The Star Talers

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.

《星星的金幣》 

    很久很久以前，在某個地方有個很可愛的女孩。不幸的是，父母雙亡且家徒四壁，屋裏除了一張可供歇息的床外，就沒有別的東西了。她全身上下只剩下身上所穿的衣裳，還有一片好心人施捨給她的一片麵包。這個小姑娘不論有多淒慘不幸，她仍然深信慈愛的上帝會默默地庇護著她。

    有一天，她在原野上玩耍，走著走著，忽然遇到一個衣衫檻樓的男子。他向女孩哀求道：「求求你！施捨一點東西給我這個可憐人吧！我實在是餓得快要受不了了啊！」聽到這話，女孩便把僅有的那片麵包拿出來，說道：「這是上帝的恩典喔！」　　說完後，女孩就繼續上路。走了一會兒，路旁出現一個哭泣不已的男孩：「鳴…我的頭好冷呀!快凍僵了…你能不能施捨一點可以讓我擋風的東西啊？」女孩把頭上的帽子脫了下來，為男孩戴上。

    走了不久，又碰到一個沒有穿棉背心的小孩，冷得直打哆嗦。於是好心的女孩把背心送給了他。她繼續往前走，又遇見另一個小孩，再次答應對方的乞求，把上衣施捨給他。女孩再往前走，走進森林裏。林深日盡，四周一下子變暗了起來。這時，出現一個可憐的小女孩，央求女孩把內衣脫給她。虔誠又善良的女孩想：「現在天色已經暗下來了，任誰也看不清楚我的模樣，就算脫掉內衣，應該無所謂吧！」因此，女孩脫下了內衣送給她。這時的女孩是渾身赤裸了….忽然間，天上的星星化成了閃亮耀眼的金幣，紛紛墜落在女孩的面前！而原先一絲不掛的女孩，不知何時，竟穿上一套細緻、上等的亞麻衫！好心的女孩於是把金幣撿回家，從此過著富足快樂的生活。