The Happy Prince · chapter 3 of 4
The Gold Leaves
金叶子
With one blue eye left, the prince asks for one more gift. The swallow makes a choice, and soon gold is falling on the poorest streets of the city.
Read what you hear
- The Happy Prince 燕子！你听，广场上有一个小女孩在哭！
Yànzi! Nǐ tīng, guǎngchǎng shàng yǒu yí gè xiǎonǚhái zài kū!
Swallow! Listen, there's a little girl crying in the square!
- The Little Swallow 王子，不行！我不能再拿你的眼睛了！
Wángzǐ, bùxíng! Wǒ bùnéng zài ná nǐ de yǎnjing le!
Prince, no! I can't take your other eye too!
- The Happy Prince 她的火柴掉进水里了，卖不了了。她没有钱，爸爸会很生气的。
Tā de huǒchái diàojìn shuǐ lǐ le, mài bu liǎo le. Tā méiyǒu qián, bàba huì hěn shēngqì de.
Her matches fell in the water and she can't sell them. She has no money, and her father will be very angry.
Chapter 3 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 Match Girl 火柴都湿了……我怎么回家呢？
Huǒchái dōu shī le… wǒ zěnme huíjiā ne?
The matches are all wet... How can I go home?
- The Happy Prince 燕子，你听见了吗？请你再帮她一次。
Yànzi, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Qǐng nǐ zài bāng tā yícì.
Swallow, did you hear that? Please help her one more time.
- The Little Swallow 可是你的另一只眼睛……你就什么也看不见了。
Kěshì nǐ de lìng yì zhī yǎnjing… nǐ jiù shénme yě kànbujiàn le.
But your other eye... then you won't be able to see anything.
- The Happy Prince 没关系。快去，燕子，她在哭。
Méiguānxi. Kuài qù, yànzi, tā zài kū.
It's all right. Go, swallow, she's crying.
- The Little Swallow ……好。小姑娘，你看！我给你带来了好东西！
… Hǎo. Xiǎogūniáng, nǐ kàn! Wǒ gěi nǐ dàilái le hǎo dōngxi!
...All right. Little girl, look! I've brought you something wonderful!
- The Match Girl 哇！一块蓝宝石！
Wa! Yí kuài lánbǎoshí!
Wow! A blue sapphire!
- The Match Girl 现在我有钱了！爸爸不会生气了！
Xiànzài wǒ yǒu qián le! Bàba bú huì shēngqì le!
Now I have money! Papa won't be angry!
- The Match Girl 谢谢你，小鸟！我要快点回家！
Xièxie nǐ, xiǎoniǎo! Wǒ yào kuài diǎn huíjiā!
Thank you, little bird! I have to hurry home!
- The Little Swallow 王子，你看不见了。我不去埃及了，我要留下来。
Wángzǐ, nǐ kànbujiàn le. Wǒ bú qù Āijí le, wǒ yào liúxiàlái.
Prince, you can't see now. I'm not going to Egypt. I'm staying.
- The Happy Prince 可是天要冷了，燕子。你应该去南方。
Kěshì tiān yào lěng le, yànzi. Nǐ yīnggāi qù nánfāng.
But it's going to get cold, swallow. You should go south.
- The Little Swallow 不去了！从今天起，我做你的眼睛。
Bú qù le! Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒ zuò nǐ de yǎnjing.
I'm not going! From today, I'll be your eyes.
- The Little Swallow 我来告诉你埃及是什么样。那儿有一条很长的河。
Wǒ lái gàosu nǐ Āijí shì shénmeyàng. Nàr yǒu yì tiáo hěn zhǎng de hé.
Let me tell you what Egypt is like. There's a very long river there.
- The Little Swallow 河边的石头房子很大很高，太阳照在上面，像金子一样。
Hé biān de shítou fángzi hěn dà hěn gāo, tàiyang zhào zài shàngmiàn, xiàng jīnzi yíyàng.
The stone buildings by the river are huge and tall, and when the sun shines on them, they look like gold.
- The Happy Prince 你说得真好，小燕子。可是我最想知道的，是这个城市。
Nǐ shuō de zhēn hǎo, xiǎoyànzi. Kěshì wǒ zuì xiǎng zhīdao de, shì zhège chéngshì.
You tell it so well, little swallow. But what I most want to know about is this city.
- The Happy Prince 请你飞到城市里去看一看，回来告诉我。
Qǐng nǐ fēidào chéngshì lǐ qù kàn yí kàn, huílái gàosu wǒ.
Please fly over the city and look around, then come back and tell me.
- The Little Swallow 我飞过了整个城市。我看见有钱人在大房子里吃好吃的。
Wǒ fēiguò le zhěnggè chéngshì. Wǒ kànjiàn yǒuqiánrén zài dàfángzi lǐ chī hǎochī de.
I flew over the whole city. I saw rich people in big houses eating good food.
- The Little Swallow 外面的孩子们又冷又饿，没有面包。
Wàimiàn de háizimen yòu lěng yòu è, méiyǒu miànbāo.
Outside, the children are cold and hungry, with no bread.
- The Happy Prince 我身上都是金叶子。你一片一片拿下来，给他们吧。
Wǒ shēnshàng dōu shì jīnyèzi. Nǐ yípiàn yípiàn náxiàlái, gěi tāmen ba.
I'm covered in gold leaves. Take them off one at a time and give them to the children.
- The Little Swallow 一片一片？可是王子，你会变得很难看的！
Yípiàn yípiàn? Kěshì wángzǐ, nǐ huì biàn de hěn nánkàn de!
One at a time? But prince, you'll look terrible!
- The Happy Prince 快乐不是好看，燕子。快乐是看见孩子们笑。
Kuàilè búshì hǎokàn, yànzi. Kuàilè shì kànjiàn háizimen xiào.
Being happy isn't about looking nice, swallow. Being happy is seeing the children laugh.
- The Little Swallow 一片金叶子……两片……三片！接着，小朋友！
Yípiàn jīnyèzi… liǎngpiàn… sānpiàn! Jiēzhe, xiǎopéngyou!
One gold leaf... two leaves... three leaves! Catch, little ones!
- The Sick Boy 妈妈，你看！我的病好了，天上还下金子了！
Māma, nǐ kàn! Wǒ de bìng hǎo le, tiānshàng hái xià jīnzi le!
Mama, look! I'm all better, and gold is falling from the sky!
- The Sick Boy 我们可以买面包了！我好饿啊！
Wǒmen kěyǐ mǎi miànbāo le! Wǒ hǎo è a!
We can buy bread now! I'm so hungry!
- The Little Swallow 孩子们笑了。王子，你听到了吗？
Háizimen xiào le. Wángzǐ, nǐ tīngdào le ma?
The children are laughing. Prince, can you hear them?
- The Little Swallow 可是……下雪了。我的脚好冷……
Kěshì… xiàxuě le. Wǒ de jiǎo hǎo lěng…
But... it's snowing. My feet are so cold...
- The Little Swallow 王子，我的脚动不了了。我想，我要跟你说再见了。
Wángzǐ, wǒ de jiǎo dòng bu liǎo le. Wǒ xiǎng, wǒ yào gēn nǐ shuō zàijiàn le.
Prince, I can't move my feet. I think I have to say goodbye to you.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why is the little girl crying?
“她的火柴掉进水里了，卖不了了。她没有钱，爸爸会很生气的。”
- Why does the swallow decide to stay?
“王子，你看不见了。我不去埃及了，我要留下来。”
- What does the swallow tell the prince about?
“我来告诉你埃及是什么样。那儿有一条很长的河。”
- What does the prince say happiness is?
“快乐是看见孩子们笑。”
- What does the swallow do with the gold leaves?
“一片金叶子……两片……三片！接着，小朋友！”