Once,long ago,there was an old merchant who had three sons."To which one shall i leave my fortune?"He wondered:"It must be to the cleverest son.But which one is the cleverest?" 

    He called his three sons to him:"Here is some money,"he told them."You must each take one coin to buy something to fill this room shall have my fortune." 

    "It is a big room,"said the eldest son. 

    "One coin will not buy very much,"said the second son. 

    But the youngest son said nothing.He stood and thought,and then he smiled,"come,brothers,"he said,"let us go to the market." 

    The eldest son bought straw with his coin.But he bought only a bit straw with one coin.Even when he had spread it as much as he could,the straw covered only a corner of the room. 

    The second son bought sand with his coin.But he bought only a bit of sand.Even when he had spread it as much as he could,the sand covered only half of the floor. 

    "What did you buy?"The eldest son angrily asked his youngest brother,"you don't have any straw." 

    "Yes,what did you buy?"The second son asked angrily,"you don't have any sand." 

    "I bought this,"said the youngest brother. 

    "A candle!"cried his brothers,"what good is a candle?" 

    "Watch,"said the youngest brother. 

    He lit the candle,and all at once the room was filled with light from wall to wall.From ceiling to floor! 

    "Although you are the youngest,you are indeed the cleverest of my sons,"the old merchant said. 

    And that is how,it came true,that the old merchant left his fortunde to his youngest son,the one who could fill a room with light. 

    很久以前,有一個上了年紀的商人,他有三個兒子."我該把家產留給哪個兒子呢?"他想,"應該把它留給最聰明的兒子.但是哪個最聰明呢?" 

    他把三個兒子叫到面前."這里有一些錢,"他告訴他們,"你們每人拿一枚銀幣去買一件可以裝滿這間屋子的東西.買到能裝滿這間屋子的人將得到我的家產. 

    "這是一間很大的屋子."大兒子說. 

    "一枚銀幣買不到多少東西."二兒子說. 

    但是小兒子卻什么也沒有說.他站在那兒想著,然后微笑."喂,哥哥們,"他說,"我們到市場上去吧!" 

    大兒子用他的錢買了麥穗.但一枚銀幣買到的只是一點兒麥穗,即使他盡量設法把麥穗鋪開一些,麥穗遮住的也只是房間的一個角落.二兒子用錢買了沙子,但一枚銀幣買到的只不過是一點沙子,即使他盡量設法把沙子鋪開一些,沙子也只遮住一半的地面. 

    "你買了什么?"大兒子生氣地問小弟,"你沒買麥穗." 

    "是啊,你買了什么?"二兒子也生氣地問,"你沒買沙子." 

    "我買了這個."小弟說 

    "一根蠟燭!"他的哥哥們叫起來,"一根蠟燭有什么用?" 

    "瞧吧,"小弟說.他點燃了蠟燭,房間從這邊到那邊,從天花板到地上,一下子全都充滿了光亮! 

    "雖然你最小,但你確實是我兒子中最聰明的."老人說.

    這也就是那個老人如何把全部家產都留給了用亮光來充滿房間的小兒子的故事.