Prevod
Ob robu močvirja je živela mlada Žabica, ki je veliko razmišljala o sebi, o drugih pa precej manj. Saj ni bilo nič narobe, da je toliko mislila nase, škoda pa je bilo, da ji je ostajalo tako malo časa za misli na druge in na prelepi svet.
Zgodaj zjutraj se je Žabica zbudila in se močno nagnila čez rob mlake, da bi videla, kakšna je po nočnem počitku. Nato je skočila in s pljuskom pristala v hladni vodi, kjer si je privoščila jutranjo kopel. Nekaj časa je plavala tako hitro, kakor so jo nesle njene nežne nožice s plavalno kožico, nato pa je počivala v mehkem blatu, tako da ji je iz vode gledala le glava.
Po kopeli je pozajtrkovala in tako se je začel njen dan. Od sončnega vzhoda do zahoda ni počela nič drugega, kakor da se je kopala, jedla in počivala. Imela je lepo, krepko telo in nikoli je ni nič bolelo, toda nekega dne je začela razmišljati: »Kaj pa, če bi kdaj zbolela?« In ker ni mislila na nič drugega kot nase, si je kmalu že govorila: »Bojim se, da bom zbolela.« Še malo zatem pa: »Prav gotovo sem bolna.«
Zlezla je pod veliko mušnico in tam vsa čemerna sedela, dokler ni mimo prišel Škržat. Povedala mu je, kako slabo se počuti, on pa je to povedal svojim bratrancem, Kobilicam selivkam, te svojim bratrancem, Poljskim kobilicam, te pa svojim bratrancem, Zelenim kobilicam. Potem je vsak povedal še komu drugemu in vsi so se odpravili k mušnici, pod katero je sedela mlada Žabica. Bolj ko je razmišljala o svoji bolezni, slabše se je počutila, in ko so se travniški prebivalci nagnetli okoli nje, ji je bilo že zares zelo slabo.
»Kje te boli?« so vzklikali in: »Kako dolgo si že bolna?« Neki Čriček pa jo je gledal z velikimi očmi in rekel: »Kako str-r-rašno je videti!« Mlada Žabica se je počutila čedalje šibkejšo in s slabotnim glaskom odgovorila, da se je vse do zajtrka počutila povsem dobro, zdaj pa je prepričana, da se ji koža suši, in: »Ojoj!« in: »Ojoj!«
Vsakdo ve, da žabe ne dihajo le skozi nos, temveč tudi skozi kožo, in če se žabi koža izsuši, je to zelo resno, saj skoznjo ne more več dihati. Zato so se vsi prestrašili, takoj ko je to rekla, in ji hoteli nemudoma pomagati. Nekateri bolj plašni so začeli jokati, drugi pa so hiteli sem ter tja, si bili v napoto in vsak je skušal storiti nekaj drugega. Eden jo je hotel zaviti v lučnikove liste, drugi je hotel, da bi pogrizla malo poprove mete, ki je rasla v bližini, tretji je menil, da bi se morala ves čas gibati, in tako je šlo naprej.
Ravno ko nihče več ni vedel, kaj naj stori, je mimo prišel stari Drevesni žabec. »Pukr-r-rup! Kaj pa je s teboj?« je vprašal. »Oh!« je slabotno zasopla mlada Žabica. »Prepričana sem, da se mi koža suši, in zdi se mi, kakor da imam nekaj v glavi.«
»Hm!« je Drevesni žabec zagodrnjal sam pri sebi. »Mislim, da v njeni glavi ni dovolj ničesar, da bi zaradi tega lahko zbolela. Kar pa zadeva njeno kožo, še ni suha in nihče ne ve, ali sploh kdaj bo.«
A ker je bil moder star možak in je o življenju vedel že marsikaj, se je zavedal, da česa takega ne sme izreči na glas. Zato je rekel: »Slišal sem, da bo danes dopoldne v mlaki velika tekma.«
Mlada Žabica je brž dvignila glavo in vprašala: »Res? Kdo pa bo tekmoval?« »Ja, vsi mladi žabci in žabice, ki živijo tu okoli. Škoda, da ne moreš iti.«
»Mislim, da mi ne bi prav nič škodilo,« je rekla. »Lahko bi se prehladila,« je rekel Drevesni žabec, »poleg tega bi te napor utrudil.« »Oh, saj se že veliko bolje počutim,« je rekla mlada Žabica, »in prepričana sem, da mi bo dobro delo.«
»Ne bi smela iti,« so vztrajali vsi starejši travniški prebivalci. »Res ne bi smela.« »Nič mi ni mar,« je odgovorila. »Vseeno grem in prav tako zdrava sem kot vsi drugi.«
In res je šla in videti je bilo, da je prav tako krepka kot vedno. Vsi so se čudili, Drevesni žabec pa jim je pomežiknil in rekel: »Vedel sem, da jo bo to ozdravilo.« Nato so se on, Kača podveznica in debeli stari Čriček skupaj zasmejali, vsi mlajši travniški prebivalci pa so se spraševali, čemu se smejijo.
Izvirnik
By the edge of the marsh lived a young Frog, who thought a great deal about herself and much less about other people. Not that it was wrong to think so much of herself, but it certainly was unfortunate that she should have so little time left in which to think of others and of the beautiful world.
Early in the morning this Frog would awaken and lean far over the edge of a pool to see how she looked after her night's rest. Then she would give a spring, and come down with a splash in the cool water for her morning bath. For a while she would swim as fast as her dainty webbed feet would push her, then she would rest, sitting in the soft mud with just her head above the water.
When her bath was taken, she had her breakfast, and that was the way in which she began her day. She did nothing but bathe and eat and rest, from sunrise to sunset. She had a fine, strong body, and had never an ache or a pain, but one day she got to thinking, "What if sometime I should be sick?" And then, because she thought about nothing but her own self, she was soon saying, "I am afraid I shall be sick." In a little while longer it was, "I certainly am sick."
She crawled under a big toadstool, and sat there looking very glum indeed, until a Cicada came along. She told the Cicada how sick she felt, and he told his cousins, the Locusts, and they told their cousins, the Grasshoppers, and they told their cousins, the Katydids, and then everybody told somebody else, and started for the toadstool where the young Frog sat. The more she had thought of it, the worse she felt, until, by the time the meadow people came crowding around, she was feeling very sick indeed.
"Where do you feel badly?" they cried, and, "How long have you been sick?" and one Cricket stared with big eyes, and said, "How dr-r-readfully she looks!" The young Frog felt weaker and weaker, and answered in a faint little voice that she had felt perfectly well until after breakfast, but that now she was quite sure her skin was getting dry, and "Oh dear!" and "Oh dear!"
Now everybody knows that Frogs breathe through their skins as well as through their noses, and for a Frog's skin to get dry is very serious, for then he cannot breathe through it; so, as soon as she said that, everybody was frightened and wanted to do something for her at once. Some of the timid ones began to weep, and the others bustled around, getting in each other's way and all trying to do something different. One wanted to wrap her in mullein leaves, another wanted her to nibble a bit of the peppermint which grew near, a third thought she should be kept moving, and that was the way it went.
Just when everybody was at his wits' end, the old Tree Frog came along. "Pukr-r-rup! What is the matter with you?" he said.
"Oh!" gasped the young Frog, weakly, "I am sure my skin is getting dry, and I feel as though I had something in my head."
"Umph!" grunted the Tree Frog to himself, "I guess there isn't enough in her head to ever make her sick; and, as for her skin, it isn't dry yet, and nobody knows that it ever will be."
But as he was a wise old fellow and had learned much about life, he knew he must not say such things aloud. What he did say was, "I heard there was to be a great race in the pool this morning."
The young Frog lifted her head quite quickly, saying: "You did? Who are the racers?"
"Why, all the young Frogs who live around here. It is too bad that you cannot go."
"I don't believe it would hurt me any," she said.
"You might take cold," the Tree Frog said; "besides, the exercise would tire you."
"Oh, but I am feeling much better," the young Frog said, "and I am certain it will do me good."
"You ought not to go," insisted all the older meadow people. "You really ought not."
"I don't care," she answered, "I am going anyway, and I am just as well as anybody."
And she did go, and it did seem that she was as strong as ever. The people all wondered at it, but the Tree Frog winked his eyes at them and said, "I knew that it would cure her." And then he, and the Garter Snake, and the fat, old Cricket laughed together, and all the younger meadow people wondered at what they were laughing.
