来了，红蜻蜓在弥漫水汽的青草池塘上空停住，那样子不太真切，小青蛙怀疑红蜻蜓是在自己的梦中。不过小青蛙还是高兴极了，说：“我一直等着你啊，你还活着！你没有被别的网粘去，这太好了！”
Encouraged， Little Frog sat on his leaf in the moonlight， repeating his word long and loud. While he was singing， Old Frog slipped off his leaf and dived deep into the water. His goal was the other side of the river. It was time to find a new pond where he could live out the rest of his life.
“He is grown up now. He should have his own life. He wants to marry the red dragonfly and that isn't so bad.” Old Frog was pleased by his thoughts. It was then that the senior frog took his leave， but Little Frog took no notice of his parting.
The pond was still rippled， shattering the moonlight in little waves.
Little Frog waited and waited； many nights passed and Old Frog did not return. By this time， Little Frog missed the red dragonfly badly. He really wanted her company. Not too long after， the red dragonfly did return. The air was diffused with moisture， damp but not foggy. The dragonfly hovered over the water， her dim figure making Little Frog wonder if he was dreaming. “You came back！ I am so glad！ I have been waiting since you left！ I am very happy you didn't get caught in the net！”
红蜻蜓落在一个莲蓬上面，说：“其实我离开两天后就撞在一张蜘蛛网上……所以我一直不能来看你。”
小青蛙马上哭了，这是他长大以后第一次当着别人的面哭，他实在忍不住了。
小青蛙说：“你还是死了……”
红蜻蜓说：“是啊，我不能嫁给你啦。”
小青蛙扎到水里，把眼泪洗掉又浮上来，他得先忘掉自己的婚事，“你知道吗，老青蛙沒打招呼就走了。”
The red dragonfly landed on the seedpod of a lotus and spoke. “I did get caught in a net just two days after leaving here. That is why I can't come over to see you.”
Little Frog wept. It was the first time he had cried in front of her but he couldn't hold back. “You are dead，” he said. “Yes. That means I can't marry you now.”
Little Frog dived into the pond， washing his tears away， and floating slowly to the surface. He needed time to gather himself. “Did you know Old Frog left， too？ He left without a word.”
红蜻蜓说：“我看见老青蛙了，我和他在另外一个地方过着平静的生活，那地方水草丰美。”
小青蛙说：“带我去那里吧，我们马上出发吧。”
红蜻蜓说：“你还不能去，但你要答应我好好在青草池塘活着。唉，我该走了……答应我好好活着……”红蜻蜓说着从莲蓬上飞起来，消失在青草池塘上面的梦一样的雾气里。
小青蛙一急，从荷叶上面掉下来，刚才的情景真的是一个梦。
小青蛙突然明白了什么，便回到一片最大的荷叶上面不停地喊道：“妈妈妈妈，妈妈！”
别的小青蛙们也来了，帮他喊：“妈妈，妈妈……”
“I saw him. He and I are living in another world. There is a pond and grass there， too.”
“Take me there！ Let's go now！”
“No. You can't go. You must promise to live here， safe and sound. I must go now.” Saying this， she lifted off and disappeared into the dream-like mist on the pond.
Little Frog was eager to call her back and he fell from his leaf. It truly was a dream but he came to a new understanding.
He jumped to the biggest leaf and cried aloud， “Croak！ Croak！” This was the word he learned to call the dear ones in his life.
Other frogs were coming. They called out with Little Frog， “Croak！ Croak！ Croak！ Croak！”
盛夏來到了，傍晚的青草池塘传来一片哀伤的蛙鸣。
盛夏来到了，小青蛙和他的小伙伴们已经是大青蛙了。
The heart of summer is here. In the evening， a chorus of frogs can be heard from the pond.
The heart of summer is here – Little Frog and his new friends have grown big and strong.