Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 3 of 21
Poems over the Wall
墙那边的诗
That night Hongniang can't stop laughing about the scholar, and Yingying goes into the garden to burn incense under a bright moon. Beyond the wall, someone is listening.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，在西厢，红娘一边说，一边笑。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, zài Xīxiāng, Hóngniáng yìbiān shuō, yìbiān xiào.
That night in the Western Chamber, Hongniang laughed as she talked.
- Hongniang 小姐，今天我见到了一个傻书生！
Xiǎojiě, jīntiān wǒ jiàndào le yí gè shǎ shūshēng!
Miss, today I met a silly scholar!
- Cui Yingying 什么傻书生？
Shénme shǎ shūshēng?
What silly scholar?
- Hongniang 我没问他，他就告诉我：他叫张君瑞，今年二十三，是正月里半夜生的！
Wǒ méi wèn tā, tā jiù gàosu wǒ: tā jiào Zhāng Jūnruì, jīnnián èrshísān, shì zhēngyuè li bànyè shēng de!
I didn't ask him a thing, and he told me his name is Zhang Junrui, he's twenty-three, and he was born at midnight in the first month!
- Cui Yingying 他跟你说这些做什么？
Tā gēn nǐ shuō zhèxiē zuò shénme?
Why would he tell you all that?
- Hongniang 他还说，他没有结婚呢！我就说：“谁问你了？”
Tā hái shuō, tā méiyǒu jiéhūn ne! Wǒ jiù shuō: “Shéi wèn nǐ le?”
He even said he's never married! So I said, “Who asked you?”
- Cui Yingying 红娘，这些话，别让娘听见。
Hóngniáng, zhèxiē huà, bié ràng niáng tīngjiàn.
Hongniang, don't let Mother hear any of this.
- Hongniang 不会的。小姐，长老说了，明天晚上给相国念经。
Bú huì de. Xiǎojiě, zhǎnglǎo shuō le, míngtiān wǎnshang gěi xiàngguó niànjīng.
I won't tell. Miss, the abbot says the chanting for the Chief Minister is tomorrow night.
- Cui Yingying 父亲的棺材还在这儿，我们也回不去博陵……
Fùqīn de guāncai hái zài zhèr, wǒmen yě huí bu qù Bólíng…
Father's coffin is still here, and we can't even go home to Boling...
- Hongniang 小姐，别难过。天黑了，我们去花园烧香吧。
Xiǎojiě, bié nánguò. Tiān hēi le, wǒmen qù huāyuán shāoxiāng ba.
Don't be sad, Miss. It's dark now. Let's go and burn incense in the garden.
- Narrator 在花园的墙外，张生一个人等着。
Zài huāyuán de qiáng wài, Zhāng Shēng yí gè rén děngzhe.
Outside the garden wall, Zhang Sheng waited alone.
- Zhang Sheng 月亮真亮啊。法聪说，小姐天天晚上都来花园里烧香。
Yuèliang zhēn liàng a. Fǎcōng shuō, xiǎojiě tiāntiān wǎnshang dōu lái huāyuán li shāoxiāng.
What a bright moon. Facong says the young lady comes to the garden every night to burn incense.
- Zhang Sheng 她今天，会来吗？
Tā jīntiān, huì lái ma?
Will she come tonight?
- Hongniang 小姐，桌子放好了。你烧香吧！
Xiǎojiě, zhuōzi fàng hǎo le. Nǐ shāoxiāng ba!
Miss, the table's all set. Go ahead and burn your incense!
- Cui Yingying 第一，希望父亲早一点儿上天。
Dì yī, xīwàng fùqīn zǎo yìdiǎnr shàng tiān.
First, may Father rise to heaven soon.
- Cui Yingying 第二，希望娘的身体一直很好。
Dì èr, xīwàng niáng de shēntǐ yìzhí hěn hǎo.
Second, may Mother always stay well.
- Hongniang 小姐，第三个呢？你怎么不说了？
Xiǎojiě, dì sān gè ne? Nǐ zěnme bù shuō le?
Miss, what about the third? Why have you stopped?
- Hongniang 那我帮你说：希望小姐早一点儿找到好丈夫，还要带上红娘！
Nà wǒ bāng nǐ shuō: xīwàng xiǎojiě zǎo yìdiǎnr zhǎodào hǎo zhàngfu, hái yào dài shàng Hóngniáng!
Then I'll say it for you: may Miss soon find a good husband, and take Hongniang along too!
- Cui Yingying 红娘！你再这样，我就不跟你说话了。
Hóngniáng! Nǐ zài zhèyàng, wǒ jiù bù gēn nǐ shuōhuà le.
Hongniang! Keep this up and I won't speak to you anymore.
- Zhang Sheng 好丈夫？那不是我吗？
Hǎo zhàngfu? Nà bú shì wǒ ma?
A good husband? Isn't that me?
- Zhang Sheng 月亮这么亮，春花开满园。月里的美人，怎么看不见？
Yuèliang zhème liàng, chūnhuā kāi mǎn yuán. Yuè li de měirén, zěnme kàn bu jiàn?
“The moon is so bright, spring flowers fill the garden. The beauty from the moon, why can't I see her?”
- Hongniang 小姐，这是那个傻书生的声音！
Xiǎojiě, zhè shì nàge shǎ shūshēng de shēngyīn!
Miss, that's the silly scholar's voice!
- Cui Yingying 他的诗，写得真好。我也回他几句。
Tā de shī, xiě de zhēn hǎo. Wǒ yě huí tā jǐ jù.
His poem is lovely. I'll answer him with a few lines.
- Cui Yingying 春天一个人，关在小房间。墙外叹气的，听着也可怜。
Chūntiān yí gè rén, guān zài xiǎo fángjiān. Qiáng wài tànqì de, tīngzhe yě kělián.
“All spring I sit alone, shut in my little room. The one who sighs beyond the wall sounds just as sad.”
- Zhang Sheng 她回我的诗了！小姐，我在这儿！
Tā huí wǒ de shī le! Xiǎojiě, wǒ zài zhèr!
She answered my poem! Miss, I'm here!
- Hongniang 墙那边有人！小姐，快回去，别让老夫人知道！
Qiáng nàbiān yǒu rén! Xiǎojiě, kuài huíqu, bié ràng Lǎo fūrén zhīdào!
There's someone beyond the wall! Quick, Miss, go back in before Madam finds out!
- Narrator 小姐走到门口，又回头看了一眼。
Xiǎojiě zǒu dào ménkǒu, yòu huítóu kàn le yì yǎn.
At the door, the young lady looked back once more.
- Zhang Sheng 小姐！你走了，我怎么办？今天晚上，我怎么睡得着？
Xiǎojiě! Nǐ zǒu le, wǒ zěnme bàn? Jīntiān wǎnshang, wǒ zěnme shuì de zháo?
Miss! If you go, what becomes of me? How can I ever sleep tonight?
What changed in the story?
- What did the scholar tell Hongniang without being asked?
“我没问他，他就告诉我：他叫张君瑞，今年二十三，是正月里半夜生的”
- Why is Yingying sad before going to the garden?
“父亲的棺材还在这儿，我们也回不去博陵”
- Who are Yingying's first two prayers for?
“第一，希望父亲早一点儿上天……第二，希望娘的身体一直很好”
- What does Hongniang pray for in place of the third prayer?
“希望小姐早一点儿找到好丈夫”
- Why does Hongniang hurry Yingying back inside?
“墙那边有人！小姐，快回去”