Snow White · chapter 1 of 15
The Magic Mirror
魔镜
A queen wishes for a child as white as snow. Years later, the new Queen's magic mirror, which never lies, gives an answer she cannot bear.
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- Narrator 很多很多年前，有一个王宫。王宫很大。冬天，外边都是雪。
Hěn duō hěn duō nián qián, yǒu yí gè wánggōng. Wánggōng hěn dà. Dōngtiān, wàibian dōu shì xuě.
Many, many years ago, there was a palace. The palace was very big. It was winter, and outside everything was snow.
- Narrator 王后坐在乌木的窗户边做衣服。
Wánghòu zuò zài wūmù de chuānghu biān zuò yīfu.
The Queen sat sewing by a window of black ebony.
- Snow White's Mother 下雪了。外边白白的，真好看。
Xià xuě le. Wàibian báibái de, zhēn hǎokàn.
It's snowing. Everything outside is white. How lovely.
- Snow White's Mother 我还没有孩子……
Wǒ hái méiyǒu háizi…
I still have no child...
- Snow White's Mother 针，你不听话！
Zhēn, nǐ bù tīnghuà!
Needle, you naughty thing!
- Snow White's Mother 雪上有三个红点，红红的……是我的血。
Xuě shang yǒu sān gè hóng diǎn, hónghóng de… shì wǒ de xiě.
Three red spots on the snow, so red... It's my blood.
- Snow White's Mother 我多想有一个孩子：白白的像雪，红红的像血，黑黑的像乌木。
Wǒ duō xiǎng yǒu yí gè háizi: báibái de xiàng xuě, hónghóng de xiàng xiě, hēihēi de xiàng wūmù.
How I wish I had a child: white as snow, red as blood, black as ebony.
- Snow White's Mother 我的女儿……白白的，红红的，头发黑黑的。
Wǒ de nǚ'ér… báibái de, hónghóng de, tóufa hēihēi de.
My daughter... so white, so red, and her hair so black.
- Snow White's Mother 孩子，你叫白雪公主吧。
Háizi, nǐ jiào Báixuě gōngzhǔ ba.
My child, your name will be Snow White.
- Narrator 那天，白雪公主的妈妈死了。一年后，王宫里有了一个新的王后。
Nà tiān, Báixuě gōngzhǔ de māma sǐ le. Yì nián hòu, wánggōng li yǒu le yí gè xīn de wánghòu.
That day, Snow White's mother died. A year later, there was a new Queen in the palace.
- The Queen 魔镜，魔镜，你说，谁最漂亮？
Mójìng, mójìng, nǐ shuō, shéi zuì piàoliang?
Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me: who is the most beautiful?
- The Magic Mirror 王后，您最漂亮。
Wánghòu, nín zuì piàoliang.
My Queen, you are the most beautiful.
- The Queen 我知道。我只是想天天听一听。
Wǒ zhīdào. Wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng tiāntiān tīng yi tīng.
I know. I just like to hear it every day.
- The Queen 你说的，都是真话。我要做最漂亮的人，今天是，明天也是！
Nǐ shuō de, dōu shì zhēnhuà. Wǒ yào zuò zuì piàoliang de rén, jīntiān shì, míngtiān yě shì!
What you say is always the truth. I will be the most beautiful, today and tomorrow too!
- Narrator 很多年后，白雪公主是一个漂亮的姑娘了。
Hěn duō nián hòu, Báixuě gōngzhǔ shì yí gè piàoliang de gūniang le.
Many years later, Snow White was a beautiful young woman.
- Snow White 我没有妈妈。王后不看我，也不和我说话。
Wǒ méiyǒu māma. Wánghòu bú kàn wǒ, yě bù hé wǒ shuōhuà.
I have no mother. The Queen never looks at me, and never talks to me.
- Snow White 在这个大王宫里，我一个朋友也没有。
Zài zhège dà wánggōng li, wǒ yí gè péngyou yě méiyǒu.
In this big palace, I don't have a single friend.
- Snow White 妈妈，你也喜欢雪吗？我多想有一个爱我的人。
Māma, nǐ yě xǐhuan xuě ma? Wǒ duō xiǎng yǒu yí gè ài wǒ de rén.
Mother, did you like the snow too? How I wish I had someone to love me.
- The Queen 魔镜，魔镜，你说，谁最漂亮？
Mójìng, mójìng, nǐ shuō, shéi zuì piàoliang?
Magic mirror, magic mirror, tell me: who is the most beautiful?
- The Magic Mirror 王后，您很漂亮。白雪公主最漂亮。
Wánghòu, nín hěn piàoliang. Báixuě gōngzhǔ zuì piàoliang.
My Queen, you are very beautiful. Snow White is the most beautiful.
- The Queen 什么？你说什么？
Shénme? Nǐ shuō shénme?
What? What did you say?
- The Magic Mirror 王后，您很漂亮。白雪公主最漂亮。
Wánghòu, nín hěn piàoliang. Báixuě gōngzhǔ zuì piàoliang.
My Queen, you are very beautiful. Snow White is the most beautiful.
- The Queen 不！魔镜，这不是真话！
Bù! Mójìng, zhè bú shì zhēnhuà!
No! Mirror, that's not true!
- The Queen 魔镜说的，都是真话……
Mójìng shuō de, dōu shì zhēnhuà…
What the mirror says is always true...
- Narrator 王后很生气。她来到窗户边，看外边。
Wánghòu hěn shēngqì. Tā lái dào chuānghu biān, kàn wàibian.
The Queen was very angry. She went to the window and looked out.
- Snow White 雪真好看……我好想妈妈。
Xuě zhēn hǎokàn… wǒ hǎo xiǎng māma.
The snow is so pretty... I miss Mother so much.
- The Queen 白白的，红红的，头发黑黑的……
Báibái de, hónghóng de, tóufa hēihēi de…
So white, so red, and her hair so black...
- The Queen 白雪公主……最漂亮？
Báixuě gōngzhǔ… zuì piàoliang?
Snow White... the most beautiful?
What changed in the story?
- What does Snow White's mother wish for at the window?
“我多想有一个孩子：白白的像雪”
- What happens to Snow White's mother?
“那天，白雪公主的妈妈死了”
- Why does the new Queen ask her mirror every day?
“我只是想天天听一听”
- What does Snow White wish for?
“我多想有一个爱我的人”
- Why does the Queen believe the mirror's new answer?
“魔镜说的，都是真话”