Creation of the Gods · chapter 1 of 10
The Poem on the Wall
墙上的诗
A proud king writes a rude poem on a goddess's temple wall. High in the sky, the goddess hears about it, and a little white fox is called to her palace.
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- Narrator 很久很久以前，商朝的大王纣王，去了一座女娲庙。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Shāng cháo de dàwáng Zhòuwáng, qù le yí zuò Nǚwā miào.
Long, long ago, King Zhou, the king of the Shang dynasty, went to a temple of Nuwa.
- Shang Rong 大王，请您小心说话。这是女娲娘娘的庙，不是您的宫。
Dàwáng, qǐng nín xiǎoxīn shuōhuà. Zhè shì Nǚwā niángniang de miào, bú shì nín de gōng.
Your Majesty, please speak carefully. This is Lady Nuwa's temple, not your palace.
- King Zhou 商荣，你太紧张了。一座旧庙有什么可怕的？我什么都不怕。
Shāng Róng, nǐ tài jǐnzhāng le. Yí zuò jiù miào yǒu shénme kěpà de? Wǒ shénme dōu bú pà.
Shang Rong, you're too nervous. What is scary about an old temple? I'm not afraid of anything.
- Shang Rong 女娲娘娘用泥土做了人。我们每一个人，都是她的孩子。
Nǚwā niángniang yòng nítǔ zuò le rén. Wǒmen měi yí gè rén, dōu shì tā de háizi.
Lady Nuwa made people out of clay. Every one of us is her child.
- King Zhou 你看这座像……真美啊。她的脸多漂亮，她的眼睛多亮！
Nǐ kàn zhè zuò xiàng… zhēn měi a. Tā de liǎn duō piàoliang, tā de yǎnjing duō liàng!
Look at this statue... so beautiful. What a lovely face, and what bright eyes!
- Shang Rong 大王！她是女神，您不能这样看她，更不能这样说她！
Dàwáng! Tā shì nǚshén, nín bù néng zhèyàng kàn tā, gèng bù néng zhèyàng shuō tā!
Your Majesty! She is a goddess. You cannot look at her like that, and you cannot talk about her like that!
- King Zhou 我是大王，我想说什么就说什么。来人，把笔拿来！
Wǒ shì dàwáng, wǒ xiǎng shuō shénme jiù shuō shénme. Lái rén, bǎ bǐ ná lái!
I'm the king. I say whatever I like. Guards, bring me a brush!
- Shang Rong 大王，您拿笔做什么？这里不是写字的地方啊！
Dàwáng, nín ná bǐ zuò shénme? Zhèlǐ bú shì xiě zì de dìfang a!
Your Majesty, what do you want a brush for? This is no place for writing!
- King Zhou 我要在墙上写一首诗。写给这位美丽的女神，她一定喜欢！
Wǒ yào zài qiáng shàng xiě yì shǒu shī. Xiě gěi zhè wèi měilì de nǚshén, tā yídìng xǐhuan!
I'm going to write a poem on this wall. It's for this beautiful goddess. She'll love it!
- Shang Rong 那些话不好，不好！大王，请您别写了，我求您了！
Nàxiē huà bù hǎo, bù hǎo! Dàwáng, qǐng nín bié xiě le, wǒ qiú nín le!
Those words are bad, very bad! Your Majesty, please stop writing. I beg you!
- King Zhou 好了，写完了！你看，我的字多好看，我的诗多好！
Hǎo le, xiě wán le! Nǐ kàn, wǒ de zì duō hǎokàn, wǒ de shī duō hǎo!
There, it's done! Look how handsome my writing is, and how fine my poem is!
- Shang Rong 大王……女娲娘娘看见了，一定会生气的。
Dàwáng… Nǚwā niángniang kànjiàn le, yídìng huì shēngqì de.
Your Majesty... Lady Nuwa will see it, and she will surely be angry.
- King Zhou 生气？那就请她从天上下来，当面跟我说吧！哈哈哈！
Shēngqì? Nà jiù qǐng tā cóng tiān shàng xiàlái, dāngmiàn gēn wǒ shuō ba! Hā hā hā!
Angry? Then let her come down from the sky and tell me to my face! Ha ha ha!
- Narrator 那天晚上，天上的女娲，看见了墙上的那首诗。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, tiān shàng de Nǚwā, kànjiàn le qiáng shàng de nà shǒu shī.
That night, Nuwa in the heavens saw the poem on the wall.
- Nuwa 这样的人，怎么能当大王？他没有一颗好心。
Zhèyàng de rén, zěnme néng dāng dàwáng? Tā méiyǒu yì kē hǎo xīn.
How can a man like that be king? He doesn't have a good heart.
- Nuwa 他不爱他的人民，他只爱他自己。商朝不会长久了。
Tā bú ài tā de rénmín, tā zhǐ ài tā zìjǐ. Shāng cháo bú huì chángjiǔ le.
He does not love his people. He only loves himself. The Shang will not last long.
- The White Fox 女神，您叫我吗？我刚才在云里睡着了，对不起。
Nǚshén, nín jiào wǒ ma? Wǒ gāngcái zài yún lǐ shuìzháo le, duìbuqǐ.
Goddess, did you call me? I was asleep in the clouds just now, sorry.
- Nuwa 小狐狸，你已经修行了一千年。你想不想变成一个人？
Xiǎo húli, nǐ yǐjīng xiūxíng le yìqiān nián. Nǐ xiǎng bu xiǎng biànchéng yí gè rén?
Little fox, you have trained for a thousand years. Would you like to become a person?
- The White Fox 变成人？那我可以去看城里的灯，吃城里的东西吗？
Biànchéng rén? Nà wǒ kěyǐ qù kàn chéng lǐ de dēng, chī chéng lǐ de dōngxi ma?
Become a person? Then can I go see the lights in the city and taste the city food?
- Nuwa 可以。你要变成一个很美的女人，去大王的宫里。
Kěyǐ. Nǐ yào biànchéng yí gè hěn měi de nǚrén, qù dàwáng de gōng lǐ.
You can. You will become a very beautiful woman and go to the king's palace.
- The White Fox 去宫里做什么？我不会唱歌，也不会跳舞。
Qù gōng lǐ zuò shénme? Wǒ bú huì chànggē, yě bú huì tiàowǔ.
What will I do in the palace? I can't sing, and I can't dance.
- Nuwa 你什么都不用做。你只要让大王一天比一天糊涂。
Nǐ shénme dōu bú yòng zuò. Nǐ zhǐyào ràng dàwáng yì tiān bǐ yì tiān hútu.
You don't need to do anything. Just make the king more foolish every day.
- The White Fox 可是……这样做，真的好吗？我有一点儿怕。
Kěshì… zhèyàng zuò, zhēn de hǎo ma? Wǒ yǒu yìdiǎnr pà.
But... is it really right to do this? I'm a little afraid.
- Nuwa 商朝的路，已经走到头了。你只是帮它走完这条路。
Shāng cháo de lù, yǐjīng zǒu dào tóu le. Nǐ zhǐshì bāng tā zǒu wán zhè tiáo lù.
The Shang road has come to its end. You are only helping it finish the road.
- Nuwa 但是你要记住一件事：不要伤害好人。
Dànshì nǐ yào jìzhù yí jiàn shì: bú yào shānghài hǎorén.
But you must remember one thing: never hurt good people.
- The White Fox 我记住了。可是……如果有一天，我忘了呢？
Wǒ jìzhù le. Kěshì… rúguǒ yǒu yì tiān, wǒ wàng le ne?
I'll remember. But... what if one day I forget?
- Nuwa 那时候，会有一个白胡子的老人来找你。
Nà shíhou, huì yǒu yí gè bái húzi de lǎorén lái zhǎo nǐ.
Then an old man with a white beard will come looking for you.
- The White Fox 一个老人？我一千年都没怕过，怎么会怕一个老人？
Yí gè lǎorén? Wǒ yìqiān nián dōu méi pà guo, zěnme huì pà yí gè lǎorén?
An old man? I haven't been afraid in a thousand years. Why would I fear an old man?
- Nuwa 你不怕他。但你会怕他手里的东西。
Nǐ bú pà tā. Dàn nǐ huì pà tā shǒu lǐ de dōngxi.
You won't fear him. But you will fear what he holds in his hand.
- The White Fox 好吧，我去了。大王写的那首诗，我会亲自读给他听。
Hǎo ba, wǒ qù le. Dàwáng xiě de nà shǒu shī, wǒ huì qīnzì dú gěi tā tīng.
All right, I'm going. That poem the king wrote, I'll go and read it to him myself.
What changed in the story?
- What does King Zhou do at Nuwa's temple?
“我要在墙上写一首诗”
- What does Shang Rong say about Nuwa?
“女娲娘娘用泥土做了人”
- What does Nuwa ask the little fox to do?
“你要变成一个很美的女人，去大王的宫里”
- What is Nuwa's one rule for the fox?
“不要伤害好人”
- Why does Nuwa say the fox will fear the old man?
“你会怕他手里的东西”