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 pious¹, however. And as she was thus forsaken² by all the world, she went forth³ 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 moaned⁴ 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 farther⁵, 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 shift⁶, 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 linen⁷. Then she gathered together the money into it, and was rich all the days of her life.

　　从前有个小女孩，从小父母双亡，她穷得没有地方住，也没有床儿睡，除了身上穿的衣服和手里拿的一块麵包外，甚么也没有了，就是那麵包也是个好心人送的。她心地善良，待人诚恳，但她无依无靠，四处流浪。

　　一次她在野外遇了一位穷人，那人说：“行行好，给我点吃的，我饿极了。”小姑娘把手中的麵包全部给了他。往前走了没多久，她又遇到了一个小男孩，哭着哀求道：“我好冷，给我点东西遮一遮好吗？”小女孩听了，取下了自己的帽子递给他。然后她又走了一会儿，她看见一个孩子没穿罩衫，在风中冷得直发抖。她脱下了自己的罩衫给了他。再走一会儿又有一个在乞求一件褂子，她把自己的给了她。最后，她来到了一片森林，这时天色渐渐暗起来了。走着走着又来了一个孩子，请求她施舍一件汗衫，这个善良的小女孩心想：“天黑了，没有人看我，我完全可以不要汗衫。”想着就脱下了自己的汗衫给了这孩子。当她就这样站着，自己一点东西也没有时，突然有些东西从天上纷纷落了下来，一看尽是些硬梆梆、亮晶晶的银元。虽然她刚才还把汗衫给了人，现在身上却穿着一件崭新的亚麻做的汗衫，小女孩马上把银元拣起装在了兜里，终生不再缺钱用。