Hansel and Gretel · chapter 14 of 15
The White Duck
白鸭子
Gretel calls to the white duck at the great water, but can one little duck carry two children and all their pearls?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天下午，格莱特在大水边，叫那只白鸭子。
Nà tiān xiàwǔ, Géláitè zài dà shuǐ biān, jiào nà zhī bái yāzi.
That afternoon, at the edge of the great water, Gretel called out to the white duck.
- Gretel 小鸭子，白鸭子，格莱特和汉赛尔在这儿！
Xiǎo yāzi, bái yāzi, Géláitè hé Hànsài'ěr zài zhèr!
Little duck, white duck, Gretel and Hansel are here!
- Gretel 没有桥，也没有路。我们坐在你白白的背上，去那边，好吗？
Méiyǒu qiáo, yě méiyǒu lù. Wǒmen zuò zài nǐ báibái de bèi shang, qù nàbiān, hǎo ma?
No bridge, no path. May we sit on your lovely white back and go across?
Chapter 14 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Hansel and Gretel are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Hansel 格莱特！鸭子来了！它听见你了！
Géláitè! Yāzi lái le! Tā tīngjiàn nǐ le!
Gretel! The duck's coming! She heard you!
- Gretel 我说了吧！它会听！
Wǒ shuō le ba! Tā huì tīng!
I told you! She can listen!
- Narrator 白鸭子到了水边。汉赛尔坐到了它的背上。
Bái yāzi dào le shuǐ biān. Hànsài'ěr zuò dào le tā de bèi shang.
The white duck came to the water's edge, and Hansel sat down on her back.
- Hansel 格莱特，你也上来！坐在我后边！
Géláitè, nǐ yě shànglai! Zuò zài wǒ hòubian!
Gretel, you get on too! Sit behind me!
- Gretel 不，哥哥！两个人太重了！
Bù, gēge! Liǎng gè rén tài zhòng le!
No, Brother! The two of us are too heavy!
- Hansel 太重？我一点儿也不胖！
Tài zhòng? Wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bú pàng!
Too heavy? I'm not one bit fat!
- Gretel 你不胖。你衣服里的珍珠，很重！
Nǐ bú pàng. Nǐ yīfu li de zhēnzhū, hěn zhòng!
You're not fat. But the pearls in your coat are heavy!
- Gretel 鸭子这么小。我们一个一个去吧。
Yāzi zhème xiǎo. Wǒmen yí gè yí gè qù ba.
The duck is so small. Let's go over one at a time.
- Hansel 好！听你的，妹妹！
Hǎo! Tīng nǐ de, mèimei!
All right! We'll do it your way, little sister!
- Hansel 格莱特，你看我！我也是一只鸭子了！
Géláitè, nǐ kàn wǒ! Wǒ yě shì yì zhī yāzi le!
Gretel, look at me! Now I'm a duck too!
- Gretel 哥哥，你坐好！不要玩！
Gēge, nǐ zuò hǎo! Bú yào wán!
Brother, sit still! No fooling around!
- Hansel 我到了！白鸭子，现在去找我妹妹吧！
Wǒ dào le! Bái yāzi, xiànzài qù zhǎo wǒ mèimei ba!
I made it! White duck, now go and get my sister!
- Narrator 白鸭子回来了。这一回，是格莱特坐在它的背上。
Bái yāzi huílai le. Zhè yì huí, shì Géláitè zuò zài tā de bèi shang.
The white duck came back. This time it was Gretel who sat on her back.
- Hansel 妹妹，你坐好！不要玩！
Mèimei, nǐ zuò hǎo! Bú yào wán!
Little sister, sit still! No fooling around!
- Gretel 小鸭子，你真好。我不重吧？
Xiǎo yāzi, nǐ zhēn hǎo. Wǒ bú zhòng ba?
Little duck, you're so good. I'm not too heavy, am I?
- Hansel 格莱特，你也到了！白鸭子，你真的帮了我们！
Géláitè, nǐ yě dào le! Bái yāzi, nǐ zhēn de bāng le wǒmen!
Gretel, you made it too! White duck, you really did help us!
- Gretel 谢谢你，小鸭子！再见！
Xièxie nǐ, xiǎo yāzi! Zàijiàn!
Thank you, little duck! Goodbye!
- Narrator 这边也是森林。两个孩子走在树下。
Zhèbiān yě shì sēnlín. Liǎng gè háizi zǒu zài shù xià.
On this side, too, there was forest. The two children walked on under the trees.
- Hansel 格莱特，这些树……我认识！
Géláitè, zhèxiē shù… wǒ rènshi!
Gretel, these trees... I know them!
- Gretel 这里的路，我也认识！
Zhèlǐ de lù, wǒ yě rènshi!
I know this path too!
- Hansel 妹妹，我们要到家了！
Mèimei, wǒmen yào dào jiā le!
Little sister, we're almost home!
- Gretel 哥哥，你看那边！那个小房子……
Gēge, nǐ kàn nàbiān! Nàge xiǎo fángzi…
Brother, look over there! That little house...
- Hansel 是我们的家！是爸爸的房子！
Shì wǒmen de jiā! Shì bàba de fángzi!
It's our home! It's Father's house!
- Gretel 爸爸还要我们吗？
Bàba hái yào wǒmen ma?
Does Father still want us?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- In her rhyme, what does Gretel ask the white duck?
“我们坐在你白白的背上，去那边，好吗？”
- Once Hansel is on the duck's back, what does he tell Gretel to do?
“格莱特，你也上来！坐在我后边！”
- Why won't Gretel get on the duck with Hansel?
“两个人太重了！……鸭子这么小。我们一个一个去吧。”
- Why does Hansel say they are almost home?
“这些树……我认识！……我们要到家了！”
- When Gretel sees the little house, what does she ask?
“爸爸还要我们吗？”