The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 17 of 25
Together, Even in Death
死也要在一起
Shanbo kneels before Master Zhu to ask for Yingtai's hand. In one stolen moment, the lovers make a promise that nothing can break.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 祝老爷走进大堂，梁山伯马上跪在了他的面前。
Zhù lǎoye zǒujìn dàtáng, Liáng Shānbó mǎshàng guì zài le tā de miànqián.
Master Zhu walked into the hall, and at once Liang Shanbo knelt before him.
- Liang Shanbo 祝老爷，我叫梁山伯，是英台的同学。我想娶英台，求您答应！
Zhù lǎoye, wǒ jiào Liáng Shānbó, shì Yīngtái de tóngxué. Wǒ xiǎng qǔ Yīngtái, qiú nín dāying!
Master Zhu, my name is Liang Shanbo. I was Yingtai's classmate. I want to marry her. I beg you to say yes!
- Master Zhu 梁山伯？你就是英台说的那个会稽的穷读书人？
Liáng Shānbó? Nǐ jiù shì Yīngtái shuō de nàge Kuàijī de qióng dúshūrén?
Liang Shanbo? So you're the poor scholar from Kuaiji that Yingtai told me about?
Chapter 17 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.
- Master Zhu 你看看这满屋子的聘礼，都是马家送来的。我已经收下了！
Nǐ kànkan zhè mǎn wūzi de pìnlǐ, dōu shì Mǎ jiā sòng lái de. Wǒ yǐjīng shōu xià le!
Look at this room full of betrothal gifts, all from the Ma family. I've already accepted them!
- Master Zhu 答应了马家的事，我怎么能不算？我祝老爷说的话，从来都算数！
Dāying le Mǎ jiā de shì, wǒ zěnme néng bú suàn? Wǒ Zhù lǎoye shuō de huà, cónglái dōu suànshù!
I gave the Ma family my word. How could I go back on it? When Master Zhu says a thing, he stands by it!
- Liang Shanbo 祝老爷，我和英台在杭州读了三年书，我最懂她的心……
Zhù lǎoye, wǒ hé Yīngtái zài Hángzhōu dú le sān nián shū, wǒ zuì dǒng tā de xīn…
Master Zhu, Yingtai and I studied together in Hangzhou for three years. No one knows her heart better than I do...
- Master Zhu 住口！这件事要是传出去，我们祝家的脸往哪儿放？
Zhùkǒu! Zhè jiàn shì yàoshi chuán chūqù, wǒmen Zhù jiā de liǎn wǎng nǎr fàng?
Silence! If word of that ever got out, how could the Zhu family show its face?
- Master Zhu 你家这么穷，你又不是官。你能给我女儿什么？
Nǐ jiā zhème qióng, nǐ yòu bú shì guān. Nǐ néng gěi wǒ nǚ'ér shénme?
Your family is so poor, and you're not even an official. What could you give my daughter?
- Liang Shanbo 我现在什么也没有。可是我会好好读书，一辈子对她好！
Wǒ xiànzài shénme yě méiyǒu. Kěshì wǒ huì hǎohǎo dúshū, yíbèizi duì tā hǎo!
I have nothing now. But I'll study hard, and I'll be good to her my whole life!
- Master Zhu 哈哈哈！等你做了官，我女儿早就是马家的人了！
Hāhāhā! Děng nǐ zuò le guān, wǒ nǚ'ér zǎo jiù shì Mǎ jiā de rén le!
Ha ha ha! By the time you're an official, my daughter will long since have married into the Ma family!
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，女儿求求您了！除了梁兄，我谁也不嫁！
Bàba, nǚ'ér qiúqiu nín le! Chúle Liáng xiōng, wǒ shéi yě bú jià!
Father, I'm begging you! I'll marry no one but Brother Liang!
- Master Zhu 傻孩子！你想让全上虞的人都笑话我们祝家吗？
Shǎ háizi! Nǐ xiǎng ràng quán Shàngyú de rén dōu xiàohua wǒmen Zhù jiā ma?
Foolish child! Do you want all of Shangyu laughing at the Zhu family?
- Master Zhu 银心，送客！英台，回你的房间去！
Yínxīn, sòngkè! Yīngtái, huí nǐ de fángjiān qù!
Yinxin, show our guest out! Yingtai, go back to your room!
- Sijiu 穷人就不是人吗……
Qióngrén jiù bú shì rén ma…
As if poor people weren't people too...
- Yinxin 四九，小声点儿！小姐，梁公子，老爷走了，有话快说吧！
Sìjiǔ, xiǎoshēng diǎnr! Xiǎojie, Liáng gōngzǐ, lǎoye zǒu le, yǒu huà kuài shuō ba!
Sijiu, keep it down! Miss, Young Master Liang, the master's gone. If you have something to say, say it quickly!
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，这一辈子，我们不能做夫妻了。
Liáng xiōng, zhè yíbèizi, wǒmen bù néng zuò fūqī le.
Brother Liang, in this life we can never be husband and wife.
- Liang Shanbo 不，英台！我怎么能看着你嫁给别人？
Bù, Yīngtái! Wǒ zěnme néng kànzhe nǐ jià gěi biérén?
No, Yingtai! How can I stand by and watch you marry someone else?
- Zhu Yingtai 梁兄，你还记得路上那一对鸳鸯吗？它们一辈子都在一起。
Liáng xiōng, nǐ hái jìde lù shàng nà yí duì yuānyāng ma? Tāmen yíbèizi dōu zài yìqǐ.
Brother Liang, do you remember that pair of mandarin ducks on the road? They stay together all their lives.
- Zhu Yingtai 活着不能住在一起，那我们死了，就埋在一起。
Huózhe bù néng zhù zài yìqǐ, nà wǒmen sǐ le, jiù mái zài yìqǐ.
If we can't share a home while we live, then when we die, we'll be buried together.
- Zhu Yingtai 一个墓，两个人。梁兄，你愿意跟我发誓吗？
Yí gè mù, liǎng gè rén. Liáng xiōng, nǐ yuànyì gēn wǒ fāshì ma?
One grave, two people. Brother Liang, will you swear it with me?
- Liang Shanbo 我发誓！活着不能做夫妻，死了也要在一起！
Wǒ fāshì! Huózhe bù néng zuò fūqī, sǐ le yě yào zài yìqǐ!
I swear it! If we can't be husband and wife in life, we'll be together in death!
- Zhu Yingtai 死了也要在一起。梁兄，你要记住今天说的话。
Sǐ le yě yào zài yìqǐ. Liáng xiōng, nǐ yào jìzhù jīntiān shuō de huà.
Together, even in death. Brother Liang, remember what we said today.
- Yinxin 小姐，老爷回来了！四九，快带梁公子走，路上照顾好他！
Xiǎojie, lǎoye huílái le! Sìjiǔ, kuài dài Liáng gōngzǐ zǒu, lù shàng zhàogù hǎo tā!
Miss, the master's coming back! Sijiu, get Young Master Liang out of here, and look after him on the road!
- Sijiu 放心吧，有我四九在呢！
Fàngxīn ba, yǒu wǒ Sìjiǔ zài ne!
Don't worry. Sijiu's got him!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，你要好好照顾自己，我走了。
Yīngtái, nǐ yào hǎohǎo zhàogù zìjǐ, wǒ zǒu le.
Yingtai, take good care of yourself. I'm going.
- Sijiu 公子，下雨了！这么冷的雨，回会稽的路还很远呢……
Gōngzǐ, xià yǔ le! Zhème lěng de yǔ, huí Kuàijī de lù hái hěn yuǎn ne…
Young master, it's raining! Such cold rain, and it's still a long way home to Kuaiji...
- Liang Shanbo 四九，英台是女孩子。她本来可以做我的妻子……
Sìjiǔ, Yīngtái shì nǚháizi. Tā běnlái kěyǐ zuò wǒ de qīzi…
Sijiu, Yingtai is a girl. She could have been my wife...
- Sijiu 公子，你别说了。我们走快一点儿吧，雨越来越大了。
Gōngzǐ, nǐ bié shuō le. Wǒmen zǒu kuài yìdiǎnr ba, yǔ yuè lái yuè dà le.
Young master, don't say any more. Let's walk a little faster. The rain's getting heavier.
- Liang Shanbo 四九，你怎么哭了？
Sìjiǔ, nǐ zěnme kū le?
Sijiu, why are you crying?
- Sijiu 谁哭了？是雨，是雨进了我的眼睛！
Shéi kū le? Shì yǔ, shì yǔ jìn le wǒ de yǎnjing!
Who's crying? It's the rain. The rain got in my eyes!
- Liang Shanbo 四九，我的头好重，什么也看不清了……
Sìjiǔ, wǒ de tóu hǎo zhòng, shénme yě kàn bu qīng le…
Sijiu, my head is so heavy... I can't see anything clearly...
- Sijiu 公子！公子，你怎么了？
Gōngzǐ! Gōngzǐ, nǐ zěnme le?
Young master! Young master, what's wrong?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What fills Master Zhu's hall?
“你看看这满屋子的聘礼，都是马家送来的。”
- What worries Master Zhu when Shanbo mentions their three years in Hangzhou?
“这件事要是传出去，我们祝家的脸往哪儿放？”
- Why does Master Zhu say no to Shanbo?
“你家这么穷，你又不是官。”
- What do Yingtai and Shanbo vow?
“活着不能住在一起，那我们死了，就埋在一起。”
- What happens to Shanbo on the road in the rain?
“我的头好重，什么也看不清了……”……“公子，你怎么了？”