Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves · chapter 5 of 5
Morgiana's Dance
玛吉娜跳舞
The robber captain is still free. When a friendly new merchant comes to dinner and refuses to eat any salt, Morgiana starts to wonder who he really is.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天亮了。城里的兵来了，把三十九个强盗都带走了。
Tiān liàng le. Chéng lǐ de bīng lái le, bǎ sānshíjiǔ gè qiángdào dōu dàizǒu le.
Morning came. Soldiers from the town arrived and took all thirty-nine robbers away.
- Ali Baba 玛吉娜，是你救了我们一家！谢谢你！
Mǎjínà, shì nǐ jiù le wǒmen yì jiā! Xièxie nǐ!
Morgiana, you saved our whole family! Thank you!
- Morgiana 不用谢，先生。可是强盗头子跑了，我们还要小心。
Bú yòng xiè, xiānsheng. Kěshì qiángdào tóuzi pǎo le, wǒmen hái yào xiǎoxīn.
There's no need to thank me, sir. But the robber captain got away, so we still have to be careful.
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Narrator 过了很多天，什么事也没有。阿里巴巴认识了一个新朋友。
Guò le hěn duō tiān, shénme shì yě méiyǒu. Ālǐbābā rènshi le yí gè xīn péngyou.
Many days passed, and nothing happened. Then Ali Baba made a new friend.
- Ali Baba 玛吉娜，今天晚上有客人！他是城里新来的商人，人特别好！
Mǎjínà, jīntiān wǎnshang yǒu kèrén! Tā shì chéng lǐ xīn lái de shāngrén, rén tèbié hǎo!
Morgiana, we have a guest tonight! He's a merchant who's new in town, and he's really nice!
- Ali Baba 对了，他说他不吃盐。做菜的时候，一点儿盐都别放。
Duì le, tā shuō tā bù chī yán. Zuò cài de shíhou, yìdiǎnr yán dōu bié fàng.
Oh, and he says he doesn't eat salt. Don't put a single pinch in the food.
- Morgiana 不吃盐？我从来没听说过，有人不吃盐。
Bù chī yán? Wǒ cónglái méi tīngshuō guo, yǒu rén bù chī yán.
No salt? I've never heard of anyone who doesn't eat salt.
- Morgiana 我们这里的人都说：一起吃过盐，就是朋友。他为什么不吃？
Wǒmen zhèlǐ de rén dōu shuō: yìqǐ chī guo yán, jiù shì péngyou. Tā wèishénme bù chī?
People around here say that once you've shared salt, you're friends. So why won't he eat any?
- Narrator 晚饭的时候，玛吉娜给客人送菜，看了他一眼。
Wǎnfàn de shíhou, Mǎjínà gěi kèrén sòng cài, kàn le tā yì yǎn.
At dinner, Morgiana carried the dishes in for the guest and took one look at him.
- Morgiana 这双冷冷的眼睛……是他！卖油的那个人，强盗头子！
Zhè shuāng lěnglěng de yǎnjing… shì tā! Mài yóu de nàge rén, qiángdào tóuzi!
Those cold, cold eyes… It's him! The oil seller, the robber captain!
- Morgiana 他的衣服下面，还有一把刀！他不是来吃饭的。怎么办？……有了！
Tā de yīfu xiàmiàn, hái yǒu yì bǎ dāo! Tā bú shì lái chī fàn de. Zěnme bàn?… Yǒu le!
And there's a dagger under his robe! He hasn't come here for dinner. What do I do?… I've got it!
- The Robber Captain 阿里巴巴，你家的饭真好吃。你真是我的好朋友啊！
Ālǐbābā, nǐ jiā de fàn zhēn hǎochī. Nǐ zhēn shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou a!
Ali Baba, the food in your house is delicious. You really are a good friend of mine!
- Ali Baba 哈哈，我家玛吉娜做饭最好了！她跳舞也跳得很好！
Hāhā, wǒ jiā Mǎjínà zuò fàn zuì hǎo le! Tā tiàowǔ yě tiào de hěn hǎo!
Ha ha, nobody cooks like our Morgiana! And she's a wonderful dancer too!
- Morgiana 先生们，我给你们跳一个舞吧！
Xiānshengmen, wǒ gěi nǐmen tiào yí gè wǔ ba!
Gentlemen, let me dance for you!
- The Robber Captain 跳什么舞……快点儿跳完。等她走了，我就动手！
Tiào shénme wǔ… kuài diǎnr tiào wán. Děng tā zǒu le, wǒ jiù dòngshǒu!
Who wants a dance… Hurry up and finish. Once she's gone, I'll make my move!
- Narrator 玛吉娜跳起舞来。她转啊转，像一朵花。
Mǎjínà tiào qǐ wǔ lái. Tā zhuàn a zhuàn, xiàng yì duǒ huā.
Morgiana began to dance. She spun round and round, as pretty as a flower.
- Ali Baba 好！跳得太好了！
Hǎo! Tiào de tài hǎo le!
Bravo! Wonderful dancing!
- Narrator 玛吉娜转到客人身边，一下子从他的衣服里，拿出了那把刀！
Mǎjínà zhuǎn dào kèrén shēnbiān, yíxiàzi cóng tā de yīfu lǐ, ná chū le nà bǎ dāo!
Morgiana spun right up to the guest and, quick as a flash, pulled the dagger out of his robe!
- Morgiana 先生，您看！来吃饭，为什么要带刀？
Xiānsheng, nín kàn! Lái chī fàn, wèishénme yào dài dāo?
Look, sir! Why would a dinner guest bring a dagger?
- Ali Baba 我的天哪！刀？这是怎么回事？
Wǒ de tiān na! Dāo? Zhè shì zěnme huí shì?
Oh my heavens! A dagger? What's going on?
- Morgiana 他不吃盐，是因为他不想做您的朋友。他就是那个卖油的，强盗头子！
Tā bù chī yán, shì yīnwèi tā bù xiǎng zuò nín de péngyou. Tā jiù shì nàge mài yóu de, qiángdào tóuzi!
He won't eat salt because he doesn't want to be your friend. He's the oil seller, the robber captain!
- The Robber Captain 又是你这个女孩！
Yòu shì nǐ zhège nǚhái!
You again, girl!
- Ali Baba 快来人啊！抓住他！
Kuài lái rén a! Zhuāzhù tā!
Help, everyone! Catch him!
- Narrator 邻居们都跑了过来，抓住了强盗头子。四十个强盗，一个也没有跑掉。
Línjūmen dōu pǎo le guòlái, zhuāzhù le qiángdào tóuzi. Sìshí gè qiángdào, yí gè yě méiyǒu pǎodiào.
The neighbors all came running and caught the robber captain. Of the forty robbers, not one got away.
- Ali Baba 玛吉娜，你救了我们一家两次。从今天起，你不用再给别人做事了。
Mǎjínà, nǐ jiù le wǒmen yì jiā liǎng cì. Cóng jīntiān qǐ, nǐ bú yòng zài gěi biérén zuò shì le.
Morgiana, you've saved our family twice. From today on, you don't have to work for anyone.
- Ali Baba 你是自由的人，也是我们家的人！
Nǐ shì zìyóu de rén, yě shì wǒmen jiā de rén!
You are free, and you are one of our family!
- Morgiana 谢谢您，先生！……我太高兴了！
Xièxie nín, xiānsheng!… Wǒ tài gāoxìng le!
Thank you, sir!… I'm so happy!
- Narrator 从那天起，阿里巴巴一家过上了好日子。山洞的秘密，他们只告诉了孩子们。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, Ālǐbābā yì jiā guò shang le hǎo rìzi. Shāndòng de mìmì, tāmen zhǐ gàosu le háizimen.
From that day on, Ali Baba's family lived happily. They told the secret of the cave to no one but their own children.
- Ali Baba's Wife 阿里巴巴，下次再量金子，我们用自己家的斗吧！
Ālǐbābā, xià cì zài liáng jīnzi, wǒmen yòng zìjǐ jiā de dǒu ba!
Ali Baba, next time we measure our gold, let's use our own measure!
- Ali Baba 哈哈，对！芝麻开门的秘密，我们自己知道就好！
Hāhā, duì! Zhīma kāimén de mìmì, wǒmen zìjǐ zhīdào jiù hǎo!
Ha ha, you're right! The secret of “Open, Sesame” stays in the family!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What strange request does the new merchant make?
“他说他不吃盐。”
- Why does the salt make Morgiana suspicious?
“一起吃过盐，就是朋友。他为什么不吃？”
- What does Morgiana spot under the guest's robe?
“他的衣服下面，还有一把刀！”
- What does Morgiana do while she is dancing?
“一下子从他的衣服里，拿出了那把刀！”
- How does Ali Baba thank Morgiana at the end?
“你是自由的人，也是我们家的人！”