The Great Gatsby · chapter 19 of 20
The Old Book
一本旧书
On the morning of the funeral Nick goes to find Wolfsheim, and Gatsby's father brings out an old book. Then it is three o'clock, and Nick waits at the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 葬礼那天早上，尼克去纽约找沃尔夫山姆。
Zànglǐ nà tiān zǎoshang, Níkè qù Niǔyuē zhǎo Wò'ěrfūshānmǔ.
On the morning of the funeral, Nick went to New York to find Wolfsheim.
- Nick Carraway 沃尔夫山姆先生，今天下午三点是葬礼。请您来吧。
Wò'ěrfūshānmǔ xiānsheng, jīntiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn shì zànglǐ. Qǐng nín lái ba.
Mr. Wolfsheim, the funeral is at three this afternoon. Please come.
- Meyer Wolfsheim 年轻人，你坐。我跟你说说他。
Niánqīngrén, nǐ zuò. Wǒ gēn nǐ shuōshuo tā.
Sit down, young man. Let me tell you about him.
Chapter 19 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The Great Gatsby (chapters 1–6) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Meyer Wolfsheim 是我让他有了今天。我认识他的时候，他刚从欧洲回来。
Shì wǒ ràng tā yǒu le jīntiān. Wǒ rènshi tā de shíhou, tā gāng cóng Ōuzhōu huílai.
I made him. When I met him, he was just back from Europe.
- Meyer Wolfsheim 他有很多勋章，可是太穷了，天天穿着军官的衣服。
Tā yǒu hěn duō xūnzhāng, kěshì tài qióng le, tiāntiān chuānzhe jūnguān de yīfu.
He was covered in medals, but so poor he wore his uniform every day.
- Nick Carraway 那您今天下午会来吗？
Nà nín jīntiān xiàwǔ huì lái ma?
Then will you come this afternoon?
- Meyer Wolfsheim 我不能去。朋友还在的时候，我们要对他好。不是等他死了以后。
Wǒ bù néng qù. Péngyou hái zài de shíhou, wǒmen yào duì tā hǎo. Bú shì děng tā sǐ le yǐhòu.
I can't go. We should be good to a friend while he's still here, not after he's dead.
- Nick Carraway 我明白了。再见，沃尔夫山姆先生。
Wǒ míngbai le. Zàijiàn, Wò'ěrfūshānmǔ xiānsheng.
I understand. Goodbye, Mr. Wolfsheim.
- Nick Carraway 他说得很好听。可是，他还是不来。
Tā shuō de hěn hǎotīng. Kěshì, tā háishi bù lái.
He says it beautifully. But he still won't come.
- Narrator 尼克回到西卵，盖茨先生拿出了一本旧书。
Níkè huí dào Xīluǎn, Gàicí xiānsheng ná chū le yì běn jiù shū.
When Nick got back to West Egg, Mr. Gatz brought out an old book.
- Gatsby's father 你看，这是吉米小时候的旧书。后边是他自己写的。
Nǐ kàn, zhè shì Jímǐ xiǎo shíhou de jiù shū. Hòubian shì tā zìjǐ xiě de.
Look, this is Jimmy's old book from when he was a boy. He wrote in the back himself.
- Nick Carraway 六点起床。学习。工作。一个星期留下三块钱。对爸爸妈妈更好。
Liù diǎn qǐchuáng. Xuéxí. Gōngzuò. Yí gè xīngqī liú xià sān kuài qián. Duì bàba māma gèng hǎo.
Get up at six. Study. Work. Save three dollars a week. Be better to Mom and Dad.
- Gatsby's father 你看见了吧？吉米从小就知道，他会比别人过得好。
Nǐ kànjiàn le ba? Jímǐ cóng xiǎo jiù zhīdào, tā huì bǐ biérén guò de hǎo.
You see? Even as a boy, Jimmy knew he would do better than other people.
- Gatsby's father 有一次，他还说我吃东西吃得太多！这孩子啊。
Yǒu yí cì, tā hái shuō wǒ chī dōngxi chī de tài duō! Zhè háizi a.
Once he even told me I ate too much! Oh, that boy.
- Nick Carraway 盖茨先生，他一定很爱您。
Gàicí xiānsheng, tā yídìng hěn ài nín.
Mr. Gatz, he must have loved you very much.
- Nick Carraway 一九零六年九月十二号……那时候，他还叫詹姆斯·盖茨。
Yī jiǔ líng liù nián jiǔyuè shí'èr hào… nà shíhou, tā hái jiào Zhānmǔsī Gàicí.
September 12, 1906... back then, he was still called James Gatz.
- Narrator 下午三点，没有人来。到了五点，雨还在下，他们在雨里送他走。
Xiàwǔ sān diǎn, méiyǒu rén lái. Dào le wǔ diǎn, yǔ hái zài xià, tāmen zài yǔ li sòng tā zǒu.
At three, nobody came. At five, with the rain still falling, they laid him to rest.
- Nick Carraway 几个在他家做事的人，送信的人，盖茨先生，还有我。
Jǐ gè zài tā jiā zuò shì de rén, sòng xìn de rén, Gàicí xiānsheng, hái yǒu wǒ.
A few of his servants, the postman, Mr. Gatz, and me.
- Owl Eyes 等一等！我来晚了吗？
Děng yi děng! Wǒ lái wǎn le ma?
Wait! Am I too late?
- Nick Carraway 是您？您是那天在晚会上看书的人！
Shì nín? Nín shì nà tiān zài wǎnhuì shang kàn shū de rén!
It's you? You're the man who was looking at the books at the party!
- Owl Eyes 是我。别的人呢？都走了吗？
Shì wǒ. Bié de rén ne? Dōu zǒu le ma?
It's me. Where's everyone else? Have they all gone?
- Nick Carraway 没有别的人了。就我们这几个。
Méiyǒu bié de rén le. Jiù wǒmen zhè jǐ gè.
There's no one else. Just the few of us.
- Owl Eyes 天哪！以前，他家天天有几百个人来啊！
Tiān na! Yǐqián, tā jiā tiāntiān yǒu jǐ bǎi gè rén lái a!
Good heavens! Hundreds of people used to come to his house every day!
- Narrator 他拿下眼镜，擦了擦。
Tā ná xià yǎnjìng, cā le cā.
He took off his glasses and wiped them.
- Gatsby's father 吉米，爸爸来看你了。
Jímǐ, bàba lái kàn nǐ le.
Jimmy, your father has come to see you.
- Nick Carraway 他给那么多人开过晚会。可是今天，没有人给他一点儿时间。
Tā gěi nàme duō rén kāiguo wǎnhuì. Kěshì jīntiān, méiyǒu rén gěi tā yìdiǎnr shíjiān.
He threw parties for so many people. But today, nobody would give him a little of their time.
- Owl Eyes 这个可怜的家伙。
Zhège kělián de jiāhuo.
The poor devil.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wolfsheim say Gatsby was like when they met?
“他有很多勋章，可是太穷了”
- Why won't Wolfsheim come to the funeral?
“朋友还在的时候，我们要对他好。不是等他死了以后。”
- What is in the back of Gatsby's old book?
“后边是他自己写的。”……“六点起床。学习。工作。”
- Who comes to the house for the funeral at three?
“下午三点，没有人来。”
- What does Owl Eyes say about Gatsby's house in the old days?
“以前，他家天天有几百个人来啊！”