The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 24 of 25
The Storm at the Tomb
墓前风雨
At midday the sky turns black over the crossroads, and in the wind Yingtai hears a voice she knows calling her out of the sedan.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 到了中午，天上全是乌云，黑得像夜里一样。风越来越大，花轿正好停在了梁山伯的墓旁边。
Dào le zhōngwǔ, tiān shàng quán shì wūyún, hēi de xiàng yè lǐ yíyàng. Fēng yuè lái yuè dà, huājiào zhènghǎo tíng zài le Liáng Shānbó de mù pángbiān.
By midday the sky was full of black clouds, as dark as night. The wind grew wilder and wilder, and the sedan came to rest right beside Liang Shanbo's grave.
- The Matchmaker 天哪！又是大风，又是打雷！你们四个快抬着花轿走啊，别停在这儿！
Tiān na! Yòu shì dàfēng, yòu shì dǎléi! Nǐmen sì gè kuài táizhe huājiào zǒu a, bié tíng zài zhèr!
Heavens! Wind, and thunder too! You four, pick up the sedan and go, don't stop here!
- Sijiu 银心？祝小姐，你们真的来了！
Yínxīn? Zhù xiǎojie, nǐmen zhēn de lái le!
Yinxin? Miss Zhu, you really came!
Chapter 24 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.
- Yinxin 四九，这么大的风，你怎么在这儿？
Sìjiǔ, zhème dà de fēng, nǐ zěnme zài zhèr?
Sijiu, what are you doing out here in this wind?
- Sijiu 我在公子这儿等了好几天了。我知道，祝小姐一定会从这条路上过。
Wǒ zài gōngzǐ zhèr děng le hǎo jǐ tiān le. Wǒ zhīdào, Zhù xiǎojie yídìng huì cóng zhè tiáo lù shàng guò.
I've been here with young master for days, waiting. I knew Miss Zhu would come along this road.
- The Matchmaker 这又是谁？天哪，我的红包！风把我的红包吹跑了！
Zhè yòu shì shéi? Tiān na, wǒ de hóngbāo! Fēng bǎ wǒ de hóngbāo chuī pǎo le!
And who's this? Heavens, my red envelope! The wind's blown my red envelope away!
- Liang Shanbo 英台……英台……
Yīngtái… Yīngtái…
Yingtai... Yingtai...
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，你听，风里有人在叫我的名字。
Yínxīn, nǐ tīng, fēng lǐ yǒu rén zài jiào wǒ de míngzi.
Yinxin, listen, someone in the wind is calling my name.
- Liang Shanbo 你要是还记得我，就从花轿里出来，看看我吧。
Nǐ yàoshi hái jìde wǒ, jiù cóng huājiào lǐ chūlái, kànkan wǒ ba.
If you still remember me, come out of the sedan and see me.
- Zhu Yingtai 是梁兄，是梁兄的声音！他在叫我！
Shì Liáng xiōng, shì Liáng xiōng de shēngyīn! Tā zài jiào wǒ!
It's Brother Liang, it's Brother Liang's voice! He's calling me!
- Yinxin 小姐，我什么也没听见，只听见风声。小姐，您要去哪儿？
Xiǎojie, wǒ shénme yě méi tīngjiàn, zhǐ tīngjiàn fēngshēng. Xiǎojie, nín yào qù nǎr?
Miss, I can't hear anything but the wind. Miss, where are you going?
- The Matchmaker 不行！新娘子不能下花轿！小姐，快回来，马公子还在等你呢！
Bùxíng! Xīnniángzi bù néng xià huājiào! Xiǎojie, kuài huílái, Mǎ gōngzǐ hái zài děng nǐ ne!
No! A bride mustn't step out of the sedan! Miss, come back, Young Master Ma is waiting for you!
- Narrator 英台穿着红嫁衣，走出花轿，在墓前跪了下来。
Yīngtái chuānzhe hóng jiàyī, zǒu chū huājiào, zài mù qián guì le xiàlái.
In her red wedding dress, Yingtai stepped out of the sedan and knelt before the grave.
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，我来了。让你等了这么久……你看，我穿着红嫁衣来了。今天，我是你的新娘子。
Liáng xiōng, wǒ lái le. Ràng nǐ děng le zhème jiǔ… Nǐ kàn, wǒ chuānzhe hóng jiàyī lái le. Jīntiān, wǒ shì nǐ de xīnniángzi.
Brother Liang, I'm here. I kept you waiting so long... Look, I've come in my red wedding dress. Today, I'm your bride.
- Sijiu 公子，你听见了吗？祝小姐来了，她真的来了！
Gōngzǐ, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Zhù xiǎojie lái le, tā zhēn de lái le!
Young master, do you hear? Miss Zhu is here. She's really here!
- Zhu Yingtai 我们说过，像鸳鸯一样，一辈子在一起。活着不能做夫妻，死了也要在一起！
Wǒmen shuō guo, xiàng yuānyāng yíyàng, yíbèizi zài yìqǐ. Huózhe bù néng zuò fūqī, sǐ le yě yào zài yìqǐ!
We said we'd be like mandarin ducks, together all our lives. If we can't be husband and wife in life, we'll be together in death!
- The Matchmaker 小姐，你在说什么？风太大了，我一个字也听不见！
Xiǎojie, nǐ zài shuō shénme? Fēng tài dà le, wǒ yí gè zì yě tīng bu jiàn!
Miss, what are you saying? The wind's too loud, I can't hear a word!
- Sijiu 打雷了！你们看，墓裂开了！
Dǎléi le! Nǐmen kàn, mù lièkāi le!
Thunder! Look, the grave is splitting open!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你给我开门了，我这就来！
Liáng xiōng, nǐ gěi wǒ kāi mén le, wǒ zhè jiù lái!
Brother Liang, you've opened the door for me, I'm coming!
- Yinxin 小姐，不要！您快回来，银心求您了！
Xiǎojie, bú yào! Nín kuài huílái, Yínxīn qiú nín le!
Miss, no! Come back, Yinxin is begging you!
- Zhu Yingtai 银心，别哭。你一直走在我旁边，从上虞走到杭州，又走到了今天。谢谢你。
Yínxīn, bié kū. Nǐ yìzhí zǒu zài wǒ pángbiān, cóng Shàngyú zǒu dào Hángzhōu, yòu zǒu dào le jīntiān. Xièxie nǐ.
Don't cry, Yinxin. You've walked beside me all the way, from Shangyu to Hangzhou, and on to today. Thank you.
- Narrator 英台站起来，跳进了裂开的墓里。
Yīngtái zhàn qǐlái, tiào jìn le lièkāi de mù lǐ.
Yingtai rose and leapt into the open grave.
- Sijiu 快拉住她，拉住她的衣服！
Kuài lā zhù tā, lā zhù tā de yīfu!
Grab her, grab her dress!
- The Matchmaker 天哪，天哪，我拉住了，我拉住了……
Tiān na, tiān na, wǒ lā zhù le, wǒ lā zhù le…
Heavens, heavens, I've got it, I've got it...
- Narrator 三个人一起拉住了红嫁衣。可是嫁衣碎了，一片一片，留在了他们手上。
Sān gè rén yìqǐ lā zhù le hóng jiàyī. Kěshì jiàyī suì le, yí piàn yí piàn, liú zài le tāmen shǒu shàng.
All three of them caught hold of the red wedding dress. But the dress tore apart, piece by piece, and stayed in their hands.
- Yinxin 小姐，小姐……墓合上了！
Xiǎojie, xiǎojie… Mù hé shàng le!
Miss, Miss... The grave has closed!
- Sijiu 合上了，墓上只留下一条线，好像什么都没有发生过。
Hé shàng le, mù shàng zhǐ liú xià yì tiáo xiàn, hǎoxiàng shénme dōu méiyǒu fāshēng guo.
It's closed. There's only a thin line left on the grave, as if nothing had ever happened.
- The Matchmaker 墓怎么会裂开？我……我只拉住了一块红布……新娘子呢？新娘子到哪儿去了？
Mù zěnme huì lièkāi? Wǒ… wǒ zhǐ lā zhù le yí kuài hóng bù… Xīnniángzi ne? Xīnniángzi dào nǎr qù le?
How can a grave split open? I... all I caught was a scrap of red cloth... Where's the bride? Where did the bride go?
- Yinxin 四九，小姐她……她不会回来了，对吗？
Sìjiǔ, xiǎojie tā… tā bú huì huílái le, duì ma?
Sijiu, Miss... she isn't coming back, is she?
- Sijiu 她去找我家公子了。公子，你在路边等的人，终于来了。
Tā qù zhǎo wǒ jiā gōngzǐ le. Gōngzǐ, nǐ zài lùbiān děng de rén, zhōngyú lái le.
She's gone to my young master. Young master, the one you waited for by the road has come at last.
- Yinxin 你们看……我们手上的碎红布……在动！
Nǐmen kàn… wǒmen shǒu shàng de suì hóng bù… zài dòng!
Look... the torn red pieces in our hands... they're moving!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why is Sijiu at the grave?
“我在公子这儿等了好几天了。我知道，祝小姐一定会从这条路上过”
- What does the voice in the wind ask Yingtai to do?
“你要是还记得我，就从花轿里出来，看看我吧”
- What does Yingtai say at the grave?
“活着不能做夫妻，死了也要在一起！”
- What happens when they grab Yingtai's dress?
“可是嫁衣碎了，一片一片，留在了他们手上”
- What is left of the open grave?
“墓上只留下一条线，好像什么都没有发生过”