The Butterfly Lovers · chapter 7 of 8
Too Late
来晚了
The teacher's wife gives Shanbo a jade butterfly and the truth at last. He runs to the Zhu house with his whole heart, and meets her father first.
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- Narrator 英台走了以后，梁山伯回到学堂，每天都想着祝家的“妹妹”。
Yīngtái zǒu le yǐhòu, Liáng Shānbó huí dào xuétáng, měi tiān dōu xiǎngzhe Zhù jiā de “mèimei”.
After Yingtai left, Shanbo went back to school, and every day he thought about the Zhu family's “sister.”
- The Teacher's Wife 山伯，你过来。英台走以前，留了一样东西给你。
Shānbó, nǐ guòlái. Yīngtái zǒu yǐqián, liú le yí yàng dōngxi gěi nǐ.
Shanbo, come here. Before Yingtai left, she left something for you.
- Liang Shanbo 这只玉蝴蝶，是给我的？
Zhè zhī yù húdié, shì gěi wǒ de?
This jade butterfly is for me?
- The Teacher's Wife 傻孩子，你还不明白吗？英台是个女孩子，她说的妹妹，就是她自己！
Shǎ háizi, nǐ hái bù míngbai ma? Yīngtái shì gè nǚháizi, tā shuō de mèimei, jiù shì tā zìjǐ!
Silly boy, don't you see yet? Yingtai is a girl. The sister she told you about is herself!
- The Teacher's Wife 这只玉蝴蝶，就是她的心。她在家里等你去提亲呢。
Zhè zhī yù húdié, jiù shì tā de xīn. Tā zài jiā lǐ děng nǐ qù tíqīn ne.
This jade butterfly is her heart. She's at home, waiting for you to come and ask for her hand.
- Liang Shanbo 原来是她……我真笨！三年了，我怎么一点儿也没看出来？
Yuánlái shì tā… wǒ zhēn bèn! Sān nián le, wǒ zěnme yìdiǎnr yě méi kàn chūlái?
So it was her all along… what a fool I've been! Three years, and I never noticed a thing!
- Liang Shanbo 谢谢师母，我现在就去祝家！
Xièxie shīmǔ, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù Zhù jiā!
Thank you, ma'am! I'm going to the Zhu house right now!
- Liang Shanbo 祝老爷，我是梁山伯，我来提亲了！我要娶英台！
Zhù lǎoye, wǒ shì Liáng Shānbó, wǒ lái tíqīn le! Wǒ yào qǔ Yīngtái!
Master Zhu, I'm Liang Shanbo, and I've come to propose! I want to marry Yingtai!
- Master Zhu 英台已经许给了马家的公子，秋天就要结婚，你走吧！
Yīngtái yǐjīng xǔ gěi le Mǎ jiā de gōngzǐ, qiūtiān jiù yào jiéhūn, nǐ zǒu ba!
Yingtai is already promised to young Master Ma. They marry this autumn. You may go!
- Liang Shanbo 祝老爷，您看，这是英台给我的玉蝴蝶。我们是真心相爱的！
Zhù lǎoye, nín kàn, zhè shì Yīngtái gěi wǒ de yù húdié. Wǒmen shì zhēnxīn xiāng'ài de!
Master Zhu, look. Yingtai gave me this jade butterfly. We truly love each other!
- Master Zhu 一只小小的玉蝴蝶，算什么？马家有钱有势，你有什么？
Yì zhī xiǎoxiǎo de yù húdié, suàn shénme? Mǎ jiā yǒu qián yǒu shì, nǐ yǒu shénme?
One little jade butterfly? What's that worth? The Ma family has wealth and power. What do you have?
- Zhu Yingtai 山伯，你终于来了！我天天都在等你。
Shānbó, nǐ zhōngyú lái le! Wǒ tiāntiān dōu zài děng nǐ.
Shanbo! You finally came. I've waited for you every single day!
- Liang Shanbo 英台，对不起，我来晚了。
Yīngtái, duìbuqǐ, wǒ lái wǎn le.
Yingtai, I'm sorry. I came too late.
- Zhu Yingtai 山伯，我这一辈子，只想嫁给你一个人。
Shānbó, wǒ zhè yíbèizi, zhǐ xiǎng jià gěi nǐ yí gè rén.
Shanbo, in my whole life, you're the only one I've ever wanted to marry.
- Liang Shanbo 如果活着不能在一起，那我们死了也要在一起。
Rúguǒ huózhe bù néng zài yìqǐ, nà wǒmen sǐ le yě yào zài yìqǐ.
If we can't be together in life, then we'll be together in death.
- Narrator 梁山伯回到家，就病倒了。他不吃饭，也不睡觉，手里一直拿着那只玉蝴蝶。
Liáng Shānbó huí dào jiā, jiù bìng dǎo le. Tā bù chī fàn, yě bú shuìjiào, shǒu lǐ yìzhí názhe nà zhī yù húdié.
When Shanbo got home, he fell ill. He wouldn't eat or sleep, and he never let go of the jade butterfly.
- Liang Shanbo 英台……英台……
Yīngtái… Yīngtái…
Yingtai… Yingtai…
- Narrator 秋天，一片叶子从树上掉了下来。梁山伯走了。
Qiūtiān, yí piàn yèzi cóng shù shang diào le xiàlái. Liáng Shānbó zǒu le.
In autumn, a single leaf fell from the tree. Liang Shanbo was gone.
- Master Zhu 英台，梁家来人说，梁山伯……已经走了。
Yīngtái, Liáng jiā lái rén shuō, Liáng Shānbó… yǐjīng zǒu le.
Yingtai, someone came from the Liang family. They say Liang Shanbo… has passed away.
- Zhu Yingtai 山伯，你说过，死了也要在一起。你等着我。
Shānbó, nǐ shuō guo, sǐ le yě yào zài yìqǐ. Nǐ děngzhe wǒ.
Shanbo, you said we'd be together, even in death. Wait for me.
- Zhu Yingtai 爸爸，我可以嫁到马家。可是，花轿要从山伯的墓前走过。
Bàba, wǒ kěyǐ jià dào Mǎ jiā. Kěshì, huājiào yào cóng Shānbó de mù qián zǒu guò.
Father, I will marry into the Ma family. But my bridal sedan must pass by Shanbo's grave.
- Master Zhu 好，只要你肯嫁到马家，爸爸什么都答应你。
Hǎo, zhǐyào nǐ kěn jià dào Mǎ jiā, bàba shénme dōu dāying nǐ.
Very well. As long as you'll marry into the Ma family, I'll agree to anything.
- Narrator 可是父亲不知道，女儿的心里在想什么。
Kěshì fùqin bù zhīdào, nǚ'ér de xīnli zài xiǎng shénme.
But her father had no idea what his daughter was thinking.
What changed in the story?
- Who finally tells Shanbo the truth about Yingtai?
“英台是个女孩子。”
- What does the teacher's wife give Shanbo?
“这只玉蝴蝶，就是她的心。”
- Why does Master Zhu send Shanbo away?
“英台已经许给了马家的公子……马家有钱有势。你有什么？”
- What do Yingtai and Shanbo promise each other?
“如果活着不能在一起，那我们死了也要在一起。”
- What does Yingtai ask of her father after Shanbo dies?
“花轿要从山伯的墓前走过。”