Prevod
Nekega dne je Chicken-diddle zaspala pod rožnim grmom, krava pa se je stegnila čez ograjo in odgriznila vrh grma. Šum je prebudil Chicken-diddle in prav tedaj, ko se je zbudila, ji je na rep padel list vrtnice.
»Ko ko! Ko ko!« je zavpila Chicken-diddle. »Nebo se podira!« In jo je ucvrla, kolikor so jo nesle noge. Tekla je, dokler ni prišla na kmečko dvorišče, kjer je Hen-pen brskala po prahu.
»O, Hen-pen, ne brskaj — teci, teci!« je zavpila Chicken-diddle. »Nebo se podira!« Kokoš je nehala brskati. »Kako pa to veš, Chicken-diddle?« je vprašala Hen-pen.
»Videla sem na lastne oči, slišala na lastna ušesa in košček mi je padel na rep. O, teciva, teciva, dokler ne prideva kam na varno.« »Ko ko! Ko ko!« je zavpila kokoš in začela teči, Chicken-diddle pa je tekla za njo.
Tekli sta, dokler nista prišli do račjega ribnika, kjer se je Duck-luck ravno odpravljal plavat. »O, Duck-luck! Duck-luck! Nikar ne hodi plavat!« je zavpila Hen-pen. »Nebo se podira!«
»Kako pa to veš, Hen-pen?« je vprašal Duck-luck. »Chicken-diddle mi je povedala.« »Kako pa to veš, Chicken-diddle?« »Kako ne bi vedela? Videla sem na lastne oči, slišala na lastna ušesa in košček mi je padel na rep. O, tecimo, tecimo, dokler ne pridemo kam na varno.«
»Res, najbolje bo, da tečemo,« je zakvakal Duck-luck in se odracal s Hen-pen, Chicken-diddle pa za njim. Tekli so in tekli, dokler niso prišli na zelen travnik, kjer je Goose-loose jedel zeleno travo.
»O, Goose-loose, Goose-loose, ne jej; teci, teci!« je zavpil Duck-luck. »Zakaj pa naj tečem?« je vprašal Goose-loose. »Ker se nebo podira.«
»Kako pa to veš, Duck-luck?« »Hen-pen mi je povedala.« »Kako pa to veš, Hen-pen?« »Chicken-diddle mi je povedala.« »Kako pa to veš, Chicken-diddle?«
»Ker sem videla na lastne oči in slišala na lastna ušesa in mi je košček padel na rep. O, tecimo, tecimo kam na varno.« »Res, najbolje bo, da tečemo,« je zavpil Goose-loose.
Vsi so jo ucvrli, Goose-loose na čelu, in tekli so in tekli, dokler niso prišli na puranje dvorišče, kjer se je Turkey-lurkey šopiril in goltal.
»O, Turkey-lurkey! Ne šopiri se! Ne šopiri se!« je zavpil Goose-loose. »Zakaj pa naj se ne šopirim?« je vprašal Turkey-lurkey. »Ker se nebo podira.«
»Kako pa veš, da se podira?« »Duck-luck mi je povedal!« »Kako pa to veš, Duck-luck?« »Hen-pen mi je povedala!« »Kako pa to veš, Hen-pen?« »Chicken-diddle mi je povedala!«
»Kako pa to veš, Chicken-diddle?« »Kako ne bi vedela! Videla sem na lastne oči, slišala na lastna ušesa in košček mi je padel na rep. O, tecimo, tecimo, dokler ne pridemo kam na varno.«
»Res, najbolje bo, da tečemo,« je rekel Turkey-lurkey, in vsi so jo ucvrli: najprej Turkey-lurkey, potem Goose-loose, potem Duck-luck, potem Hen-pen in nazadnje Chicken-diddle.
Tekli so in tekli, dokler niso prišli do hiše lisjaka Fox-lox, ki je ležal na pragu in tako zehal, da se mu je jezik zvijal v gobcu. Ko je zagledal Turkey-lurkey, Goose-loose, Duck-luck, Hen-pen in Chicken-diddle, je nehal zehati in našpičil ušesa. Zelo vesel jih je bil.
»No, no,« je rekel, »kaj pa vas je vse prineslo sem?« »O, Fox-lox, Fox-lox, ne zehaj!« je zavpil Turkey-lurkey. »Nebo se podira!« »Kako pa to veš, Turkey-lurkey?« je vprašal lisjak.
»Goose-loose mi je povedal.« »Kako pa to veš, Goose-loose?« »Duck-luck mi je povedal.« »Kako pa to veš, Duck-luck?« »Hen-pen mi je povedala.« »Kako pa to veš, Hen-pen?«
»Chicken-diddle mi je povedala.« »Kako pa to veš, Chicken-diddle?« »Kako ne bi vedela, saj sem videla na lastne oči in slišala na lastna ušesa in mi je košček padel na rep. O, kam naj tečemo? Nekam na varno moramo.«
»No,« je rekel lisjak, »kar sem noter pridite, pa bom tako dobro poskrbel za vas, da tudi če se nebo podre, ne boste nič vedeli o tem.«
In tako je noter pritekel Turkey-lurkey, Fox-lox pa ga je spravil v veliko sobo in zaprl vrata. Noter je pritekel Goose-loose in lisjak ga je spravil v malo sobo ter zaprl vrata. Noter je pritekel Duck-luck in lisjak ga je spravil v klet ter zaprl vrata. Noter je pritekla Hen-pen in lisjak jo je spravil na podstrešje ter zaprl vrata. Noter je pritekla Chicken-diddle in Fox-lox jo je obdržal kar tam v sobi pri sebi. Kaj se jim je zgodilo potem, ne vem, a nihče jih ni nikoli več videl; če se je nebo res podrlo, o tem nisem nikoli nič slišal. Navsezadnje so bili tako ali tako le jata neumne perjadi.
Izvirnik
One day Chicken-diddle had gone to sleep under a rose-bush, and a cow reached over the fence and bit off the top of the rose-bush. The noise wakened Chicken-diddle, and just as she woke a rose-leaf fell on her tail.
“Squawk! Squawk!” cried Chicken-diddle, “the sky’s falling down”; and away she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran until she came to the barnyard, and there was Hen-pen rustling in the dust of the barnyard.
“Oh, Hen-pen, don’t rustle—run, run!” cried Chicken-diddle. “The sky’s falling down.”
The hen stopped rustling. “How do you know that Chicken-diddle?” asked Hen-pen.
“I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run, until we get some place.”
“Quawk! Quawk,” cried the hen, and she began to run, and Chicken-diddle ran after her.
They ran till they came to the duck-pond, and there was Duck-luck just going in for a swim.
“Oh, Duck-luck! Duck-luck! don’t try to swim,” cried Hen-pen. “The sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?” asked Duck-luck.
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“Why shouldn’t I know it? I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we get some place.”
“Yes, we had better run,” quacked Duck-luck, and away he waddled with Hen-pen, and Chicken-diddle after him.
They ran and ran till they came to a green meadow, and there was Goose-loose eating the green grass.
“Oh, Goose-loose, Goose-loose, don’t eat; run, run,” cried Duck-luck.
“Why should I run?” asked Goose-loose.
“Because the sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know that, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“Because I saw it with my eyes, and heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run some place.”
“Yes, we’d better run,” cried Goose-loose.
Away they all ran, Goose-loose at the head of them, and they ran and ran until they came to the turkey-yard, and there was Turkey-lurkey strutting and gobbling.
“Oh, Turkey-lurkey! don’t strut! Don’t strut!” cried Goose-loose.
“Why should I not strut?” asked Turkey-lurkey.
“Because the sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know it is?”
“Duck-luck told me!”
“How do you know, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me!”
“How do you know, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me!”
“How do you know, Chicken-diddle?”
“I couldn’t help knowing! I saw it with my eyes, I heard it with my ears, and a part of it fell on my tail. Oh, let us run, run until we get some place.”
“Yes, we’d better run,” said Turkey-lurkey, so away they all ran, first Turkey-lurkey, and then Goose-loose, and then Duck-luck, and then Hen-pen, and then Chicken-diddle.
They ran and ran until they came to Fox-lox’s house, and there was Fox-lox lying in the doorway and yawning until his tongue curled up in his mouth. When he saw Turkey-lurkey and Goose-loose and Duck-luck and Hen-pen and Chicken-diddle he stopped yawning, and pricked up his ears, and he was very glad to see them.
“Well, well,” said he, “and what brings you all here?”
“Oh, Fox-lox, Fox-lox, don’t yawn,” cried Turkey-lurkey, “the sky’s falling down.”
“How do you know that, Turkey-lurkey?” asked the fox.
“Goose-loose told me.”
“How do you know that, Goose-loose?”
“Duck-luck told me.”
“How do you know that, Duck-luck?”
“Hen-pen told me.”
“How do you know that, Hen-pen?”
“Chicken-diddle told me.”
“How do you know that, Chicken-diddle?”
“I couldn’t help knowing, for I saw it with my eyes, and I heard it with my ears, and part of it fell on my tail. Oh, where shall we run? We ought to go some place.”
“Well,” said the Fox, “you come right in here, and I’ll take such good care of you that even if the sky falls down you won’t know anything about it.”
So in ran Turkey-lurkey, and Fox-lox put him in the big room, and shut the door. In ran Goose-loose, and he put him in the little room, and shut the door. In ran Duck-luck, and he put him in the cellar, and shut the door. In ran Hen-pen, and he put her in the attic, and shut the door. In ran Chicken-diddle, and Fox-lox kept him right there in the room with him. And what happened to them after that I don’t know, but nobody ever saw them again; if the sky really fell, I never heard about it. They were only a pack of silly fowls, anyway.
