Les Misérables · chapter 1 of 8
Nineteen Years
十九年
A freed prisoner is turned away from every door in town, until an old bishop opens his. But the silver on the bishop's table is very tempting.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 那年十月的傍晚，天很冷，风很大。一个高大的男人，拖着累极了的脚步，走进了山脚下的小城。
Nà nián shíyuè de bàngwǎn, tiān hěn lěng, fēng hěn dà. Yí gè gāodà de nánrén, tuō zhe lèi jí le de jiǎobù, zǒujìn le shānjiǎo xià de xiǎochéng.
One cold, windy October evening, a tall man dragged his tired feet into a small town at the foot of a mountain.
- Jean Valjean 老板，请给我一间房。我有钱，我会付钱的。
Lǎobǎn, qǐng gěi wǒ yì jiān fáng. Wǒ yǒu qián, wǒ huì fù qián de.
Innkeeper, please give me a room. I have money. I'll pay.
- The Innkeeper 先让我看看你的证件。你是从哪儿来的？
Xiān ràng wǒ kànkan nǐ de zhèngjiàn. Nǐ shì cóng nǎr lái de?
First let me see your papers. Where have you come from?
- Jean Valjean 你看，上面写着我的名字：冉阿让。我在监狱里待了十九年。
Nǐ kàn, shàngmiàn xiězhe wǒ de míngzi: Rǎn Ā'ràng. Wǒ zài jiānyù lǐ dāi le shíjiǔ nián.
Look, my name is written there: Jean Valjean. I spent nineteen years in prison.
- The Innkeeper 十九年？你做了什么坏事？
Shíjiǔ nián? Nǐ zuò le shénme huài shì?
Nineteen years? What terrible thing did you do?
- Jean Valjean 我偷了一块面包。姐姐的孩子饿了，家里什么也没有。后来我几次想逃走，所以坐牢的时间越来越长。
Wǒ tōu le yí kuài miànbāo. Jiějie de háizi è le, jiā lǐ shénme yě méiyǒu. Hòulái wǒ jǐ cì xiǎng táozǒu, suǒyǐ zuòláo de shíjiān yuè lái yuè cháng.
I stole a loaf of bread. My sister's children were hungry, and there was nothing at home. Later I tried to escape a few times, so my sentence grew longer and longer.
- The Innkeeper 不管为什么，我这里不收犯人。请你走吧！
Bùguǎn wèishénme, wǒ zhèlǐ bù shōu fànrén. Qǐng nǐ zǒu ba!
I don't care why. I don't take convicts here. Please leave!
- Jean Valjean 我可以睡在马棚里！只要有一点儿草，我睡在门外的地上也行，我不会打扰任何人……
Wǒ kěyǐ shuì zài mǎpéng lǐ! Zhǐyào yǒu yìdiǎnr cǎo, wǒ shuì zài mén wài de dì shang yě xíng, wǒ bú huì dǎrǎo rènhé rén……
I can sleep in the stable! Just a little straw, or even the ground outside your door. I won't bother anyone...
- The Innkeeper 不行！快走，不然我叫警察了！
Bù xíng! Kuài zǒu, bùrán wǒ jiào jǐngchá le!
No! Go, or I'll call the police!
- Jean Valjean 每一扇门都关着。十九年了，人们还是怕我。听说教堂旁边住着一位主教，他的门从来不锁。
Měi yí shàn mén dōu guān zhe. Shíjiǔ nián le, rénmen háishi pà wǒ. Tīngshuō jiàotáng pángbiān zhù zhe yí wèi zhǔjiào, tā de mén cónglái bù suǒ.
Every door is shut. Nineteen years, and people are still afraid of me. They say a bishop lives next to the church, and his door is never locked.
- Jean Valjean 有人吗？我只想问一问，哪里可以睡觉？
Yǒu rén ma? Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng wèn yi wèn, nǎlǐ kěyǐ shuìjiào?
Is anyone there? I only want to ask where I can sleep.
- The Bishop 请进，请进！外面这么冷，你一定又累又饿。
Qǐng jìn, qǐng jìn! Wàimiàn zhème lěng, nǐ yídìng yòu lèi yòu è.
Come in, come in! It's so cold out there. You must be tired and hungry.
- Jean Valjean 您不怕我吗？我是刚出监狱的人。
Nín bú pà wǒ ma? Wǒ shì gāng chū jiānyù de rén.
Aren't you afraid of me? I've just come out of prison.
- The Bishop 这是我的家，也是所有需要休息的人的家。你不用说你是谁。
Zhè shì wǒ de jiā, yě shì suǒyǒu xūyào xiūxi de rén de jiā. Nǐ búyòng shuō nǐ shì shéi.
This is my home, and it is the home of everyone who needs rest. You don't have to tell me who you are.
- The Bishop 妹妹，再加一副刀叉，今晚我们有客人！
Mèimei, zài jiā yí fù dāochā, jīnwǎn wǒmen yǒu kèrén!
Sister, set one more knife and fork. We have a guest tonight!
- The Bishop's Sister 哥哥，他看起来很凶。你把最好的银盘子拿出来做什么？
Gēge, tā kàn qǐlái hěn xiōng. Nǐ bǎ zuì hǎo de yín pánzi ná chūlái zuò shénme?
Brother, he looks fierce. Why are you bringing out the best silver plates?
- The Bishop 客人当然要用最好的。来，朋友，请坐。
Kèrén dāngrán yào yòng zuì hǎo de. Lái, péngyou, qǐng zuò.
A guest deserves the best, of course. Come, friend, please sit.
- Jean Valjean 朋友……十九年了，没有人这样叫过我。
Péngyou…… shíjiǔ nián le, méiyǒu rén zhèyàng jiào guo wǒ.
Friend... In nineteen years, no one has called me that.
- Jean Valjean 您不怕我半夜拿走您的东西吗？我说的是真话，我不是好人。
Nín bú pà wǒ bànyè názǒu nín de dōngxi ma? Wǒ shuō de shì zhēnhuà, wǒ bú shì hǎorén.
Aren't you afraid I'll take your things in the night? I'm telling you the truth: I'm not a good man.
- The Bishop 这里的东西，本来就是留给需要的人的。来，先喝汤吧。
Zhèlǐ de dōngxi, běnlái jiù shì liú gěi xūyào de rén de. Lái, xiān hē tāng ba.
What's in this house was always meant for people in need. Come, drink your soup first.
- Narrator 桌子上放着银盘子、银汤匙，还有两个漂亮的银烛台。
Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe yín pánzi, yín tāngchí, hái yǒu liǎng gè piàoliang de yín zhútái.
On the table lay silver plates, silver spoons, and two beautiful silver candlesticks.
- Jean Valjean 这汤真好喝。我很久没有喝过热汤了。
Zhè tāng zhēn hǎohē. Wǒ hěn jiǔ méiyǒu hē guo rè tāng le.
This soup is so good. I haven't had hot soup in a very long time.
- The Bishop 慢慢喝，还有很多。今晚你睡在隔壁，床都铺好了。
Mànmàn hē, hái yǒu hěn duō. Jīnwǎn nǐ shuì zài gébì, chuáng dōu pū hǎo le.
Take your time, there is plenty. Tonight you'll sleep next door. The bed is already made.
- Jean Valjean 谢谢您。我……不知道该说什么。
Xièxie nín. Wǒ…… bù zhīdào gāi shuō shénme.
Thank you. I... I don't know what to say.
- The Bishop 那就什么也别说。睡吧，明天早上我们喝热牛奶。
Nà jiù shénme yě bié shuō. Shuì ba, míngtiān zǎoshang wǒmen hē rè niúnǎi.
Then say nothing. Sleep now. Tomorrow morning we'll have hot milk.
- Narrator 半夜，屋子里很安静。冉阿让躺在床上，怎么也睡不着。
Bànyè, wūzi lǐ hěn ānjìng. Rǎn Ā'ràng tǎng zài chuáng shang, zěnme yě shuì bù zháo.
At midnight the house was very quiet. Valjean lay in bed and could not sleep.
- Jean Valjean 那些银盘子，又大又重……卖了它们，我可以重新开始。十九年了，从来没有人给过我一个机会。
Nàxiē yín pánzi, yòu dà yòu zhòng…… mài le tāmen, wǒ kěyǐ chóngxīn kāishǐ. Shíjiǔ nián le, cónglái méiyǒu rén gěi guo wǒ yí gè jīhuì.
Those silver plates, so big and heavy... If I sold them, I could start again. In nineteen years, no one has ever given me a chance.
- Jean Valjean 可是他对我那么好……不，不行！
Kěshì tā duì wǒ nàme hǎo…… bù, bù xíng!
But he was so kind to me... No, I can't!
- Jean Valjean 好？这个世界从来没有对我好过！我拿走，没有人会知道。
Hǎo? Zhège shìjiè cónglái méiyǒu duì wǒ hǎo guo! Wǒ názǒu, méiyǒu rén huì zhīdào.
Kind? The world has never been kind to me! I'll take it, and no one will ever know.
- Narrator 他把银盘子放进袋子里，轻轻翻过了花园的墙。
Tā bǎ yín pánzi fàng jìn dàizi lǐ, qīngqīng fān guò le huāyuán de qiáng.
He put the silver plates in a sack and quietly climbed over the garden wall.
- The Bishop's Sister 哥哥！哥哥！银盘子全不见了！
Gēge! Gēge! Yín pánzi quán bú jiàn le!
Brother! Brother! The silver plates are all gone!
- The Bishop 妹妹，别叫。也许他比我们更需要它们。
Mèimei, bié jiào. Yěxǔ tā bǐ wǒmen gèng xūyào tāmen.
Sister, don't shout. Maybe he needs them more than we do.
- The Bishop's Sister 那个人是小偷！你还让他睡在我们家！
Nàge rén shì xiǎotōu! Nǐ hái ràng tā shuì zài wǒmen jiā!
That man is a thief! And you let him sleep in our house!
- The Bishop 是啊，可是我们还有两个烛台呢。
Shì a, kěshì wǒmen hái yǒu liǎng gè zhútái ne.
True, but we still have our two candlesticks.
- The Bishop's Sister 哥哥，你听！外面有很多脚步声……是警察！他们把那个人带回来了！
Gēge, nǐ tīng! Wàimiàn yǒu hěn duō jiǎobù shēng…… shì jǐngchá! Tāmen bǎ nàge rén dài huílái le!
Brother, listen! I hear lots of footsteps outside... It's the police! They've brought that man back!
What changed in the story?
- Why do the innkeepers close their doors on Valjean?
“我这里不收犯人”
- Why did Valjean go to prison?
“我偷了一块面包。姐姐的孩子饿了”
- What word does the bishop use for Valjean that no one has used in nineteen years?
“朋友……十九年了，没有人这样叫过我。”
- What does the bishop's sister worry about at dinner?
“他看起来很凶”
- What does Valjean do in the middle of the night?
“他把银盘子放进袋子里，轻轻翻过了花园的墙。”