“这两种命运都是上帝的意志!"死神说。“它们之中哪一朵是受难之花，哪一朵是幸福之花呢?"她问。

　　“我不能告诉你。"死神回答说。"不过有一点你可以知道："这两朵花之中有一朵是你自己的孩子。你刚才所看到的就是你的孩子的命运——你亲生孩子的未来。”

　　母亲惊恐得叫起来。

　　“它们哪一朵是我的孩子呢?请您告诉我吧!请您救救天真的孩子吧!请把我的孩子从苦难中救出来吧!还是请您把他带走吧!把他带到上帝的国度里去!请忘记我的眼泪，我的祈求，原谅我刚才所说的和做的一切事情吧!”

　　“我不懂你的意思!"死神说。"你想要把你的孩子抱回去呢，还是让我把他带到一个你所不知道的地方去呢?”

　　这时母亲扭着双手，双膝跪下来，向我们的上帝祈祷：

　　“您的意志永远是好的。请不要理我所作的违反您的意志的祈祷!请不要理我!请不要理我!”

　　于是她把头低低地垂下来。

　　死神带着她的孩子飞到那个不知名的国度里去了。

 　　母亲的故事英文版：

　　The Story of a Mother

　　AMOTHER sat by her little child; she was very sad, for she feared it would die. It was quite pale, and its little eyes were closed, and sometimes it drew a heavy deep breath, almost like a sigh; and then the mother gazed more sadly than ever on the poor little creature. Some one knocked at the door, and a poor old man walked in. He was wrapped in something that looked like a great horse-cloth; and he required it truly to keep him warm, for it was cold winter; the country everywhere lay covered with snow and ice, and the wind blew so sharply that it cut one’s face. The little child had dozed off to sleep for a moment, and the mother, seeing that the old man shivered with the cold, rose and placed a small mug of beer on the stove to warm for him. The old man sat and rocked the cradle; and the mother seated herself on a chair near him, and looked at her sick child who still breathed heavily, and took hold of its little hand.