The Nightingale and the Glowworm

   A Nightingale, that all day long

  Had cheered the village with his song,

  Nor had at eve his note suspended,

  Nor yet when eventide was ended

  Began to feel, as well he might,

  The keen demands of appetite;

  When, looking eagerly around,

  He spied far off, upon the ground,

  A something shining in the dark,

  And knew the Glowworm by his spark;

  So stepping down from hawthorn¹ top,

  He thought to put him in his crop.

  The Worm, aware of his intent,

  Harangued² him thus, right eloquent³:

    "Did you admire my lamp," quoth he,

  "As much as I your minstrelsy,

  You would abhor⁴ to do me wrong,

  As much as I to spoil your song;

  For, 'twas the self-same Power Divine

  Taught you to sing and me to shine;

  That you with music, I with light,

  Might beautify and cheer the night."

  The Songster heard his short oration⁵,

  And warbling out his approbation⁶.

  Released him, as my story tells,

  And found a supper somewhere else.

    Hence, jarring sectaries may learn

  Their real interest to discern,

  That brother should not war with brother,

  And worry and devour⁷ each other;

  But sing and shine by sweet consent,

  Until life's poor transient night is spent.

  Respecting in each other's case.

  The gifts of Nature and of Grace.

 

    Those Christians⁸ best deserve the name

  Who studiously make peace their aim;

  Peace both the duty and the prize

  Of him that creeps and him that flies.

WILLIAM COWPER

1 hawthorn   

山楂

参考例句：

• A cuckoo began calling from a hawthorn tree.一只布谷鸟开始在一株山楂树里咕咕地呼叫。
• Much of the track had become overgrown with hawthorn.小路上很多地方都长满了山楂树。

2 harangued   

v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He harangued his fellow students and persuaded them to walk out. 他对他的同学慷慨陈词说服他们罢课。 来自辞典例句
• The teacher harangued us all about our untidy work. 老师对于凌乱的作业对我们全部喋喋不休地训斥。 来自互联网

3 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

4 abhor   

v.憎恶；痛恨

参考例句：

• They abhor all forms of racial discrimination.他们憎恶任何形式的种族歧视。
• They abhor all the nations who have different ideology and regime.他们仇视所有意识形态和制度与他们不同的国家。

5 oration   

n.演说，致辞，叙述法

参考例句：

• He delivered an oration on the decline of family values.他发表了有关家庭价值观的衰退的演说。
• He was asked to deliver an oration at the meeting.他被邀请在会议上发表演说。

6 approbation   

n.称赞；认可

参考例句：

• He tasted the wine of audience approbation.他尝到了像酒般令人陶醉的听众赞许滋味。
• The result has not met universal approbation.该结果尚未获得普遍认同。

7 devour   

v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷

参考例句：

• Larger fish devour the smaller ones.大鱼吃小鱼。
• Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour.美只不过是一朵，终会被皱纹所吞噬。

8 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。