月下老人
月下老人
唐朝时候，有一为名叫韦固的人，有一次，他到宋城去旅行，住宿在南店里。一天晚上，韦固在街上闲逛，看到月光之下有一各老人席地而坐，正在那里翻一本又大又厚的书，而他身编则放着一个装满了红色绳子的大布袋。韦固很好奇的过去问他说：“老伯伯，请问你在看什么书呀！”那老人回答说：“这是一本记载天下男女婚姻的书。”韦固听了以后更加好奇，就再问说：“那你袋子里的红绳子，又是做什么用的呢？”老人微笑着对韦固说：“这些红绳是用来系夫妻的脚的，不管男女双方式仇人或距离很远，我只要用这些红绳系在他们的脚上，他们就一定会和好，并且结成夫妻。”韦固听了，自然不会相信，以为老人是和他说着玩的，但是他对这古怪的老人，仍旧充满了好奇，当他想要在问他一些问题的时候，老人已经站起来，带着他的书和袋子，向米市走去，韦固也就跟着他走。到了米市，他们看见一个盲妇抱着一个三岁左右的小女孩迎面走过来，老人便对韦固说：“这盲妇手里抱的小女孩便是你将来的妻子。”韦固听了很生气，以为老人故意开他玩笑，便叫佳奴去把那小女孩杀掉，看他将来还会不会成为自己的妻子。 家奴跑上前去，刺了女孩一刀以后，就立刻跑了。当韦固在要去找那老人算帐时，却已经不见他的踪影了。
光阴似箭，转眼十四年过去了，这时韦固以找到意中人，即将结婚。对方是相州刺史王泰的掌上明珠，人长得很漂亮，只是眉间有一道疤痕。韦固觉得非常奇怪，于是便问他的岳父说：“为什么他的眉角间有疤痕呢？”相州刺史听了以后便说：“说来令人气愤，十四年前在宋城，有一天保母陈氏抱着他从米市走过，有一个狂徒，竟然无缘无故的刺了她一刀，幸好没有生命危险，只留下这道伤疤，真是不幸中的大幸呢！”韦固听了，愣了一下，十四年前的那段往事迅速的浮现在他的脑海里。他想：难道他就是自己命仆人刺杀的小女孩？于是便很紧张的追问说：“那保母是不是一个失明的盲妇？” 王泰看到女婿的脸色有意，且问得蹊跷，便反问他说：“不错，是个盲妇，可是，你怎么会知道呢？”韦固证实了这各式时候，真是惊讶极了，一时间答不出话来，过了好一会儿才平静下来，然后把十四年前在宋城，遇到月下老人的是，全盘说出。王泰听了，也感到惊讶不已。 韦固这才明白月下老人的话，并非开玩笑，他们的姻缘真的是由神作主的。因此夫妇两更加珍惜这段婚姻，过着恩爱的生活。不久这件事传到宋城，当地的人为了纪念月下老人的出现，便把南店改为“订婚店”。
由于这个故事的流传，使得大家相信：男女结合是由月下老人系红绳，加以撮合的，所以，后人就把媒人叫做“月下老人”，简称为“月老”。
The Old Man Under The Moon
Wei Gu, of the T'ang dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝), took a trip to the city of Sung. In the evening, he came upon an old man leaning against a large cloth bag and reading a big, thick book. He asked the old man what book he was reading, and the old man replied, "This book records marriages. I need only use one of the red ropes in this bag to tie a man's foot to a woman's, and the two are sure to become man and wife." Then the old man stood up and began walking toward the rice market, followed by Wei Gu. The old man pointed to a small girl who was being carried by an old woman, and said, "This is your future wife." Wei Gu grew very angry, wondering how this silly little girl could ever possibly be his wife, and ordered his servant to kill her. But the servant merely made a small cut between the girl's eyebrows.
Fourteen years later, the provincial governor gave his daughter to Wei Gu as a wife. The bride was extremely beautiful, except that she had a scar between her eyebrows. It was said that it had been made fourteen years earlier, when she was passing by the rice market in the city of Sung with her nanny. Upon hearing this, Wei Gu finally believed what the old man had said.
Today, "The Old Man Under the Moon" can refer to anyone who acts as matchmaker between a man and a woman.
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