【原文】

    昔有雌雄二鸽共同一巢，秋果熟时，取果满巢。於其後时，果乾减少，唯半巢在。
　　雄嗔雌曰：“取果勤苦，汝独食之，唯有半在。”
　　雌鸽答言：“我不独食，果自减少。”
　　雄鸽不信，嗔恚而言：“非汝独食，何由减少？”即便以嘴啄雌鸽杀。
　　未经几日，天降大雨，果得湿润，还复如故。
　　雄鸽见已，方生悔恨：“彼实不食，我妄杀他。”即悲鸣命唤雌鸽：“汝何处去！”
　　凡夫之人亦复如是。颠倒在怀，妄取欲乐，不观无常，犯於重禁，悔不於後，竟何所及。後唯悲叹，如彼愚鸽。

【译文】
　　从前有雄雌两只鸽子，住在一个巢里。秋天果子熟的时候，它们捡来果子装满了一巢。后来果子风干体积减少了，只剩下了半巢。

　　雄鸽就责怪道： “捡果子是很辛苦的，你怎么自己吃得只剩下一半了。 ”

　　雌鸽回答说： “我没有吃独食，果子是自己减少的。”

　　雄鸽不相信，生气地说： “不是你吃独食，果子怎么会减少呢?”一气之下就用嘴啄死了雌鸽。

　　过了没几天，下了一场大雨，果子吸收了潮气，又变成满满一巢了。

　　雄鸽看到以后，开始后悔起来： “她真的没有吃，我把她错杀了。”就伤心地叫雌鸽： “你到哪里去了!”

　　世间的凡夫也是这样，心存颠倒妄见，贪恋五欲之乐，不去观想世间无常的道理，违反了重禁。后来才开始后悔，却已经为时过晚。就像那个错杀了雌鸽的愚蠢的雄鸽一样，只能是徒然悲鸣了。

【英文】
　　Once upon a time, there were two doves, male and female, which lived together in a nest. They filled their nest with fruit seed that grew up during the fall. Later, the fruit dried and shrank to fill but half of the nest. The male was in a temper and said to the female, "We have been working hard together for the fruit. Now you have eaten it alone. It's half of what it was.
　　The female replied, "I haven't eaten it alone. For the fruit has shrunk by itself."
　　Incredulous, the male angrily said, "If it has not been you alone who had eaten, how could it grow so much less now?" Then he pecked the female to death.
　　A few days later, it happened to rain heavily. The fruit got moist and grew to its former size. On seeing it, the male regretfully realized that she really had not eaten and that he had wrongly killed her. He then cried bitterly and called out to her: "Where have you gone?"
　　This is also held to be true with the common people. Leading a disorderly life, people indulge in wild pleasures. They think nothing of impermanence when breaking major commandments. It will be too late for them to repent afterwards. It only remains for them to give vent to their sadness with sighs like the stupid dove.