Mazu, Goddess of the Sea · chapter 1 of 4
The Baby Who Never Cried
默娘不哭
A baby is born who never cries, and a red glow fills the house. Years later the girl tells the village it will rain. Then she says the sea is calling.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夜里，海边的林家有了一个女儿。
Yèlǐ, hǎibiān de Línjiā yǒu le yí gè nǚ'ér.
That night, the Lin family by the sea had a baby girl.
- Father 她怎么不哭？别的孩子都会哭！
Tā zěnme bù kū? Bié de háizi dōu huì kū!
Why isn't she crying? Other babies all cry!
- Mother 别怕。她在看我们。
Bié pà. Tā zài kàn wǒmen.
Don't worry. She's looking at us.
- Father 一天了，她还是不哭。她只是看着我。
Yì tiān le, tā háishi bù kū. Tā zhǐshì kàn zhe wǒ.
A whole day, and she still doesn't cry. She just looks at me.
- Mother 那我们叫她默娘吧。她这么安静。
Nà wǒmen jiào tā Mòniáng ba. Tā zhème ānjìng.
Then let's call her Moniang, the quiet one. She is so calm.
- Father 默娘。好，这个名字好！我很喜欢。
Mòniáng. Hǎo, zhège míngzi hǎo! Wǒ hěn xǐhuan.
Moniang. Yes, that's a good name! I love it.
- Narrator 那天晚上，房子里有红光，很亮很亮。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, fángzi lǐ yǒu hóng guāng, hěn liàng hěn liàng.
That night, a red glow filled the house, very bright.
- Mother 你看！那是什么光？
Nǐ kàn! Nà shì shénme guāng?
Look! What is that light?
- Father 红色的光……真漂亮。我从来没见过。
Hóngsè de guāng… zhēn piàoliang. Wǒ cónglái méi jiàn guo.
A red light... so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it.
- Mother 我们的默娘，跟别的孩子不一样。
Wǒmen de Mòniáng, gēn bié de háizi bù yíyàng.
Our Moniang is different from other children.
- Narrator 七年过去了。默娘常常去海边，一个人看海。
Qī nián guòqù le. Mòniáng chángcháng qù hǎibiān, yí gè rén kàn hǎi.
Seven years passed. Moniang often went to the beach and watched the sea alone.
- Old Fisherman 小默娘，你看什么呢？看了很久了。
Xiǎo Mòniáng, nǐ kàn shénme ne? Kàn le hěn jiǔ le.
Little Moniang, what are you looking at? You've been staring a long time.
- Little Moniang 老爷爷，你看，天上有很多云。
Lǎoyéye, nǐ kàn, tiānshàng yǒu hěn duō yún.
Grandpa, look, there are so many clouds in the sky.
- Old Fisherman 有云怎么了？今天天很好，太阳很大。
Yǒu yún zěnme le? Jīntiān tiān hěn hǎo, tàiyáng hěn dà.
So there are clouds? It's a fine day, and the sun is bright.
- Little Moniang 云在跑，跑得很快。今天晚上会下雨。
Yún zài pǎo, pǎo de hěn kuài. Jīntiān wǎnshang huì xià yǔ.
The clouds are running, and fast. It will rain tonight.
- Old Fisherman 哈哈！这么小，会看天？
Hāhā! Zhème xiǎo, huì kàn tiān?
Ha ha! So small, and you can read the sky?
- Father 老爷爷，听听她的话吧。她很会看天。
Lǎoyéye, tīngting tā de huà ba. Tā hěn huì kàn tiān.
Grandpa, why not listen to her? She's good at reading the sky.
- Old Fisherman 好！要是下雨，我请她吃鱼！
Hǎo! Yàoshi xià yǔ, wǒ qǐng tā chī yú!
All right! If it rains, I'll buy her a fish dinner!
- Little Moniang 我要吃大鱼！要很大很大的！
Wǒ yào chī dà yú! Yào hěn dà hěn dà de!
I want a big fish! A really, really big one!
- Little Moniang 你听！雨来了！
Nǐ tīng! Yǔ lái le!
Listen! Here comes the rain!
- Old Fisherman 天啊！真的下雨了！
Tiān a! Zhēn de xià yǔ le!
Heavens! It really is raining!
- Father 老爷爷，你要请她吃鱼了！
Lǎoyéye, nǐ yào qǐng tā chī yú le!
Grandpa, you owe her a fish dinner now!
- Old Fisherman 好孩子，你比我还会看天！
Hǎo háizi, nǐ bǐ wǒ hái huì kàn tiān!
Good child, you read the sky better than I do!
- Little Moniang 我要大鱼！两条！
Wǒ yào dà yú! Liǎng tiáo!
I want a big fish! Two!
- Old Fisherman 好，好，给你两条大鱼！
Hǎo, hǎo, gěi nǐ liǎng tiáo dà yú!
All right, all right, two big fish for you!
- Little Moniang 爸爸，你听。
Bàba, nǐ tīng.
Papa, listen.
- Father 听什么，默娘？海不是在那儿吗？
Tīng shénme, Mòniáng? Hǎi bú shì zài nàr ma?
Listen to what, Moniang? The sea is right over there.
- Little Moniang 大海在叫我。它在说话。
Dàhǎi zài jiào wǒ. Tā zài shuōhuà.
The sea is calling me. It's speaking.
What changed in the story?
- Why do her parents name the baby Moniang?
“她怎么不哭？”……“那我们叫她默娘吧。”
- What fills the house the night she is born?
“房子里有红光。”
- What does little Moniang say about the clouds?
“今天晚上会下雨。”
- What does the old fisherman promise if it rains?
“要是下雨，我请她吃鱼！”
- What does Moniang whisper at the end?
“大海在叫我。”