貧苦夫妻中秋賞月 Indigent couple enjoys moon-watching during Mid-autumn Festival
有一對貧苦夫妻，每天做苦工勉強維持生活，住的房子屋頂破洞，也無力修補。某年中秋月圓，家家戶戶在屋外團圓賞月、吃月餅；他們一貧如洗無餅可食，決定早早上床安寢。進到房內，看到地上有兩個圓圓亮亮的影子，妻子驚喜地說：「老伴，我們有兩個銅錢呢！」
There once was an indigent couple who did heavy physical work everyday.  They lived in a house with a leaking roof which they couldn't afford to repair.  When the moon is full during mid-autumn, most families would go out and have reunions, enjoying the festivities as in eating mooncakes.  The couple was so poor that couldn't even afford mooncakes, so they decided to go to bed early.  In their bedroom, the wife noticed a couple of round objects on the ground and exclaimed: "Old mate, we have got two copper coins!"

兩人於是開始計畫如何利用這錢做一番事業——丈夫打算拿去買小雞，養大了生雞蛋、孵小雞，就有一大群雞可以賣；賣雞的錢再買一隻小羊，放羊吃草；養大之後，依樣畫葫蘆，又可以變賣來買牛；賣牛的錢用來做小生意；生意做大了，就要開行坐店

The couple then started to think about what to do with the money they found--perhaps start a business.  The husband planned to purchase chicks, grow them to produce eggs and hatchlings, and expand to a large flock.  Sell the chickens to buy lamb, grow the lambs in pasture, increase the herd, sell the lambs to purchase cattle, populate and sell cattle to establish a small business, then expand to a bigger enterprise, and so forth, repeating the same scheme to increase their wealth. 

妻子很歡喜能當老闆娘，丈夫也覺得做老闆很風光，得意洋洋地說著接下來的美夢——要娶一房「細姨」妻子聽了怒火攻心，與丈夫吵了起來，驚動了外頭賞月的鄰居，走來一看，兩人已經打起架來。

The wife was delighted with the idea becoming a business proprietor. The husband also dreamed of becoming a businessman.  He then started imagining of getting a beautiful mistress as his next move.  When the wife heard this, she exploded with rage and screamed at him.  The neighbours outside upon hearing the commotion came over and saw them in a huge row.

鄰居問出爭執的緣由後，就在地上找尋那兩枚「錢」，這才發現——那是月光透過屋頂破洞投射在地上的光影而已。

When the neighbours found out the reason for the fight, they started searching for the two coins.  They discovered that the "coins" were not really coins but was in fact moonlight which shone through the holes on the roof.

人心的無盡欲望與空幻追求，其實都是妄想；想入非非，終得苦果。節制私欲，用心用愛造福人群。

Human's unbridled ambitions and relentless pursuits are actually empty illusions, merely fantasies which only result in causing misery and disappointment.  We must learn to control our selfish desires; and strive to foster love to benefit humankind.


Translated by Hung Jiew Lee Edited by Roger Yu, Sydney, Australia