《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 24的内容，让我们一起来感受吉辛的四季吧!

The honest fellow who comes to dig in my garden is puzzled to account for my peculiarities; I often catch a look of wondering speculation in his eye when it turns upon me. It is all because I will not let him lay out flower-beds in the usual way, and make the bit of ground in front of the house really neat and ornamental. At first he put it down to meanness, but he knows by now that that cannot be the explanation. That I really prefer a garden so poor and plain that every cottager would be ashamed of it, he cannot bring himself to believe, and of course I have long since given up trying to explain myself. The good man probably concludes that too many books and the habit of solitude have somewhat affected what he would call my "reasons."

为我打理花园的那个老实人对我的某些怪癖很是大惑不解，他看我的眼光里经常有一丝疑惑和猜测。这都是因为我不让他按一般方式布置花圃，也不让他把房子前面的一块地弄得非常平整漂亮。起初他以为我是图省钱，现在他知道不会是这个原因。难不成我就是喜欢花园寒碜普通，足以令任何屋主蒙羞，这一点他无法说服自己相信；当然，我早就放弃为自己辩护了。那位老实人可能得出结论，饱读诗书和离群索居的习惯也许在某种程度上影响了我的“理智”（他可能会用这个词）。

The only garden f lowers I care for are the quite old-fashioned roses, sunflowers, hollyhocks, lilies and so on, and these I like to see growing as much as possible as if they were wild. Trim and symmetrical beds are my abhorrence, and most of the flowers which are put into them—hybrids with some grotesque name—Jonesia, Snooksia—hurt my eyes. On the other hand, a garden is a garden, and I would not try to introduce into it the flowers which are my solace in lanes and fields. Foxgloves, for instance—it would pain me to see them thus transplanted.

我喜欢在花园里种一些很老派的花，如玫瑰、向日葵、蜀葵、百合等，我喜欢看它们野花一样样地肆意蔓生。整齐对称的花圃是我憎恶的，这种花圃里有的大多是些名字古怪的杂交品种，比如乔尼西亚和斯诺克西亚，看到它们我眼睛都会痛。另外，花园就是花园，我不会把小路和田间给我安慰的花草移植到花园中来。比如，毛地黄—如果看到它移进花园，我会感觉难受。

I think of foxgloves, for it is the moment of their glory. Yesterday I went to the lane which I visit every year at this time, the deep, rutty carttrack, descending between banks covered with giant fronds of the polypodium, and overhung with wych-elm and hazel, to that cool, grassy nook where the noble flowers hang on stems all but of my own height. Nowhere have I seen finer foxgloves. I suppose they rejoice me so because of early memories—to a child it is the most impressive of wild flowers; I would walk miles any day to see a fine cluster, as I would to see the shining of purple loosestrife by the water edge, or white lilies floating upon the still depth.

提起毛地黄是因为此时正是它的绚烂时节。昨天，我去了那条小路，每年这时候我都要到那儿走一走，路上有深深的车辙印，两旁长着叶子宽大的水龙骨，高处低垂着山榆和榛树的枝叶，顺路向下会走到一块清凉的芳草地，在那里，绽放的花朵坠满和我一样高的枝头。我从没在别处见过这么漂亮的毛地黄。我之所以如此喜欢它，想来是因为儿时的记忆—在孩子的眼中，它是野花里最引人注目的。不管在哪天，为了看到一丛漂亮的毛地黄，我都不惜走上几英里的路，就像为了一睹水边紫色黄连花的绚烂丰姿，或浮动在幽静池塘上的白色睡莲一样。

But the gardener and I understand each other as soon as we go to the back of the house, and get among the vegetables. On that ground he finds me perfectly sane. And indeed I am not sure that the kitchen garden does not give me more pleasure than the domain of f lowers. Every morning I step round before breakfast to see how things are "coming on." It is happiness to note the swelling of pods, the healthy vigour of potato plants, aye, even the shooting up of radishes and cress. This year I have a grove of Jerusalem artichokes; they are seven or eight feet high, and I seem to get vigour as I look at the stems which are all but trunks, at the great beautiful leaves. Delightful, too, are the scarlet runners, which have to be propped again and again, or they would break down under the abundance of their yield. It is a treat to me to go among them with a basket, gathering; I feel as though Nature herself showed kindness to me, in giving me such abundant food. How fresh and wholesome are the odours—especially if a shower has fallen not long ago!

不过，当园丁跟我来到屋后的菜园时，我们就能互相理解了。在菜园的安排上，他觉得我很理智、很正常。而菜园给我的愉悦是否超过花园，我其实自己也不能肯定。每天早晨，我在早饭前都会走到菜园，四处视察一下蔬菜的长势。看到膨胀的豆荚，健壮精神的土豆秧子，甚至萝卜和水芹在抽芽，我都会开怀不已。今年，我还种了一丛菊芋，有七八英尺高，看着它粗壮的干茎和美丽宽大的叶子，我的体内似乎注满了活力。还有红花菜豆，也让我心情愉快，我们得一次又一次地用东西支撑它，否则它就会不堪果实的重压而倒塌在地。对我来说，挎着篮子在园子里采摘蔬果真是其乐无穷；自然赐予了我如此丰盛的食物，让我觉得似乎得到了它的厚爱。菜园里的气息多么清新健康啊—尤其在骤雨初歇的时候！

I have some magnificent carrots this year—straight, clean, tapering, the colour a joy to look upon.

今年，我收获了一些很诱人的胡萝卜—笔直干净，头尖肚圆，颜色悦目可爱。