The Happy Prince · chapter 2 of 4
The Blue Eye
蓝宝石
The swallow is finally ready to leave for Egypt, but a freezing young writer needs one more thing from the prince. This time it is the prince's own eye.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，小燕子在河里洗了个澡，然后飞回雕像这里。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, xiǎoyànzi zài hé lǐ xǐ le gè zǎo, ránhòu fēihuí diāoxiàng zhèlǐ.
The next morning the little swallow took a bath in the river, then flew back to the statue.
- The Little Swallow 王子！奇怪，天这么冷，我一点儿也不冷！
Wángzǐ! Qíguài, tiān zhème lěng, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù lěng!
Prince! How strange, it's so cold out, but I'm not cold at all!
- The Happy Prince 因为你做了一件好事，燕子。
Yīnwèi nǐ zuò le yí jiàn hǎoshì, yànzi.
That's because you did a good deed, swallow.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Happy Prince is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- The Little Swallow 是吗？太好了！今天我要看大房子，看大河，还要看市长！
Shì ma? Tài hǎo le! Jīntiān wǒ yào kàn dàfángzi, kàn dàhé, hái yào kàn shìzhǎng!
Really? Wonderful! Today I'm going to see the big houses, the river, and even the mayor!
- The Little Swallow 大家都会说：“多漂亮的燕子啊！”晚上，我就去埃及了！
Dàjiā dōu huì shuō: “Duō piàoliang de yànzi a!” Wǎnshang, wǒ jiù qù Āijí le!
Everyone will say, "What a handsome swallow!" And tonight, I leave for Egypt!
- The Happy Prince 燕子，再留一个晚上，好吗？
Yànzi, zài liú yí gè wǎnshang, hǎo ma?
Swallow, will you stay one more night?
- The Little Swallow 又留一晚？！王子，我的朋友们已经走了很久了！
Yòu liú yì wǎn?! Wángzǐ, wǒ de péngyoumen yǐjīng zǒu le hěn jiǔ le!
Another night?! Prince, my friends left a long time ago!
- The Happy Prince 你看那边，高楼上有一个年轻人。他想写一个故事。
Nǐ kàn nàbiān, gāo lóushàng yǒu yí gè niánqīngrén. Tā xiǎng xiě yí gè gùshi.
Look over there. In the tall building is a young man. He wants to write a story.
- The Happy Prince 可是他太冷了，也很饿。房间里没有火，他写不下去。
Kěshì tā tài lěng le, yě hěn è. Fángjiān lǐ méiyǒu huǒ, tā xiě bu xiàqù.
But he is too cold, and hungry too. There's no fire in his room, and he can't go on writing.
- The Happy Prince 我的眼睛是蓝宝石做的。请你拿一只给他。
Wǒ de yǎnjing shì lánbǎoshí zuò de. Qǐng nǐ ná yì zhī gěi tā.
My eyes are made of sapphire. Please take one to him.
- The Little Swallow 什么？！你的眼睛？不行不行不行！
Shénme?! Nǐ de yǎnjing? Bùxíng bùxíng bùxíng!
What?! Your eyes? No, no, no, no!
- The Little Swallow 你会看不见的！王子，我不能这样做！
Nǐ huì kànbujiàn de! Wángzǐ, wǒ bùnéng zhèyàng zuò!
You won't be able to see! Prince, I can't do this!
- The Happy Prince 他没有面包，也没有火。我还有另一只眼睛呢。
Tā méiyǒu miànbāo, yě méiyǒu huǒ. Wǒ háiyǒu lìng yì zhī yǎnjing ne.
He has no bread and no fire. And I still have my other eye.
- The Little Swallow 王子……你为什么总是这么好？
Wángzǐ… nǐ wèishénme zǒngshì zhème hǎo?
Prince... why are you always so good?
- The Happy Prince 去吧，我的小朋友。快去。
Qù ba, wǒ de xiǎopéngyou. Kuài qù.
Go, my little friend. Hurry.
- The Young Writer 我写不下去了！手这么冷，肚子这么饿！
Wǒ xiě bu xiàqù le! Shǒu zhème lěng, dùzi zhème è!
I can't write any more! My hands are so cold and my stomach is so empty!
- The Young Writer 没有火，没有面包，明天怎么办？
Méiyǒu huǒ, méiyǒu miànbāo, míngtiān zěnme bàn?
No fire, no bread. What will I do tomorrow?
- The Young Writer 明天老板就要看我的故事了。我完了……
Míngtiān lǎobǎn jiùyào kàn wǒ de gùshi le. Wǒ wán le…
Tomorrow the boss wants to read my story. I'm finished...
- The Little Swallow 对不起，年轻人。蓝宝石放在这儿了。
Duìbùqǐ, niánqīngrén. Lánbǎoshí fàngzài zhèr le.
Sorry, young man. I'm leaving the sapphire right here.
- The Young Writer 咦？桌子上有什么东西？
Yí? Zhuōzi shàng yǒu shénme dōngxi?
Huh? What's that on the table?
- The Young Writer 一块蓝宝石！比天上的星星还漂亮！
Yí kuài lánbǎoshí! Bǐ tiānshàng de xīngxing hái piàoliang!
A blue sapphire! It's prettier than the stars in the sky!
- The Young Writer 一定有人喜欢我的故事！他是谁？
Yídìng yǒurén xǐhuan wǒ de gùshi! Tā shì shéi?
Somebody must like my story! Who is he?
- The Young Writer 我可以买面包，也可以买木头！我能写完了！
Wǒ kěyǐ mǎi miànbāo, yě kěyǐ mǎi mùtou! Wǒ néng xiě wán le!
I can buy bread, and I can buy wood! I can finish my story!
- The Young Writer 谢谢你，不认识的朋友！我要写一个最好的故事！
Xièxie nǐ, bú rènshi de péngyou! Wǒ yào xiě yí gè zuìhǎo de gùshi!
Thank you, unknown friend! I'm going to write the best story ever!
- The Little Swallow 他笑了。我的心里，好像有一个小太阳。
Tā xiào le. Wǒ de xīnlǐ, hǎoxiàng yǒu yí gè xiǎo tàiyang.
He's laughing. It feels like there's a little sun inside my heart.
- The Little Swallow 好了，回去吧……咦？广场上有一个小女孩在哭。
Hǎo le, huíqù ba… yí? Guǎngchǎng shàng yǒu yí gè xiǎonǚhái zài kū.
All right, back to the prince... Huh? A little girl is crying in the square.
- The Little Swallow 她没有鞋，手里都是火柴……
Tā méiyǒu xié, shǒulǐ dōu shì huǒchái…
She has no shoes, and her hands are full of matches...
- The Little Swallow 不，不，不！王子只有一只眼睛了，我不能再拿了！
Bù, bù, bù! Wángzǐ zhǐyǒu yì zhī yǎnjing le, wǒ bùnéng zài ná le!
No, no, no! The prince has only one eye left, and I can't take it too!
- The Little Swallow 可是，如果他叫我去……我怎么说不呢？
Kěshì, rúguǒ tā jiào wǒ qù… wǒ zěnme shuō bù ne?
But if he asks me to go... how can I say no?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does the swallow feel when he comes back from his bath?
“天这么冷，我一点儿也不冷！”
- Why can't the young man finish his story?
“他太冷了，也很饿。房间里没有火，他写不下去。”
- What does the prince ask the swallow to bring?
“我的眼睛是蓝宝石做的。请你拿一只给他。”
- What does the young man think when he finds the sapphire?
“一定有人喜欢我的故事！”
- What does the swallow see on his way back?
“广场上有一个小女孩在哭。”