从前有一个老头子,和他的儿子、儿媳妇住在一块儿。他衰老得很:眼睛花了,耳朵聋了,走起路来两膝摇动不定,即使不拿什么东西两手也会发抖。吃饭的时候,常常把汤泼在桌布上、衣服上,有的时候,一碗汤连喝都喝不进去。他的儿子、儿媳妇一看见他那种吃饭的样子就觉得讨厌。后来他们在屏风背后放一把椅子,让他一个人在那里吃,又特地挑一只破瓷碗给他盛饭。他常常悲哀地望着前方,眼睛里含着眼泪,可是并不叫一声苦。 Once upon a time an old man lived with his son and daughter-in-law. He is very old: his eyes are spent, his ears are deaf, he walks unsteadily on both knees, shivering even without holding anything. When eating, often pour the soup on the tablecloths, clothes, and sometimes, a bowl of soup even drink do not drink into it. His sons and daughters-in-law feel annoyed when they see his kind of meal. Later, they put a chair behind the screen, allowing him to eat there alone, and specially picking a broken porcelain bowl to serve him rice. He often looked sadly ahead, tears in his eyes, but not cry.