Reading Folktale 6: The Rich Man and the Poor Man 

    

Contents

           

   
 
English Translation
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One day, a poor man wearing torn clothes walked past a rich man's house.  The rich man picked up a rock and threw it at the poor man's head.  The poor man couldn't say anything to the rich man.  He just picked up the rock the rich man had just thrown at him and put it in his pocket.  He thought that one day he would throw the rock back at the rich man. 

   Not very long after that, the rich man spent all of his money; he sold all of his treasure, and he became a poor man, poorer than the other poor man.

   One day, the rich man wore torn clothing and walked past the poor man's house.  So, the poor man ran quickly into his house to get the rock the rich man had thrown at him before.  He planned to throw it back at the rich man, but he thought to himself, "That rich man, he is now much poorer than I am.  So, I will let him go.  I don't have to throw the rock back at him.   If I did, many villagers would say that I am not a good person."

     

  

Vocabulary:
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ກາຍ v. to pass
ກ້ອນຫິນ n. a rock
ຂາດສ້ອຍ adj. torn off
ຄົນຮັ່ງມີ n. a rich man
ຄົນທຸກ n. a poor man
ຄືນ adv. back; v. to return
ເງິນຄຳ n. money
ຈັບຈ່າຍ n. to spend
ຊັບສົມບັດ n. treasure, wealth
ໂສ້ງ n. pants
ເສື້ອ n. shirt, blouse
ຍັດໃສ່ n. to put in
ຸຖົງເສື້ອ n. a shirt pocket
ນຸ່ງ n. to wear, to put on clothes
ແບ່ນ n. to throw
ຜູ້ໜື່ງ n. a person
ເພາະ, ເພາະວ່າ conj. because
ຫົວ n. head
ໝົດ adj. to be all gone
           
  

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