"I never can do it," the little kite said,
As he looked at the others high over his head.
"I know I should fall if I tried to fly."
"Try," said the big kite, only try! Or I fear you never will learn at all."
But the little kite said : "I'm afraid I'll fall."
The big kite nodded : "Ah, well, good-by; I am off."
And he rose toward the tranquil sky.
Then
the little kite's paper stirred at the
sight.And trembling he shook himself free for flight.
First whirling and frightened, then braver grown,
Up, up he rose through the air alone,
Till the big kite looking down could see
The little one rising steadily.
Then how the little kite thrilled with pride,
As he sailed with the big kite side by side!
While far below he could see the ground,
And the boys like small spots moving round
They rested high in the quiet air,
And only the birds and clouds were there.
"Oh, how happy I am,'.' the little kite cried.
"And all because I was brave and tried."
-------
Bagaimana Layangan Kecil Belajar
Terbang
“Aku takkan pernah bisa melakukannya,”
layangan kecil berkata,
Sementara ia memandang sekeliling pada
layangan lainnya yang tinggi di atas kepalanya.“Aku tahu aku akan jatuh jika aku mencoba terbang.”
“Coba,” kata layangan besar, coba saja ! Atau aku kuatir kau tidak akan pernah belajar sama sekali.”
Tetapi layangan kecil berkata, “Aku takut jatuh”
Layang besar mengangguk, “Ah, kalau begitu, sampai jumpa. Aku pergi.”
Ia pergi terbang tinggi menuju langit yang tenang.
Kertas si layangan kecil bergetar melihatnya,
Dan dengan gemetar ia mengibaskan dirinya siap untuk terbang,
Mulanya pusing dan ketakutan, kemudian keberaniannya tumbuh,
Naik, naik semakin tinggi ke udara sendirian,
Hingga layangan besar dapat memandangnya ke bawah,
Layangan kecil terus semakin naik.
Kemudian layangan kecil bergetar bangga,
Ketika kemudian ia melayang bersisian dengan
layangan besar !Sementara jauh di bawahnya ia bisa melihat daratan,
Dan anak laki-laki seperti titik kecil yang hilir mudik.
Mereka beristirahat di langit tinggi yang tenang,
Dan hanya burung-burung dan awan yang ada di sana.
“Oh, betapa senangnya aku, “ teriak layangan kecil
“Dan semuanya ini hanya karena aku berani dan mencoba.”
About the author :
Katherine Pyle was born in Wilmington November 22,
1863. She’s the youngest of four children
of William and Margaret Pyle
She wrote and illustrated about thirty books and illustrated a
number of books by other authors, including Anna Sewell's Black Beauty in 1923.
In 1924 her serialized article "The Story of Delaware" appeared in the Wilmington newspaper, the Sunday Morning Star.
Many of her stories were drawn from fairy tales, ancient myths, nursery rhymes, and stories about
animals.
Katharine Pyle died February 19, 1938 at her residence at 804
North Franklin St., Wilmington.
Reference :
The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett
