The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 21 of 25
The Grave by the Road
路边的墓
At the year's end the snow keeps falling, and Sijiu comes to the Zhu back gate dressed in white, with Shanbo's last words for Yingtai.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那年冬天，雪一直在下。到了年底，一个下大雪的夜里，梁山伯静静地走了。
Nà nián dōngtiān, xuě yìzhí zài xià. Dào le niándǐ, yí gè xià dàxuě de yè lǐ, Liáng Shānbó jìngjìng de zǒu le.
That winter the snow kept falling. At the end of the year, on a night of heavy snow, Liang Shanbo quietly passed away.
- Liang's Mother 山伯，你说要在路边等她，妈都听你的。妈和你爸爸，把你埋在这个路口了。
Shānbó, nǐ shuō yào zài lùbiān děng tā, mā dōu tīng nǐ de. Mā hé nǐ bàba, bǎ nǐ mái zài zhège lùkǒu le.
Shanbo, you said you wanted to wait for her by the road, and I've done as you asked. Your father and I have laid you here, at this crossroads.
- Sijiu 太太，这就是去安乐村的路。祝小姐嫁到马家那天，一定会从这儿过。
Tàitai, zhè jiù shì qù Ānlè Cūn de lù. Zhù xiǎojie jià dào Mǎ jiā nà tiān, yídìng huì cóng zhèr guò.
Ma'am, this is the road to Anle Village. The day Miss Zhu marries into the Ma family, she's sure to pass this way.
Chapter 21 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The Butterfly Lovers (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Liang's Mother 四九，你去祝家告诉她吧。我在这儿，再和山伯坐一会儿。
Sìjiǔ, nǐ qù Zhù jiā gàosu tā ba. Wǒ zài zhèr, zài hé Shānbó zuò yíhuìr.
Sijiu, go to the Zhu house and tell her. I'll stay here and sit with Shanbo a little longer.
- Sijiu 公子的话，我一定带到。太太，您别在雪里坐太久，我很快就回来！
Gōngzǐ de huà, wǒ yídìng dài dào. Tàitai, nín bié zài xuě lǐ zuò tài jiǔ, wǒ hěn kuài jiù huílái!
I'll get young master's words to her, I promise. Ma'am, don't sit too long in the snow. I'll be back soon!
- Yinxin 四九？下这么大的雪，你又跑到后门来了？你的腿还没跑断啊？
Sìjiǔ? Xià zhème dà de xuě, nǐ yòu pǎo dào hòumén lái le? Nǐ de tuǐ hái méi pǎo duàn a?
Sijiu? In all this snow, you've run to the back gate again? Your legs still haven't snapped?
- Sijiu 银心，祝小姐在哪儿？我有话，要告诉她。
Yínxīn, Zhù xiǎojie zài nǎr? Wǒ yǒu huà, yào gàosu tā.
Yinxin, where's Miss Zhu? I have something to tell her.
- Yinxin 小姐在花园里。四九，你今天怎么不跟我吵？你为什么穿着白衣服？
Xiǎojie zài huāyuán lǐ. Sìjiǔ, nǐ jīntiān zěnme bù gēn wǒ chǎo? Nǐ wèi shénme chuānzhe bái yīfu?
She's in the garden. Sijiu, why aren't you squabbling with me today? Why are you dressed in white?
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，是谁来了？四九！是梁兄让你来的吗？他的病好点儿了吗？吃饭了吗？
Yínxīn, shì shéi lái le? Sìjiǔ! Shì Liáng xiōng ràng nǐ lái de ma? Tā de bìng hǎo diǎnr le ma? Chīfàn le ma?
Yinxin, who's here? Sijiu! Did Brother Liang send you? Is he any better? Is he eating?
- Sijiu 祝小姐，前几天夜里，外面下着大雪，我家公子……他走了。
Zhù xiǎojie, qián jǐ tiān yè lǐ, wàimiàn xiàzhe dàxuě, wǒ jiā gōngzǐ… tā zǒu le.
Miss Zhu, a few nights ago, with heavy snow falling outside, my young master... he passed away.
- Zhu Yingtai 走了？不会的，我让他好好吃饭，好好活着……
Zǒu le? Bú huì de, wǒ ràng tā hǎohǎo chīfàn, hǎohǎo huózhe…
Passed away? No, it can't be, I told him to eat, to live...
- Yinxin 小姐！小姐，您快起来，地上都是雪……
Xiǎojie! Xiǎojie, nín kuài qǐlái, dì shàng dōu shì xuě…
Miss! Miss, get up, quick, the ground's covered in snow...
- Sijiu 他看了您的信，笑了。听到您叫他“那个书呆子”，他还哈哈大笑呢。
Tā kàn le nín de xìn, xiào le. Tīng dào nín jiào tā “nàge shūdāizi”, tā hái hāhā dà xiào ne.
He read your letter and smiled. When he heard you'd called him “that bookworm,” he even laughed out loud.
- Zhu Yingtai 这个书呆子，都什么时候了，还笑……
Zhège shūdāizi, dōu shénme shíhou le, hái xiào…
That bookworm, at a time like that, and he laughs...
- Yinxin 梁公子那么好的人，怎么就……小姐，您哭吧，银心就在您身边。
Liáng gōngzǐ nàme hǎo de rén, zěnme jiù… Xiǎojie, nín kū ba, Yínxīn jiù zài nín shēnbiān.
Young Master Liang was such a good man, how could he... Cry, Miss. Yinxin is right here beside you.
- Master Zhu 银心，谁在花园里哭？谁让梁家的人进来的？
Yínxīn, shéi zài huāyuán lǐ kū? Shéi ràng Liáng jiā de rén jìnlái de?
Yinxin, who's crying in the garden? Who let someone from the Liang family in?
- Sijiu 祝老爷，您放心吧。我家公子已经不在了，梁家的人，以后不会再来了。
Zhù lǎoye, nín fàngxīn ba. Wǒ jiā gōngzǐ yǐjīng bú zài le, Liáng jiā de rén, yǐhòu bú huì zài lái le.
Rest easy, Master Zhu. My young master is gone. No one from the Liang family will come here again.
- Narrator 祝老爷站在雪里，很久没有说话。
Zhù lǎoye zhàn zài xuě lǐ, hěn jiǔ méiyǒu shuōhuà.
Master Zhu stood in the snow and said nothing for a long time.
- Master Zhu 梁山伯……是个好孩子。
Liáng Shānbó… shì gè hǎo háizi.
Liang Shanbo... was a good young man.
- Zhu Yingtai 四九，他的墓在哪儿？
Sìjiǔ, tā de mù zài nǎr?
Sijiu, where is his grave?
- Sijiu 在去安乐村的路边，那个十字路口旁边。是公子自己要的。
Zài qù Ānlè Cūn de lùbiān, nàge shízì lùkǒu pángbiān. Shì gōngzǐ zìjǐ yào de.
By the road to Anle Village, right beside the crossroads. Young master asked for it himself.
- Yinxin 去安乐村的路？那不就是小姐嫁到马家要走的路吗？
Qù Ānlè Cūn de lù? Nà bú jiù shì xiǎojie jià dào Mǎ jiā yào zǒu de lù ma?
The road to Anle Village? But isn't that the very road Miss must take to marry into the Ma family?
- Zhu Yingtai 四九，他最后说了什么？
Sìjiǔ, tā zuìhòu shuō le shénme?
Sijiu, what were his last words?
- Sijiu 他让我告诉您：他就在路边，等您。
Tā ràng wǒ gàosu nín: tā jiù zài lùbiān, děng nín.
He asked me to tell you: he'll be right there by the road, waiting for you.
- Zhu Yingtai 在路边等我……梁兄，我来不及见你最后一面了，可是我知道你在哪儿了。
Zài lùbiān děng wǒ… Liáng xiōng, wǒ láibují jiàn nǐ zuìhòu yí miàn le, kěshì wǒ zhīdào nǐ zài nǎr le.
Waiting for me by the road... Brother Liang, it's too late to see you one last time, but now I know where you are.
- Narrator 英台不哭了。她慢慢地站了起来。
Yīngtái bù kū le. Tā mànmàn de zhàn le qǐlái.
Yingtai stopped crying. Slowly, she stood up.
- Master Zhu 英台？你……你要做什么？
Yīngtái? Nǐ… nǐ yào zuò shénme?
Yingtai? What... what are you going to do?
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，我嫁。
Bàba, wǒ jià.
Father, I'll marry.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Where did Shanbo's parents bury him?
“把你埋在这个路口了”……“这就是去安乐村的路”
- What frightens Yinxin when Sijiu comes to the back gate?
“你今天怎么不跟我吵？你为什么穿着白衣服？”
- How did Shanbo take Yingtai's letter?
“他看了您的信，笑了”……“他还哈哈大笑呢”
- What does Master Zhu say when he hears the news?
“梁山伯……是个好孩子”
- What were Shanbo's last words for Yingtai?
“他就在路边，等您”