一點露(台灣民謠)
OVERTURE – “One Drop of Dew” 
Taiwanese folksong

來到遠遠的省都
When you go to a place far, far away
想起故鄉的草埔
Remember of the grassy fields of your home
阿母對阮有講起
Mom used to say to me
一支草一點露
One blade of grass, one drop of dew
為著渺茫的前途
For the unknown future
不驚風吹曝日的痛苦
To withstand the pains of those windblown or sun-beaten days
雖變成雲甲雨
Although the sky has turned into clouds and rain
猶原夢見   夢見故鄉的草埔
Again I dream, dream of the grassy field of my home

萬物
世間萬物維持生命所需之種種
Millions of beings live in this world 
All need nutrients to survive
空氣   食物   水
Air, food, water
都是仰賴天地滋養
All depend on the nurture of the heaven and the earth 
父母養育子女恩德
The gift of unconditional love from parents to child
猶如天地般遼闊
Is as vast as the universe 

父母恩重難報經
Sutra of Profound Gratitude toward Parents

序曲
Prelude
花開花謝幾度秋
For countless seasons, flowers bloom and wither
滾滾江水向東流
Into the sea the roaring rivers rush and vanish
人間世代新換舊
Throughout human history all things change and evolve
唯有那父母對子女的真愛啊
Only the true love that parents have for their children
天長地久  至死方休
endures like the heaven and earth, lasting till death
自古潮起又潮落
The ocean tides have surged and ebbed since antiquity
The ivory clouds have drifted in the air 
白雲千載空悠悠
The ivory clouds have drifted in the air for thousands of years
少年不識親恩重
Young people do not appreciate their parents' immense kindness
唯有那父母對子女的牽掛
It is only genuine concern that parents have for their children
才下眉頭  又上心頭
that shows through in their expressions and occupies their minds constantly

因緣
Karmic Relationships
父母恩情重如山  
The kindness bestowed by our parents is as immense as the mountains
佛陀細說話從前
as explained in detail by the Buddha 
如是我聞千真事 
(As the Sutra delineates)
因緣殊勝在祇園
Once, in the Jeta Grove
舍衛國裡比丘具  
the monks gathered
菩薩三萬又八千
as well as thirty eight thousand bodhisattvas
世尊領眾向南行  
The Buddha led the assembly towards the south
忽見枯骨曝路邊
Suddenly they saw a pile of dried-up bones alongside the road
爾時如來心戚然  
At that time, the Buddha became solemn
五體禮拜甚恭謙
With utmost veneration he fell to his knees and paid his respects
阿難合掌問佛言  
Ananda held his palms together and asked the Buddha
禮拜枯骨為那般
why he showed such reverence to these bones
佛告阿難應諦聽  
The Buddha told Ananda: Listen carefully
分別為你說分明
I will now explain to you in detail
枯骨因緣溯前世  
My relationship with these bones originated in my previous lives
或是多生父母親
Perhaps they belonged to my parents of many different lifetimes
父為子女苦營生  
A father labors to make a living for his children
勞心勞力兩霜鬢
His hair becomes gray with all the stress and toil
養兒育女慈母心  
A mother nurtures her children with a kind heart
一生茹苦又含辛
Her life is thus filled with anxiety and travail

懷胎　
Pregnancy
慈母懷胎經十月
A loving mother carries a baby for ten lunar months
飽嚐辛酸喜帶淚
and endures the agony with joy and tears
一月懷胎如草露  
In the first month of pregnancy, the new life is like the morning dew
擔心受怕難保暮
The mother is filled with anxiety and fear for the survival of her baby
二月懷胎如凝酥  
In the second month of pregnancy, the embryo congeals like curd
身心變化受苦楚
With the tide of hormonal changes, the mother undergoes suffering
三月懷胎如凝血  
In the third month of pregnancy, the embryo resembles coagulated blood
萬分喜悅臉上寫
Meanwhile, the mother's face shines with pure joy
四月懷胎漸成形  
In the fourth month of pregnancy, the baby gradually takes form
食無知味夜難眠
During this time, the mother loses sleep and appetite
五月懷胎頭足具  
In the fifth month of pregnancy, the head and limbs develop
衣帶漸寬心漸悸
The mother dons maternity garb and her anxiety rises
六月懷胎六精開  
In the sixth month of pregnancy, the six senses awaken 
為兒煎熬甘忍耐
The mother, for the sake of her child,  bears all agony willingly 
七月懷胎骨節成  
In the seventh month of pregnancy, bones and joints take shape
八萬四千毛孔生
and the baby develops eighty-four thousand skin pores
八月意識與九竅  
In the eighth month of pregnancy, consciousness and the nine orifices emerge
胎成形俱甚微妙
as the baby's form grows wondrously
九月懷胎兒在腹  
In the ninth month of pregnancy, the new child waits in the womb 
母血為食將兒哺
nourished by nutrients in the mother's blood

十月臨盆痛難當
In the tenth month of pregnancy, the mother delivers the baby in excruciating pain

恰似刮骨割心肝
The pain is like a knife to the heart and bone scraping bone
慈母之恩難計量　
The gratitude a child owes his mother is immeasurable
豈能將她把心傷
How can the child bear to cause her anguish?

十恩　
Ten Acts of Kindness
如斯重苦只一端  
This suffering is merely the beginning
尚有十恩應詳言
There are still ten acts of kindness to be delineated
第一懷胎守護恩  
First is the kindness of protecting the child in the womb
用心呵護胎兒成
Guarding and caring for the baby through its development
累劫因緣扥母胎  
Sharing a karmic relationship of lifetimes, the baby comes to this mother’s womb
月生五臟六精開
In months the five organs take shape and the six senses awaken
體重如山醜態顯  
The mother looks wearied, as though her burden were as heavy as a mountain
羅衣不掛妝鏡藏
She neither dons nice gowns nor beautifies herself
第二臨產受苦恩  
Second is the kindness of enduring the pain of delivery
懷胎瓜熟待產臨
The mother waits for the birth of her baby
朝朝昏沉似重病  
Each day she feels tired as though afflicted with illness
驚恐畏懼愁滿襟
Fear, anxiety, worry and anguish plague her
憂心含悲告親族  
She confides her apprehension to her relatives 
百般惟恐死來侵
as fear of her own death consumes her
第三生子忘憂恩  
Third is the kindness of forgetting her own suffering
生兒痛苦徹心腸
In delivery, she suffers piercing pain 
血流悶絕似屠羊  
and she bleeds profusely
聞兒身健喜難當
But learning that her baby is healthy, she is overwhelmed with joy 
誰知孩兒出生時  
Who realizes that the day of the baby’s birth
正是慈母臨難日
is actually the day of mother’s greatest ordeal?
第四咽苦吐甘恩  
Fourth is the kindness of enduring suffering and giving selflessly
慈母憐兒不失時
Never does she stop caring for her child
父恩母愛情意重  
Deep and boundless is the love with which parents devote to the child
吐甘咽苦不顰眉
giving generously and enduring hardships without complaint
但令孩兒能溫飽  
To ensure her child's warmth and nourishment
慈母不辭飢寒苦
the mother fears neither cold nor hunger
第五迴乾就濕恩  
Fifth is the kindness of saving the best for the child
母身投濕兒就乾
She ensures comfort for her child while she herself endures discomfort
母乳餵食袖掩寒  
The child is nurtured by her milk and sheltered beneath her sleeves
癈寢忘食為兒安
She skips meals and loses sleep 
So that her child may be safe and sound
但願孩兒能安穩  
for her child's well-being
慈母不畏任何難
the kind mother lets no fear of hardship deter her
如斯重苦只五端  
Such immense sacrifices are only the first five
尚有五恩應詳言
There are still five more kindnesses to be explained
第六哺乳養育恩  
Sixth is the kindness of nurturing and raising the child
母似大地父如天
The mother is like the great earth and the father like the heavens
覆載恩情都一樣  
The kindness they bestow are one and the same
不憎不嫌無怒顏
They bear no dislike, resentment nor anger toward their child
十月懷胎將兒生  
After the mother brings the child to the world having carried it in her womb for 10 lunar months
終日憐惜不厭煩
the parents cares for their child, never growing weary till the end of their days
第七洗濯不淨恩  
Seventh is the kindness of cleansing the unclean
本是蓉芙冰清質
The mother used to be as delicate as a flower
眉新柳碧似紅蓮  
The red rose would have paled next to her beauty
如今含苦摧玉面
But now she has sacrificed her beauty as she endures all toil and hardship
為了孩兒能康健  
to keep her child healthy and clean
不避穢臭不避髒
She does not shun the stench and filth as she cares for her child
第八遠行憶念恩  
Eighth is the kindness of longing for the faraway child
子在他鄉母心傷
When the child travels to a foreign land, the mother's heart frets
生離總比死別難  
It is more disquieting to think of the child one afar than one who has died
慈母不捨手中線
How hard it is to let go of the bond
日夜憶念淚千行  
Day and night, the mother worries
如猿泣子斷肝腸
She is pained, as her heart is with her child
第九深加體恤恩  
Ninth is the kindness of great care and understanding
父母恩深回報難
The parents' kindness is too great to repay
憫子煩憂願代受  
They would willingly 	suffer in their child’s stead
子苦兒勞母不安
Their hearts know little peace when the child undergoes hardship
聞兒遠行夜臥寒  
Hearing that their child sleeps in the cold as travels take him afar,
長使爹娘心頭酸
the parents' hearts ache with concern and worry
第十究竟憐愍恩  
Tenth is the kindness of lifelong compassion
人間至情此最真
This is the truest form of human love
父母恩憐無停歇  
The parents' kindness and affection never cease
起坐身隨心亦隨
Their thoughts follow all the child's endeavors
百歲母憂八十兒  
The hundred-year-old mother still worries for her child of eighty
命到盡頭恩未絕
This kindness does not end even with death

親情　
Parental Love

我看眾生枉得人生  
I see human beings living their lives in vain
心行愚癡不思親恩
Ignorant in mind and in conduct, they are oblivious to their parents' kindness
有大恩德不生恭敬   
Despite receiving such immense kindness, they show no reverence
忘恩負義啊不孝不順
Without gratitude, they are disrespectful and rebellious
母親懷胎十月苦辛  
The mother endures pregnancy for ten lunar months
起坐不安心神難寧
She has neither peace of mind nor comfort
飲食無味似受重病  
Food loses its taste to her and she feels ill
十月懷滿啊臨盆在即
After ten lunar months, the excruciating delivery is imminent
疼痛難忍血流滿地  
The pain during labor is unbearable and she bleeds profusely
恐遭無償嚎叫不已
Crying in agony, she fears the worst
受如是苦生下兒身  
It is through these torments that the mother gives birth to her child
咽苦吐甘茹苦含辛
She endures misery but gives comfort, shielding her child from suffering
洗濯不淨不畏污穢  
She washes and cleans her child without concern for the filth or stench
忍寒忍熱不捨兒哭
She endures bitter cold and sweltering heat to keep her child from discomfort
乾處兒臥濕處母眠  
She gives the dry place to her child while she herself sleeps in the damp
三年之中兒吮母乳
For three years, the child draws nourishment from the mother's milk
乳是母血子長母悴  
The milk comes from the mother's essence, so the mother grows haggard as her child grows
由嬰兒童乃至成年
It is like this throughout the child's life: from infancy to adulthood
教導禮儀望子成龍  
The mother teaches her son proper manners and carries high hopes for his future
婚嫁營謀啊望女成鳳
She plans for her daughter's marriage, with high hopes for her as well
兒受病魔父母憂心  
When the child becomes ill, mother and father are filled with anxiety
憂極病生猶掛兒身
Even if they themselves fall sick from the stress their concern for the child's health continues
子若病除母病方癒  
Only after the child recovers does the mother's own ailing health improve
如斯養育啊願早成人
Like this, the parents bring up the child, wishing only to see him mature into adulthood

子過　
Children's Wrongdoings

及至兒女已成長  
When the children reach adulthood
不孝不順把心傷
They break their parents' hearts through disobedience and disrespect
父母教誨不記取  
They do not heed their parents' teachings and advice
反將怒目向母看
Instead, they cast rude glares upon their parents
在學不遵師訓範  
At school they do not obey their teachers' guidance
在家不敬父母言
At home they do not respect their parents' words
出門不啟尊親知  
They do not tell their parents when they leave the house
入門不稟父母安
They do not greet their parents when they return home
不敬伯叔欺兄弟  
They lack respect for their elders and verbally abuse their own kin
辱親傷鄰無情義
They offend their relatives and neighbors, with no concern for integrity

言行高傲氣焰張  
Their attitude is insolent, their temper hot
性情乖戾令人煩
Their impulsive and spiteful temperament exasperates others 
朋附惡人棄親友 
Falling in with hoodlums, they forsake their own friends and family
認非為是惡名傳
Doing wrong instead of right, they build a reputation of infamy
尊親關心仍無怨  
Yet parents continue to love their children without resentment
暗把雙眼淚哭乾
Alone, they shed countless tears
或被人誘往他鄉 
Perhaps these children are enticed to abandon their family for a faraway land
或違親娘別家眷
Perhaps they disobey their mothers and leave behind their loved ones
或因經商背行囊  
Maybe these children are constantly away on business
或因婚娶離爹娘
Maybe they become estranged from their parents after getting married
時間荏苒年復年  
As time fades away with each passing year
音信全無不返鄉
there is no word from them and they never return home
父母倚門日日望  
Meanwhile the parents wait in anticipation every day
掛心祈求兒平安
Always, they pray that all is well with their children
或在他鄉不戒慎  
Perhaps these children become careless in foreign lands
或遭意外枝節生
Perhaps they fall victim to accidents and troubles
或觸法網牢獄繫  
Maybe these children are jailed for breaking the law
或遭病患難苦撐
Maybe they suffer ailments with great pain
父母憐子心悲泣  
The parents shed tears of concern for their children
懷憂成病難割棄
Sick with worry, they may even fall ill because of this unseverable bond 
哀哀天下父母心  
The hearts of all the world's parents fill with such woe
誰解其中真情意
Who can understand the love behind it?
遠離益友交損友  
As these children turn away from friends with integrity and draw near errant ones
師長訓誨無愧疚
they ignore the advice from elders and teachers without remorse
親情呼喚不悔過  
Though their parents reach out to them with love, they do not repent
爹娘心緒萬般愁
The parents' minds are filled with worry
慈愛父母漸年邁  
The loving parents age with the passing of time
體弱鬢白形漸衰
Their health weakens, their hair turns gray, and their bodies deteriorate
浪子回頭知是岸  
The prodigal children may finally return remorseful and repentant
青春少年不重來
But youth is gone, never to be recovered
年長學成走他鄉  
When the children grow to adulthood and move away
父孤母寡守空堂
the parents are left behind to fend for themselves
起居病疾無人問  
These old folks pass their days with no one to care for them, even when sick 
兒在遙遠溫柔鄉
while their children live in comfort somewhere far away
晝夜哭啼自嗟嘆  
Day and night, the parents sigh with lament
親情只在夢中見
The family intimacy they yearn for is only to be found in dreams
總盼兒女把恩念  
How they hope that their children may remember the family bond
日日都能戲尊前
and come every day to be together with them
或持財食供妻兒  
Perhaps the son sets aside food and money for his wife and children
忘卻雙親在堂上
But he forgets about his elderly parents
或對妻兒每事依  
Perhaps the son goes along with his wife and children in every matter
尊長叮嚀都不記
But he never takes to heart any of his parents' requests
或未婚嫁是孝子  
Perhaps the son is good to his parents before he marries
婚後忤逆逐漸增
But he gradually becomes disrespectful and defiant after marriage
父母微瞋即生怨  
The tiniest trace of irritability in his parents causes him to grow incensed
嬌妻打罵卻心甘
But he willingly endures physical and verbal abuse from his wife
或攜妻兒往他鄉  
Perhaps he sets off for a foreign land with his wife and children
別離爹娘無顧眷
and leaves behind his mother and father without any second thought
從此消息音信斷  
From then on, he loses touch with his folks
爹娘掛肚又牽腸
making his mother and father worry with gut-wrenching anxiety
如渴思漿思見面  
The parents long to see their son
未報平安寢難安
They toss and turn at night when there is no news of his safety
父母恩德重如山  
The deep kindness of parents is as immense as the mountains
天下子女難報償
It is a kindness that is difficult to repay

父母恩德重如山  
The deep kindness of parents is as immense as the mountains

天下子女難報償
It is a kindness that is difficult to repay

報恩
Repaying Kindness
大眾聞佛所說父母恩  
After everyone heard the Buddha's explanations on the kindness of parents
頓足搥胸情難禁
they were overwhelmed with emotion and beat their chests in lament
不知父母恩情重  
They had been ignorant of their parents' immense loving kindness
始知自己是罪人
But now they realized that they themselves were guilty
父母恩深如何報  
How should they repay their parents' profound kindness?
佛陀再演梵法音
Once again the Buddha explained to them
親恩難報應當報  
While difficult, it is only right to repay parents’ kindness
知恩肯報是英豪
To appreciate it and willingly repay it is the gallant way
左肩擔父右擔母  
Were one to carry one's father on the left shoulder and mother on the right
皮破血流又入骨
such that one's skin rips open, blood spills, and pain cuts to the bone
如此回報難言巨  
this kind of compensation is still hardly sufficient
猶難報恩於萬一
It repays barely one ten-thousandth of their kindness
或有飢饉來侵襲  
If a harsh famine should ravage the land
割股反哺亦不惜
and one were to cut off one's own flesh without hesitation to feed one's parents
如是報恩微如塵  
This manner of paying back their kindness is actually as minute as dust
不比哺育恩情深
It cannot compare with parents' deep kindness of nurturing one throughout life
或為爹娘需要故  
If when the parents needed it,
剜眼割心捐身軀
one were to gouge out one's eyes, cut out one's heart
打骨出髓無反顧 
or if one were to willingly beat one's bones until the marrow spilled out
這樣回報亦不足
this still would not be enough to repay one's parents
大眾聞言雙淚垂  
As all listened to the Buddha's words, tears streamed from their eyes
慚愧悲泣與哽咽
Filled with shame, they were choked with sobs
帶罪之身云何報  
Being so guilty, how can they repay this kindness?
粉身碎骨難回報
Even if they died torturously for their parents it would still not be enough
天下子女應懺悔  
The children of the world should repent with remorse
修身養性持十戒
They must cultivate their character, and uphold the Ten Precepts
大眾聞言雙淚垂  
Being so guilty, how can they repay this kindness?
慚愧悲泣與哽咽
Filled with shame, they were choked with sobs
帶罪之身云何報  
As all listened to the Buddha's words, tears streamed from their eyes
粉身碎骨難回報
Even if they died torturously for their parents it would still not be enough
天下子女應懺悔  
The children of the world should repent with remorse
修身養性持十戒
They must cultivate their character, and uphold the Ten Precepts 
仁民愛物勤布施  
They must be kind to others, cherish all things, and be diligent in giving
誠心廣植父母福
They must be sincere and earnest in sowing blessings for their parents' sake
父母恩重常憶念  
They must constantly be mindful of their parents' immense kindness
書寫廣宣不厭倦
They must write it down and proclaim it untiringly
造經弘經行百善  
They should promote the sutras and do all kinds of charitable deeds
父母快樂得安詳
so that their parents may have a joyous and peaceful life
不違如來聖教義  
By upholding the sage teachings of the Buddha
孝養敬順能兩全（四遍）
they can fulfill their inherent duty to their parents (4x)

尾曲
Finale

父母的白髮為誰添
For whom does the hair of parents turn gray?
雙親的愁容為誰顯
For whom do their faces wrinkle?
世上的癡心父母都一樣
The love and devotion of parents are all alike
為了兒女的成長
To help their children grow
不惜將那輕盈的體態換醜顏
they are willing to forsake their beauty
不管那天老與地荒
Regardless of time and distance
再多的付出都甘願
they are willing to serve without end
世上的癡心父母都一樣
The love and devotion of parents are all alike
為了兒女的明天
For their children's future
不惜將那嬌美的青春換憔顏
they are willing to give up their youthfulness
不管那海枯與石爛
Till the day the seas dry up and the rocks crumble
再多的苦楚都承擔
they will still be shouldering all burdens and hardships
父親的恩情
The father's unceasing kindness
密密綿綿,歲歲年年
year after year
千古都不變
remains eternally unchanged
即使枯了筆乾了硯
Even after exhausting all words and ink
再多的文字都難詮
it is still not possible to describe such kindness
父愛似朝陽  
The father's love is like the sun, 
母愛浩連天
the mother's like the boundless sky
生我育我鞠我畜我
They give us life, shelter and education
無悔也無怨
without regret or complaint
撫我護我長我顧我
They protect, care for and look after us
不煩也不厭
without frustration or fatigue
烏鴉能反哺 倦鳥也知返
The crows know to feed their parents and birds know to return to their nests when tired
想當年 父親的挺拔 母親的笑靨
The father's upright stature and the mother's graceful smile
人人看了人人羨
used to be envied by everyone
到如今背駝鬢白塵滿面
Yet now their backs are bent, their hair gray, their faces marked with signs of hardship
歲月磨掉了青春
Their youth has been worn away by time
兒女磨悴了紅顏
Their splendor has been worn away by their children
朱唇英姿都不見
Their beauty and grace have vanished
母年一百歲  常憂八十兒
A mother, at the age of one hundred, still worries for her eighty-year-old child
不問自己問兒健
She cares not for her health, but for that of her child
不問自己問兒健
She cares not for her health, but for that of her child
這樣的恩情  難捨也難斷
Such kindness is difficult to sever
往事過眼似雲煙
The past has elapsed like mist and clouds
只堪兒前話當年
Memories of the past are all they have left
父母恩浩蕩  親情高比天
The kindness of parents is infinite, their love boundless
試問天下多少負恩兒啊
Try to ponder how many children in the world are ungrateful
迷途能知返思親孝親淚漣漣
how many feel repentance after realizing parents' kindness
百歲父母常憂
Even at the age of one hundred, the parents still worry
常憂八十孩兒身飢寒
for the health and well-being of their eighty-year-old child
人間那得見
Yet in this world, we seldom see
那得見老萊彩衣戲堂前
eighty-year-olds who try to please their parents
老萊彩衣戲堂前
eighty-year-olds who try to please their parents

最美的笑容
The Most Beautiful Smile

在異鄉遊子的睡夢中
Being away from home, in my dream,
看見世上最美的笑容
I saw the most beautiful smile in the world.
深沉的皺紋是愛的浪跡
The deep wrinkles are the traces of love.
溫暖的手心撫摸著受傷的我
The warm, gentle hands heal the wounds within me.
在慢慢成長的歲月裡
Year after year, I grow gradually.
總是辜負了你的叮嚀
I seem to forget your reminders and keep letting you down.
而你的寬容像大海一樣
Yet your all-encompassing acceptance is as vast as the ocean,
任由我乘風又破浪
allowing me to ride on the wind and the waves
追逐理想
and letting me go after my dreams.
夢裡的笑容
The smile in my dream
是我生命中的寄託
is my shelter which supports my life.
就像是懷抱大地的河流
It's like a great river that embraces the earth.
夢是無限的感恩
The dream manifests unlimited gratitude.
愛是永恆的笑容
Love is the everlasting smile,
日復一日
day after day,
寫著天長和地久
lasting for eternity

藉著『父母恩重難報經』
With this musical-drama,

感念父母宏恩
we remember with gratitude our parents' vast unconditional love

珍惜生命的來源
Let us treasure our life's origin

以父母所賜身軀
With the body given by our parents,

為社會人群付出
let us repay our parents' love by

才是報答親恩
dedicating ourselves to helping society and other human beings

~摘錄自證嚴法師開示 -- Master Cheng Yen