《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 26的内容，让我们一起来感受吉辛的四季吧!

Of late, I have been wishing for music. An odd chance gratified my desire.

近来，我一直有听音乐的欲望，一个偶然的机会让我得偿所愿。

I had to go into Exeter yesterday. I got there about sunset, transacted my business, and turned to walk home again through the warm twilight. In Southernhay, as I was passing a house of which the ground-floor windows stood open, there sounded the notes of a piano—chords touched by a skilful hand. I checked my step, hoping, and in a minute or two the musician began to play that nocturne of Chopin which I love best—I don't know how to name it. My heart leapt. There I stood in the thickening dusk, the glorious sounds floating about me; and I trembled with very ecstasy of enjoyment. When silence came, I waited in the hope of another piece, but nothing followed, and so I went my way.

昨天，我有事到埃克塞特去。日落时分到达那里，事情办完后，我在暖融融的黄昏中步行回家。途经萨瑟海的一户人家，他们一楼的窗子敞开着，里面飘出了钢琴的旋律—音乐演奏得很娴熟。我放慢脚步，希望听到更多，一两分钟后，那位乐手开始弹奏我最爱的肖邦的夜曲—我并不知道那首曲子的名字。我心跳加速。我站在那儿渐浓渐深的暮色中，周围漂浮着优美的乐曲；这种享受让我欣喜若狂并颤抖不已。当音乐停止，我等在那里，希望再听一曲，然而乐声再没有响起，于是我便上路了。

It is well for me that I cannot hear music when I will; assuredly I should not have such intense pleasure as comes to me now and then by haphazard. As I walked on, forgetting all about the distance, and reaching home before I knew I was half way there, I felt gratitude to my unknown benefactor—a state of mind I have often experienced in the days long gone by. It happened at times—not in my barest days, but in those of decent poverty—that some one in the house where I lodged played the piano—and how it rejoiced me when this came to pass! I say "played the piano"—a phrase that covers much. For my own part, I was very tolerant; anything that could by the largest interpretation be called music, I welcomed and was thankful; for even "five-finger exercises" I found, at moments, better than nothing. For it was when I was labouring at my desk that the notes of the instrument were grateful and helpful to me. Some men, I believe, would have been driven frantic under the circumstances; to me, anything like a musical sound always came as a godsend; it tuned my thoughts; it made the words f low. Even the street organs put me in a happy mood; I owe many a page to them—written when I should else have been sunk in bilious gloom.

我并不在意能否随心所愿地欣赏音乐，这反而让我能感受偶尔听到音乐带来的强烈喜悦。一路上，我心里充满了对那位不知名乐手的感激，以至忘掉了距离，到家的时候，还以为有一半的路程要赶呢—这种心境我在过去经常感受得到。有的时候—不是在我最困窘的日子，而是在还能勉强度日时—我寄住的公寓里会有人弹钢琴—这种时候我多兴奋啊！我说“弹钢琴”—这个词覆盖面很广。我本人是很宽容的，任何在最广泛的意义上可以称为音乐的，我都欢迎并心怀感激；即使只是“五指练习”，我有时也觉得比什么都没有要好。当我在书桌上爬格子的时候，乐器的声音总让我充满感激，下笔如有神助。我相信有些人在这种环境下会被逼疯；但对我来说，任何音乐之声都是天赐之物，它让我文思通畅，笔翰如流。即使是街头的管风琴也让我心情愉快，我曾在琴声的陪伴下写过不少文章—而那些时候我原本会陷入暴躁沮丧的情绪之中。

More than once, too, when I was walking London streets by night, penniless and miserable, music from an open window has stayed my step, even as yesterday. Very well can I remember such a moment in Eaton Square, one night when I was going back to Chelsea, tired, hungry, racked by frustrate passions. I had tramped miles and miles, in the hope of wearying myself so that I could sleep and forget. Then came the piano notes—I saw that there was festival in the house—and for an hour or so I revelled as none of the bidden guests could possibly be doing. And when I reached my poor lodgings, I was no longer envious nor mad with desires, but as I fell asleep I thanked the unknown mortal who had played for me, and given me peace.

有好几次，我夜里走在伦敦街上，身无分文，内心凄苦，一阵乐声从敞开的窗户飘出来，让我停下脚步，就像昨天一样。我还清楚地记得在伊顿广场有这样的一刻。那天晚上我正要赶回切尔西,一路上疲惫不堪，饥饿难耐，因为热情受挫而备受折磨。我不停地走了好几英里路，希望把自己累瘫，一觉醒来忘掉一切。这时，耳边传来一阵钢琴声—我看到一户人家正举行宴会—大约有一个小时，我沉醉在音乐里，房子里可能没有一个受邀的客人像我这样享受吧。等回到破旧的寓所，我不再感到嫉妒或因为欲望而愤怒，当我沉入梦乡时，我感谢那位不知名的为我演奏的人，感谢他的乐声带给了我安宁。