中國二十四孝經(jīng)典民間故事14：蔡順拾葚異器(中英)

14: Leave Better Food for Mother 拾葚異器:蔡順

Cai Shun was a man in Runan (today's Henan) of the Han Dynasty. His father died when he was young and he was very pious to his mother.

蔡順，漢代汝南(今屬河南)人，少年喪父，事母甚孝。

His time coincided with the Chaos Caused Wang Mang and famine and living expenses were very high. He could not but pick mulberries as food for himself and his mother.

當時正值王莽之亂，又遇饑荒，柴米昂貴，只得拾桑葚母子充饑。

One day, he encountered the Red-Brow Army and the solders asked him: "Why do you put red mulberries and black mulberries into two baskets separately?"

一天，巧遇赤眉軍，義軍士兵厲聲問道：“為什么把紅色的桑葚和黑色的桑葚分開裝在兩個簍子里?”

Cai Shun answered: "The black mulberries are for my mother and the red mulberries are for myself."

蔡順回答說：“黑色的桑葚供老母食用，紅色的桑葚留給自己吃。”

The solders had compassion for his piety and gave him two deciliters of rice and one bovine hoof in respect.

赤眉軍憐憫他的孝心，送給他三斗白米，一頭牛，帶回去供奉他的母親，以示敬意。