the Star Talers星星銀元

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Once upon a time there was a little girl whose father and mother had died, and she was so poor that she no longer had a room to live in, nor a bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little piece of bread in her hand that some charitable soul had given her. She was good and pious, however. And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the country, trusting in dear God.

　　then a poor man met her, who said, "Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry."

　　She handed him her entire piece of bread, saying, "May God bless it for you," and went on her way.

　　then came a child who moaned and said, "My head is so cold. Give me something to cover it with." So she took off her cap and gave it to the child. And when she had walked a little farther, she met another child who had no jacket and was freezing. So she gave her jacket to that child, and a little farther on one begged for a dress, and she gave her dress away as well. At length she made her way into a forest and it was already dark. Then there came yet another child, and asked for a shift, and the pious girl thought to herself, "It is a dark night and no one can see you. You can very well give your shift away," and she took it off, and gave it away as well.

　　And thus she stood there, with nothing left at all, when suddenly some stars fell down from heaven, and they were nothing else but hard shining talers, and although she had just given her shift away, she was now wearing a new one which was of the very finest linen. Then she gathered together the money into it, and was rich all the days of her life.

從前有個小女孩，從小父母雙亡，她窮得沒有地方住，也沒有床兒睡，除了身上穿的衣服和手里拿的一塊麵包外，甚么也沒有了，就是那麵包也是個好心人送的。她心地善良，待人誠懇，但她無依無靠，四處流浪。

　　一次她在野外遇了一位窮人，那人說：“行行好，給我點吃的，我餓極了。”小姑娘把手中的麵包全部給了他。往前走了沒多久，她又遇到了一個小男孩，哭著哀求道：“我好冷，給我點東西遮一遮好嗎？”小女孩聽了，取下了自己的帽子遞給他。然后她又走了一會兒，她看見一個孩子沒穿罩衫，在風中冷得直發抖。她脫下了自己的罩衫給了他。再走一會兒又有一個在乞求一件褂子，她把自己的給了她。最后，她來到了一片森林，這時天色漸漸暗起來了。走著走著又來了一個孩子，請求她施舍一件汗衫，這個善良的小女孩心想：“天黑了，沒有人看我，我完全可以不要汗衫。”想著就脫下了自己的汗衫給了這孩子。當她就這樣站著，自己一點東西也沒有時，突然有些東西從天上紛紛落了下來，一看盡是些硬梆梆、亮晶晶的銀元。雖然她剛才還把汗衫給了人，現在身上卻穿著一件嶄新的亞麻做的汗衫，小女孩馬上把銀元揀起裝在了兜里，終生不再缺錢用。