中國二十四孝經(jīng)典民間故事22：庾黔婁嘗糞憂心(中英)

22: With Deep Concern, Tasting His Father's Stool: Yu Qianlou 庾黔婁嘗糞憂心

Qianlou lived during the Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in the state of Qi. He rose to office and served as the governor of Jianling for only ten days, when for no apparent reason, as he worked in the capital, he broke out in a cold sweat, and his heart palpitated, and would not stop.

庾黔婁，南齊高士，任孱陵縣令。赴任不滿十天，忽覺心驚流汗，預(yù)感家中有事，當(dāng)即辭官返鄉(xiāng)。

"Do you suppose there is a problem at home?" he wondered.

“你確定你家有事?”

Being devoted son, the duties at home always sat foremost on his mind. Immediately he resigned his office and hurried home.

作為孝子，心事煩擾。他決定辭官返鄉(xiāng)。

After arriving he discovered that as he had feared, his father had suddenly been stricken with a strange illness that the doctors could not diagnose.

回到家中，知父親已病重兩日，是因?yàn)楹芷婀值牟?，醫(yī)生也沒法。

"If you want to know your father's prognosis and chances of recovering, you must test his stool. If it is sweet-tasting, then the malady is serious, and chronic. If it tastes bitter, then the problem is acute, and short-term," said the doctor.

醫(yī)生囑咐說：“要知道病情吉兇，只要嘗一嘗病人糞便的味道，味苦就好。”

Lacking any sophisticated testing procedure, the physician advised Yu Qianlou that he would have to taste the old man's excrement to determine whether he could quickly recover from the disease.

毫不猶豫，庾黔婁照著醫(yī)生的囑咐，決定從父親糞便來決定他是否能迅速從這種疾病中康復(fù)過來。

Qianlou promptly sampled the stool and to his dismay, found it sweet-tasting.

黔婁于是就去嘗父親的糞便，發(fā)現(xiàn)味甜

That night, in desperation, he lit a stick of incense and knelt before the family alter, and prayed to Polaris, the Pole Star.

那天晚上,在絕望中,他點(diǎn)燃一根香，跪在祖宗的靈牌面前，跪拜北斗星

"If my father an recover his health, I will offer up my life in exchange for his. Take me and let him live," he vowed.

乞求以身代父去死。

After news of Yu Qianlou's courageous oath got around, the family and neighbors all praised him as a truly extraordinary, filial child.

庾黔婁的小心在鄰居中傳遍開來，都稱他為孝子。