Frankenstein · chapter 5 of 6
The Sea of Ice
冰海上的话
On a glacier high in the Alps, the creature asks his maker for one thing: a friend. Victor says yes, and then everything changes.
Read what you hear
- Victor Frankenstein 威廉死了。爸爸在哭，伊丽莎白也在哭。我上山来，只想一个人待一会儿。
Wēilián sǐ le. Bàba zài kū, Yīlìshābái yě zài kū. Wǒ shàng shān lái, zhǐ xiǎng yí gè rén dài yíhuì'er.
William is dead. Father is crying, and Elizabeth too. I came up the mountain just to be alone for a while.
- The Creature 弗兰肯斯坦！等一等！
Fúlánkěnsītǎn! Děng yì děng!
Frankenstein! Wait!
- Victor Frankenstein 是你！走开！你这个怪物，你到我面前来做什么？
Shì nǐ! Zǒukāi! Nǐ zhè ge guàiwu, nǐ dào wǒ miànqián lái zuò shénme?
It's you! Go away! You monster, what are you doing before me?
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Frankenstein is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- The Creature 你先听我说。你做了我，你至少欠我一次听。
Nǐ xiān tīng wǒ shuō. Nǐ zuò le wǒ, nǐ zhìshǎo qiàn wǒ yí cì tīng.
Listen to me first. You made me, so at least you owe me one hearing.
- The Creature 你听，我会说话了。是一家好人教我的，可是他们不知道。
Nǐ tīng, wǒ huì shuōhuà le. Shì yì jiā hǎorén jiào wǒ de, kěshì tāmen bù zhīdào.
Listen, I can speak now. A family of good people taught me, though they didn't know it.
- Victor Frankenstein 你……说得比我想的好多了。
Nǐ… shuō de bǐ wǒ xiǎng de hǎoduō le.
You... speak much better than I thought you would.
- The Creature 我比你强，我现在就可以……可是我不想。我只想请你听我说。
Wǒ bǐ nǐ qiáng, wǒ xiànzài jiù kěyǐ… kěshì wǒ bù xiǎng. Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng qǐng nǐ tīng wǒ shuō.
I am stronger than you, and I could right now... but I don't want to. I only ask you to listen.
- The Creature 我出生的时候，心是好的。我给一家穷人送柴，想做他们的朋友，可是他们用棍子赶走了我。
Wǒ chūshēng de shíhou, xīn shì hǎo de. Wǒ gěi yì jiā qióngrén sòng chái, xiǎng zuò tāmen de péngyou, kěshì tāmen yòng gùn zi gǎn zǒu le wǒ.
When I was born, my heart was good. I brought firewood to a poor family and wanted to be their friend, but they drove me away with a stick.
- Victor Frankenstein 我的弟弟威廉……是你吗？
Wǒ de dìdi Wēilián… shì nǐ ma?
My brother William... was it you?
- The Creature 是的。那个孩子看见我，就大叫“怪物”，还说他爸爸是弗兰肯斯坦。
Shì de. Nà ge háizi kànjiàn wǒ, jiù dà jiào “guàiwu”, hái shuō tā bàba shì Fúlánkěnsītǎn.
Yes. The boy saw me and shouted “monster,” and said his father was Frankenstein.
- The Creature 我一听见这个名字，就……威廉再也没有醒来。
Wǒ yì tīngjiàn zhè ge míngzi, jiù… Wēilián zàiyě méiyǒu xǐng lái.
The moment I heard that name, I... William never woke up again.
- Victor Frankenstein 你……我的小弟弟……
Nǐ… wǒ de xiǎo dìdi…
You... my little brother...
- The Creature 我知道你恨我，我也恨我自己。可是，我没有一个人可以说话。
Wǒ zhīdào nǐ hèn wǒ, wǒ yě hèn wǒ zìjǐ. Kěshì, wǒ méiyǒu yí gè rén kěyǐ shuōhuà.
I know you hate me, and I hate myself too. But I have no one to talk to.
- The Creature 我只求你一件事：为我做一个朋友，一个像我一样的人。
Wǒ zhǐ qiú nǐ yí jiàn shì: wèi wǒ zuò yí gè péngyou, yí gè xiàng wǒ yíyàng de rén.
I ask only one thing: make me a friend, someone like me.
- Victor Frankenstein 不！我不能再做一个了！
Bù! Wǒ bù néng zài zuò yí gè le!
No! I cannot make another one!
- The Creature 我们会离开所有的人，去很远很远的地方。你再也不会看见我们。
Wǒmen huì líkāi suǒyǒu de rén, qù hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn de dìfang. Nǐ zàiyě bú huì kànjiàn wǒmen.
We will leave all people and go somewhere very, very far. You will never see us again.
- The Creature 孤单让我变坏。只要有一个人爱我，我就会一直善良。你明白吗？
Gū dān ràng wǒ biàn huài. Zhǐyào yǒu yí gè rén ài wǒ, wǒ jiù huì yìzhí shànliáng. Nǐ míngbai ma?
Loneliness made me bad. If one person loved me, I would stay kind forever. Do you understand?
- Victor Frankenstein ……你说得对。你是我做出来的，我对你有责任。
… Nǐ shuō de duì. Nǐ shì wǒ zuò chūlái de, wǒ duì nǐ yǒu zérèn.
...You are right. I made you, so I am responsible for you.
- Victor Frankenstein 好。我答应你。我给你做一个朋友。
Hǎo. Wǒ dāying nǐ. Wǒ gěi nǐ zuò yí gè péngyou.
All right. I promise. I will make you a friend.
- The Creature 谢谢你！你会看见，我不会再让你伤心！
Xièxie nǐ! Nǐ huì kànjiàn, wǒ bú huì zài ràng nǐ shāngxīn!
Thank you! You will see, I will not make you sad again!
- Narrator 维克多去了海边一个很远的小岛。那里没有人，只有风和浪。
Wéikèduō qù le hǎibiān yí gè hěn yuǎn de xiǎo dǎo. Nàlǐ méiyǒu rén, zhǐyǒu fēng hé làng.
Victor went to a faraway island by the sea. No one lived there, only wind and waves.
- Victor Frankenstein 又是一个暴风雨的夜晚……我已经做了好几个月了。
Yòu shì yí gè bàofēngyǔ de yè wǎn… wǒ yǐjīng zuò le hǎo jǐ gè yuè le.
Another stormy night... I have been working for months now.
- Victor Frankenstein 如果他们有了孩子呢？一个新的、很高很强的种族……
Rúguǒ tāmen yǒu le háizi ne? Yí gè xīn de, hěn gāo hěn qiáng de zhǒng zú…
What if they have children? A new race, tall and strong...
- Victor Frankenstein 那么整个世界都会怕。我不能让这样的事发生！
Nàme zhěnggè shìjiè dōu huì pà. Wǒ bù néng ràng zhèyàng de shì fāshēng!
Then the whole world would live in fear. I can't let that happen!
- Victor Frankenstein 我不做了。我要把它全部丢进海里！
Wǒ bú zuò le. Wǒ yào bǎ tā quánbù diū jìn hǎi lǐ!
I'm stopping. I'll throw all of it into the sea!
- The Creature 你在做什么，弗兰肯斯坦？我一直在等你做完。
Nǐ zài zuò shénme, Fúlánkěnsītǎn? Wǒ yìzhí zài děng nǐ zuò wán.
What are you doing, Frankenstein? I have been waiting for you to finish.
- Victor Frankenstein 我不做了！我不能给你一个朋友！
Wǒ bú zuò le! Wǒ bù néng gěi nǐ yí gè péngyou!
I'm not doing it! I cannot give you a friend!
- The Creature 你答应过我！你怎么可以这样？我只想要一个朋友！
Nǐ dāying guò wǒ! Nǐ zěnme kěyǐ zhèyàng? Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng yào yí gè péngyou!
You promised me! How can you do this? I only wanted one friend!
- Victor Frankenstein 你伤害了我的家人。我不会再给你力量。
Nǐ shānghài le wǒ de jiārén. Wǒ bú huì zài gěi nǐ lìliàng.
You hurt my family. I will not give you any more power.
- The Creature 你要我一个人过一辈子？好。那我也让你知道，一个人是什么感觉。
Nǐ yào wǒ yí gè rén guò yí bèizi? Hǎo. Nà wǒ yě ràng nǐ zhīdào, yí gè rén shì shénme gǎnjué.
You want me to live alone my whole life? Fine. Then I will let you know what being alone feels like.
- The Creature 你会结婚，弗兰肯斯坦。你结婚那天晚上，我会在你身边。
Nǐ huì jiéhūn, Fúlánkěnsītǎn. Nǐ jiéhūn nà tiān wǎnshang, wǒ huì zài nǐ shēnbiān.
You will marry, Frankenstein. On your wedding night, I will be beside you.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why has Victor come up the mountain?
“威廉死了。”… “我上山来，只想一个人待一会儿。”
- What does the creature ask Victor to make?
“为我做一个朋友，一个像我一样的人。”
- Why does Victor agree to help?
“你是我做出来的，我对你有责任。”
- Why does Victor stop his work on the island?
“如果他们有了孩子呢？”… “那么整个世界都会怕。”
- What does the creature promise at the end?
“你结婚那天晚上，我会在你身边。”