《四季随笔》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中对隐士赖克罗夫特醉心于书籍、自然景色与回忆过去生活的描述，其实是吉辛的自述，作者以此来抒发自己的情感，因而本书是一部富有自传色彩的小品文集。

吉辛穷困的一生，对文学名著的爱好与追求，以及对大自然恬静生活的向往，在书中均有充分的反映。本书分为春、夏、秋、冬四个部分，文笔优美，行文流畅，是英国文学中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由网友分享的《四季随笔》节选 - 夏 07的内容，让我们一起来感受吉辛的四季吧!

I have been reading one of those prognostic articles on international politics which every now and then appear in the reviews. Why I should so waste my time it would be hard to say; I suppose the fascination of disgust and fear gets the better of me in a moment's idleness. This writer, who is horribly perspicacious and vigorous, demonstrates the certainty of a great European war, and regards it with the peculiar satisfaction excited by such things in a certain order of mind. His phrases about "dire calamity" and so on mean nothing; the whole tenor of his writing proves that he represents, and consciously, one of the forces which go to bring war about; his part in the business is a fluent irresponsibility, which casts scorn on all who reluct at the "inevitable." Persistent prophecy is a familiar way of assuring the event.

我读了一篇偶尔会在评论上出现的关于国际政治的预言性文章。很难说我为什么要这样浪费时间，我想是因为在百无聊赖中，厌恶和恐惧的情绪忽然对我充满了吸引力。这个作者的敏锐和狂热简直可怖，他在文中论证了爆发一场大规模欧洲战争的必然性，不知他怀着怎样的心态，他的观点竟带着一种奇特的满足感。他的诸如“灭顶之灾”等措词没有任何意义。整篇文章的基调都证明了他代表着，并且是自觉地代表着一种引发战争的力量，他在其中扮演的是一个文笔流畅但不负责任的角色，对怀疑“战争不可避免论”的人们进行嘲弄。而固执的预言正是保证事件发生的一种常见方式。

But I will read no more such writing. This resolution I make and will keep. Why set my nerves quivering with rage, and spoil the calm of a whole day, when no good of any sort can come of it? What is it to me if nations fall a-slaughtering each other? Let the fools go to it! Why should they not please themselves? Peace, after all, is the aspiration of the few; so it always; was, and ever will be. But have done with the nauseous cant about "dire calamity." The leaders and the multitude hold no such view; either they see in war a direct and tangible profit, or they are driven to it, with heads down, by the brute that is in them. Let them rend and be rent; let them paddle in blood and viscera till—if that would ever happen—their stomachs turn. Let them blast the cornfield and the orchard, fire the home. For all that, there will yet be found some silent few, who go their way amid the still meadows, who bend to the flower and watch the sunset; and these alone are worth a thought.

我不会再读这类文章了。我下了这个决心，并会一直遵守。为什么要让自己气得发抖，破坏一整天的平静，而且也得不到任何益处？就算国家间开始互相屠戮，又干我何事？让蠢人们上战场去吧！为什么他们不能让自己开心呢？和平毕竟只是少数人的愿望，过去一直如此，将来也将如此。但是别再抛出诸如“灭顶之灾”这种令人作呕的伪善之词了。领导者们和多数人都不会持这样的观点，他们或者在战争中看到直接有形的利益，或者是受了体内蛮性的驱使，低头冲上战场。让他们杀戮和被杀吧；让他们在血肉中跋涉吧，直到—如果真有这么一刻—他们感到恶心作呕了。让他们炸毁玉米田和果园，焚毁家园吧。尽管如此，还是能找到几个沉默的人，他们从安静的草地上走过，俯身弄花香，回眸醉夕阳；只有这些人才值得我们关注。