Beauty and the Beast · chapter 1 of 5
Just One Rose
我只要玫瑰花
Her family has lost everything, and Beauty only wants to see her father smile again. When he rides off to town, she asks him for just one rose.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，法国的乡下有一座小房子。天还没亮，美儿就起床了。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Fǎguó de xiāngxia yǒu yí zuò xiǎo fángzi. Tiān hái méi liàng, Měi'ér jiù qǐchuáng le.
Long, long ago, there was a little house in the French countryside. Before the sun was up, Beauty was already out of bed.
- Beauty 太阳太阳快出来，小鸡小鸡快起来！
Tàiyáng tàiyáng kuài chūlái, xiǎojī xiǎojī kuài qǐlái!
Sun, oh sun, come out and play! Little chicks, get up, it's day!
- Second Sister 美儿，别唱了！现在才几点啊？
Měi'ér, bié chàng le! Xiànzài cái jǐ diǎn a?
Beauty, stop singing! Do you know what time it is?
- Beauty 四点了，二姐。你们再睡一会儿吧。
Sì diǎn le, èrjiě. Nǐmen zài shuì yíhuìr ba.
It's four o'clock, Second Sister. Go back to sleep for a while.
- Eldest Sister 四点？以前在城里，我们十点才起床！
Sì diǎn? Yǐqián zài chéng lǐ, wǒmen shí diǎn cái qǐchuáng!
Four? Back in the city, we never got up before ten!
- Second Sister 以前我们天天穿新裙子，晚上还去跳舞……
Yǐqián wǒmen tiāntiān chuān xīn qúnzi, wǎnshang hái qù tiàowǔ…
Back then we wore new dresses every day, and we went dancing every night…
- Eldest Sister 都是那些船！船没了，钱也没了，我们才住到这里来！
Dōu shì nàxiē chuán! Chuán méi le, qián yě méi le, wǒmen cái zhù dào zhèlǐ lái!
It's all because of those ships! The ships are gone, the money's gone, and that's why we're stuck out here!
- Beauty 船没了以后，爸爸就不笑了。我真想让爸爸再笑一次。
Chuán méi le yǐhòu, bàba jiù bú xiào le. Wǒ zhēn xiǎng ràng bàba zài xiào yí cì.
Ever since the ships were lost, Father hasn't laughed at all. I wish I could make him laugh, just once more.
- Narrator 一年以后的一天，爸爸拿着一封信跑了进来。
Yì nián yǐhòu de yì tiān, bàba názhe yì fēng xìn pǎo le jìnlái.
One day, a year later, Father came running in with a letter.
- Father 孩子们，好消息！我的一条船回来了！
Háizimen, hǎo xiāoxi! Wǒ de yì tiáo chuán huílái le!
Children, good news! One of my ships has come back!
- Eldest Sister 真的吗？那我们又有钱了！
Zhēn de ma? Nà wǒmen yòu yǒu qián le!
Really? Then we're rich again!
- Second Sister 爸爸，我要新衣服！我要新鞋子！我还要……
Bàba, wǒ yào xīn yīfu! Wǒ yào xīn xiézi! Wǒ hái yào…
Father, I want new clothes! I want new shoes! And I want…
- Father 别急，别急。我明天去城里。你们想要什么，都写下来吧。
Bié jí, bié jí. Wǒ míngtiān qù chéng lǐ. Nǐmen xiǎng yào shénme, dōu xiě xiàlái ba.
Not so fast, not so fast. I'll ride to town tomorrow. Write down whatever you want.
- Narrator 第二天早上，大姐拿来了一张很长很长的纸。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, dàjiě nálái le yì zhāng hěn cháng hěn cháng de zhǐ.
The next morning, Eldest Sister brought out a very, very long sheet of paper.
- Eldest Sister 三条裙子，两个帽子，四双鞋子……爸爸，一样也不能少！
Sān tiáo qúnzi, liǎng gè màozi, sì shuāng xiézi… Bàba, yí yàng yě bù néng shǎo!
Three dresses, two hats, four pairs of shoes… Father, don't you dare forget a single thing!
- Father 这么多东西？我的马会累坏的！
Zhème duō dōngxi? Wǒ de mǎ huì lèi huài de!
All this? My poor horse will collapse!
- Father 美儿，你怎么不说话？你想要什么？
Měi'ér, nǐ zěnme bù shuōhuà? Nǐ xiǎng yào shénme?
Beauty, why so quiet? What would you like?
- Beauty 我什么都不要。可是我这么说，姐姐们一定会不高兴。
Wǒ shénme dōu bú yào. Kěshì wǒ zhème shuō, jiějiemen yídìng huì bù gāoxìng.
I don't need anything. But if I say that, my sisters will be upset with me.
- Beauty 爸爸，那您给我带一朵玫瑰花吧。这里没有玫瑰花。
Bàba, nà nín gěi wǒ dài yì duǒ méiguihuā ba. Zhèlǐ méiyǒu méiguihuā.
Then, Father, please bring me a rose. No roses grow out here.
- Second Sister 玫瑰花？哈哈，花又不能穿，也不能吃！
Méiguihuā? Hāhā, huā yòu bù néng chuān, yě bù néng chī!
A rose? Ha! You can't wear a flower, and you can't eat one either!
- Beauty 可是玫瑰花最轻啊。爸爸的马，一定最喜欢我！
Kěshì méiguihuā zuì qīng a. Bàba de mǎ, yídìng zuì xǐhuan wǒ!
But a rose is the lightest thing on the list. Father's horse is going to like me best!
- Father 哈哈哈！好！一朵最漂亮的玫瑰花，爸爸记住了！
Hāhāhā! Hǎo! Yì duǒ zuì piàoliang de méiguihuā, bàba jìzhù le!
Ha ha ha! All right! The loveliest rose there is. I won't forget!
- Beauty 爸爸笑了！一年了，爸爸终于笑了！
Bàba xiào le! Yì nián le, bàba zhōngyú xiào le!
Father laughed! After a whole year, Father finally laughed!
- Narrator 没有人知道，这一朵玫瑰花会有多贵。
Méiyǒu rén zhīdào, zhè yì duǒ méiguihuā huì yǒu duō guì.
No one knew yet how much that one rose would cost.
- Narrator 到了城里，船上的东西都成了别人的。
Dào le chéng lǐ, chuán shang de dōngxi dōu chéng le biérén de.
When he reached town, everything on the ship already belonged to other people.
- Father 一分钱也没有了……我怎么回家见女儿们呢？
Yì fēn qián yě méiyǒu le… Wǒ zěnme huí jiā jiàn nǚ'érmen ne?
Not a single coin left… How can I go home and face my girls?
- Narrator 回家的路上，下起了大雪。天黑了，爸爸在树林里走错了路。
Huí jiā de lù shang, xià qǐ le dàxuě. Tiān hēi le, bàba zài shùlín lǐ zǒu cuò le lù.
On the way home, heavy snow began to fall. Night came, and in the forest Father lost his way.
- Father 好冷啊……那是什么声音？是狼！马儿，快跑！
Hǎo lěng a… Nà shì shénme shēngyīn? Shì láng! Mǎr, kuài pǎo!
It's so cold… What's that sound? Wolves! Run, boy, run!
- Father 咦？那边有灯！是一座好大的宫殿！
Yí? Nàbiān yǒu dēng! Shì yí zuò hǎo dà de gōngdiàn!
Huh? There are lights over there! It's an enormous palace!
- Father 有人吗？我可以进来吗？……门开着呢。
Yǒu rén ma? Wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma?… Mén kāizhe ne.
Hello? Is anyone here? May I come in?… The door is open.
- Narrator 宫殿里的火很暖和，桌子上放着热饭热菜。可是，一个人也没有。
Gōngdiàn lǐ de huǒ hěn nuǎnhuo, zhuōzi shang fàngzhe rè fàn rè cài. Kěshì, yí gè rén yě méiyǒu.
Inside, a fire burned warm, and a hot supper sat waiting on the table. But there was no one there at all.
- Father 只有一个人的饭……好像有人知道我要来。这是谁的家呢？
Zhǐ yǒu yí gè rén de fàn… Hǎoxiàng yǒu rén zhīdào wǒ yào lái. Zhè shì shéi de jiā ne?
Supper for one… as if someone knew I was coming. Whose house is this?
What changed in the story?
- According to Eldest Sister, why does the family live in the countryside now?
“船没了，钱也没了”
- What does Beauty wish for most?
“我真想让爸爸再笑一次。”
- Why does Beauty ask for a rose?
“这里没有玫瑰花。”
- What finally makes Father laugh?
“可是玫瑰花最轻啊。爸爸的马，一定最喜欢我！”
- What does Father find inside the palace?
“宫殿里的火很暖和，桌子上放着热饭热菜。可是，一个人也没有。”