Prevod
V nekem kotu travnika je živel debel star Čriček, ki je imel o sebi zelo visoko mnenje. Imel je tako veliko, bleščeče telo in je znal tako glasno cvrčati, da nihče ni mogel pozabiti, kje živi. Bil je tudi prav prijazen Čriček, vedno pripravljen vsakomur povedati kaj lepega, vendar je imel, žal, grdo navado, da se je bahal. Na travniku ni živel od nekdaj in rad je pripovedoval o čudovitih rečeh, ki jih je videl in počel, ko je bil mlajši in je živel tam zgoraj, blizu bele kmečke hiše.
Kadar je pripovedoval zgodbe o svojih podvigih, veliki Črički okoli njega niso veliko govorili, temveč so le sedeli in se spogledovali. Mali Črički pa so ga zelo radi poslušali in so pogosto prihajali pred vrata njegovega doma (to je bila luknja v zemlji) ter ga prosili, naj jim pove še kaj.
Nekega večera je rekel, da jih bo naučil nekaj reči, ki bi jih moral vedeti vsak mali Čriček. Postavil jih je v vrsto in začel: »S katerim delom telesa jeste?«
»Z usti,« so zavpili vsi mali Črički. »S katerim delom telesa tečete in skačete?« »Z nogami,« so vzkliknili. »Ali z nogami počnete še kaj drugega?«
»Z njimi se čistimo,« je rekel eden. »Z njimi in z usti si delamo domove v zemlji,« je rekel drugi. »O, pa še slišimo s sprednjima nogama,« je vzkliknil neki bister mali Čriček.
»Tako je,« je odgovoril debeli stari Čriček. »Nekatera bitja slišijo s stvarmi, ki jim pravijo ušesa in jim rastejo ob straneh glave, meni pa se zdi veliko lepše slišati z nogami, kakor slišimo mi.«
»Joj, kako čudno mora biti, če ne slišiš z nogami kakor mi,« so v en glas vzkliknili vsi mali Črički. »V širnem svetu je mogoče videti veliko nenavadnih reči,« je rekel njihov učitelj. »Videl sem nekaj strašansko velikih bitij, ki imajo samo dve nogi in prav nobenih kril.«
»Kako grozno!« so vzkliknili vsi mali Črički. »Sploh si ne predstavljamo, kako se lahko premikajo.« »To jim mora iti zelo težko,« je rekel njihov učitelj. »Zelo so se mi smilila,« in razprl je svoja krila ter pretegnil vseh šest nog, da bi pokazal, kako rad jih ima.
»Toda kako lahko pojejo, če nimajo kril?« je vprašal bistri mali Čriček. »Pojejo z usti, podobno kakor morajo peti ptice. Prepričan sem, da je veliko lažje peti tako, da drgneš krila drugo ob drugo, kakor počnemo mi,« je rekel debeli stari učitelj. »Lahko bi vam povedal veliko nenavadnih reči o teh dvonogih bitjih in hišah, v katerih živijo, in morda vam jih nekoč tudi bom. Okoli njihovih domov živijo še druga velika, štirinoga bitja, ki so zelo strašna, toda jaz se, otroci moji, nikoli nisem bal nobenega od njih. Sem eden tistih resnično pogumnih, ki se nikoli ne prestrašijo, pa naj bo prizor še tako grozen. Upam, otroci, da boste vedno pogumni kakor jaz. Če vas kaj prestraši, ne poskakujte in ne bežite. Ostanite natanko tam, kjer ste, in …«
Toda mali Črički niso nikoli slišali preostanka učiteljevih besed, kajti prav tisti hip je skozi polomljeno ograjo proti njim prišla krava Rjava Bess. Učitelj je predirljivo zacvrčal in se naglo skobacal v svojo luknjo. Mali Črički so se v naglici, da bi pobegnili, kar prevračali drug čez drugega, debeli stari Čriček, ki je bil nekoč v širnem svetu, pa jim nikoli več ni govoril o pogumu.
Izvirnik
In one corner of the meadow lived a fat old Cricket, who thought a great deal of himself. He had such a big, shining body, and a way of chirping so very loudly, that nobody could ever forget where he lived. He was a very good sort of Cricket, too, ready to say the most pleasant things to everybody, yet, sad to relate, he had a dreadful habit of boasting. He had not always lived in the meadow, and he liked to tell of the wonderful things he had seen and done when he was younger and lived up near the white farm-house.
When he told these stories of what he had done, the big Crickets around him would not say much, but just sit and look at each other. The little Crickets, however, loved to hear him talk, and would often come to the door of his house (which was a hole in the ground), to beg him to tell them more.
One evening he said he would teach them a few things that all little Crickets should know. He had them stand in a row, and then began: "With what part of your body do you eat?"
"With our mouths," all the little Crickets shouted.
"With what part of your body do you run and leap?"
"Our legs," they cried.
"Do you do anything else with your legs?"
"We clean ourselves with them," said one.
"We use them and our mouths to make our houses in the ground," said another.
"Oh yes, and we hear with our two front legs," cried one bright little fellow.
"That is right," answered the fat old Cricket. "Some creatures hear with things called ears, that grow on the sides of their heads, but for my part, I think it much nicer to hear with one's legs, as we do."
"Why, how funny it must be not to hear with one's legs, as we do," cried all the little Crickets together.
"There are a great many queer things to be seen in the great world," said their teacher. "I have seen some terribly big creatures with only two legs and no wings whatever."
"How dreadful!" all the little Crickets cried. "We wouldn't think they could move about at all."
"It must be very hard to do so," said their teacher; "I was very sorry for them," and he spread out his own wings and stretched his six legs to show how he enjoyed them.
"But how can they sing if they have no wings?" asked the bright little Cricket.
"They sing through their mouths, in much the same way that the birds have to. I am sure it must be much easier to sing by rubbing one's wings together, as we do," said the fat old teacher. "I could tell you many queer things about these two-legged creatures, and the houses in which they live, and perhaps some day I will. There are other large four-legged creatures around their homes that are very terrible, but, my children, I was never afraid of any of them. I am one of the truly brave people who are never frightened, no matter how terrible the sight. I hope, children, that you will always be brave, like me. If anything should scare you, do not jump or run away. Stay right where you are, and----"
But the little Crickets never heard the rest of what their teacher began to say, for at that minute Brown Bess, the Cow, came through a broken fence toward the spot where the Crickets were. The teacher gave one shrill "chirp," and scrambled down his hole. The little Crickets fairly tumbled over each other in their hurry to get away, and the fat old Cricket, who had been out in the great world, never again talked to them about being brave.
