The Last Leaf · chapter 1 of 3
Counting Leaves
数叶子
The doctor gives Johnsy one chance in ten. Then Sue finds her counting the leaves on the old ivy outside her window, and learns why.
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- Narrator 很多年以前，纽约有个地方叫格林威治村，那里住着很多年轻的画家。
Hěn duō nián yǐqián, Niǔyuē yǒu gè dìfang jiào Gélínwēizhì Cūn, nàlǐ zhùzhe hěn duō niánqīng de huàjiā.
Many years ago, there was a neighborhood in New York called Greenwich Village, and lots of young painters lived there.
- Narrator 那年十一月，肺炎来到了这里。画家琼西病倒了，她的好朋友苏急坏了。
Nà nián shíyī yuè, fèiyán láidào le zhèlǐ. Huàjiā Qióngxī bìngdǎo le, tā de hǎo péngyou Sū jí huài le.
That November, pneumonia came to the neighborhood. A painter named Johnsy fell ill, and her best friend Sue was frantic.
- Sue 医生，琼西的病怎么样了？她会好起来的，对不对？
Yīshēng, Qióngxī de bìng zěnmeyàng le? Tā huì hǎo qǐlái de, duì bu duì?
Doctor, how is Johnsy doing? She's going to get better, isn't she?
- Doctor 说实话，她的机会只有十分之一。而且这个机会，还要看她自己。
Shuō shíhuà, tā de jīhuì zhǐyǒu shí fēn zhī yī. Érqiě zhège jīhuì, hái yào kàn tā zìjǐ.
To be honest, she has one chance in ten. And even that chance depends on her.
- Sue 要看她自己？这是什么意思？
Yào kàn tā zìjǐ? Zhè shì shénme yìsi?
On her? What do you mean?
- Doctor 她已经决定了，她不会好了。人要是不想活，再好的药也没有用。
Tā yǐjīng juédìng le, tā bú huì hǎo le. Rén yàoshi bù xiǎng huó, zài hǎo de yào yě méiyǒu yòng.
She's made up her mind that she won't get well. If a person doesn't want to live, even the best medicine is useless.
- Doctor 她心里有没有什么很想做的事？
Tā xīnlǐ yǒu méiyǒu shénme hěn xiǎng zuò de shì?
Is there anything she really longs to do?
- Sue 有！她说过，有一天她要去画那不勒斯海湾。
Yǒu! Tā shuō guo, yǒu yì tiān tā yào qù huà Nàbùlèsī Hǎiwān.
Yes! She once said that one day she wants to paint the Bay of Naples.
- Doctor 画画？我是说更值得想的事，比如……一个男人？
Huà huà? Wǒ shì shuō gèng zhíde xiǎng de shì, bǐrú… yí gè nánrén?
Painting? I mean something worth thinking about. A man, say?
- Sue 男人？男人有什么值得想的！没有，医生，没有。
Nánrén? Nánrén yǒu shénme zhíde xiǎng de! Méiyǒu, yīshēng, méiyǒu.
A man? As if a man were worth thinking about! No, doctor. Nobody.
- Doctor 那就难了。这样吧，她要是问你一句，今年冬天流行什么大衣，她的机会就有五分之一。
Nà jiù nán le. Zhèyàng ba, tā yàoshi wèn nǐ yí jù, jīnnián dōngtiān liúxíng shénme dàyī, tā de jīhuì jiù yǒu wǔ fēn zhī yī.
Then it'll be hard. Tell you what: if she ever asks you what coats are in fashion this winter, her chances go up to one in five.
- Narrator 医生走了以后，苏跑进另一个房间，一个人哭了很久。
Yīshēng zǒu le yǐhòu, Sū pǎo jìn lìng yí gè fángjiān, yí gè rén kū le hěn jiǔ.
After the doctor left, Sue ran into the other room and cried by herself for a long time.
- Sue 别哭了，苏！琼西不能看见你哭，你要笑！
Bié kū le, Sū! Qióngxī bù néng kànjiàn nǐ kū, nǐ yào xiào!
Stop crying, Sue! Johnsy mustn't see you cry. Smile!
- Narrator 苏拿起画板，笑着走进了琼西的房间，嘴里还吹着口哨。
Sū ná qǐ huàbǎn, xiàozhe zǒu jìn le Qióngxī de fángjiān, zuǐ lǐ hái chuīzhe kǒushào.
Sue picked up her drawing board and walked into Johnsy's room with a smile, whistling a tune.
- Johnsy 十二……十一……十……
Shí'èr… shíyī… shí…
Twelve… eleven… ten…
- Sue 她在数什么呢？窗外只有一面旧砖墙，墙上有一棵很老的常春藤。
Tā zài shǔ shénme ne? Chuāngwài zhǐyǒu yí miàn jiù zhuānqiáng, qiáng shang yǒu yì kē hěn lǎo de chángchūnténg.
What's she counting? There's nothing out that window but an old brick wall with a very old ivy vine on it.
- Johnsy 九……八……七。
Jiǔ… bā… qī.
Nine… eight… seven.
- Sue 琼西，你到底在数什么呀？
Qióngxī, nǐ dàodǐ zài shǔ shénme ya?
Johnsy, what on earth are you counting?
- Johnsy 六。它们掉得越来越快了。三天前还有差不多一百片，数得我头都疼了。
Liù. Tāmen diào de yuè lái yuè kuài le. Sān tiān qián hái yǒu chàbuduō yì bǎi piàn, shǔ de wǒ tóu dōu téng le.
Six. They're falling faster and faster. Three days ago there were almost a hundred, and counting them made my head ache.
- Johnsy 现在好数多了。你看，又掉了一片，只剩五片了。
Xiànzài hǎo shǔ duō le. Nǐ kàn, yòu diào le yí piàn, zhǐ shèng wǔ piàn le.
It's much easier now. Look, there goes another one. Only five left.
- Sue 五片什么？告诉你的苏苏。
Wǔ piàn shénme? Gàosu nǐ de Sūsū.
Five what? Come on, tell Sudie.
- Johnsy 叶子，常春藤上的叶子。最后一片掉下来的时候，我也要走了。医生没告诉你吗？
Yèzi, chángchūnténg shang de yèzi. Zuìhòu yí piàn diào xiàlái de shíhou, wǒ yě yào zǒu le. Yīshēng méi gàosu nǐ ma?
Leaves. The leaves on the ivy. When the last one falls, I'll be going too. Didn't the doctor say?
- Sue 我从来没听过这么傻的话！老叶子跟你的病，有什么关系？
Wǒ cónglái méi tīng guo zhème shǎ de huà! Lǎo yèzi gēn nǐ de bìng, yǒu shénme guānxi?
I've never heard anything so silly! What have old leaves got to do with you being ill?
- Sue 你以前最喜欢这棵常春藤了，坏孩子！医生还说了，你很快就会好，机会是……十比一！
Nǐ yǐqián zuì xǐhuan zhè kē chángchūnténg le, huài háizi! Yīshēng hái shuō le, nǐ hěn kuài jiù huì hǎo, jīhuì shì… shí bǐ yī!
That ivy used to be your favorite thing, you little rascal! And the doctor told me you'll be well very soon. The odds are… ten to one!
- Sue 来，喝点儿汤。让苏苏画完画卖了钱，给病孩子买点儿酒，给自己买猪排！
Lái, hē diǎnr tāng. Ràng Sūsū huà wán huà mài le qián, gěi bìng háizi mǎi diǎnr jiǔ, gěi zìjǐ mǎi zhūpái!
Come on, have some soup. Let Sudie finish her drawing and sell it, and she'll buy a little wine for her sick girl and pork chops for herself!
- Johnsy 不用买酒了，我也不想喝汤。你看，又掉了一片，只剩四片了。
Búyòng mǎi jiǔ le, wǒ yě bù xiǎng hē tāng. Nǐ kàn, yòu diào le yí piàn, zhǐ shèng sì piàn le.
Don't bother buying wine. I don't want any soup, either. Look, another one fell. Only four left.
- Johnsy 我想在天黑以前，看着最后一片掉下来。然后，我也就走了。
Wǒ xiǎng zài tiān hēi yǐqián, kànzhe zuìhòu yí piàn diào xiàlái. Ránhòu, wǒ yě jiù zǒu le.
I want to watch the last one fall before it gets dark. And then I'll go too.
- Sue 琼西，答应我，闭上眼睛，别看窗外。我画画要有光，不然早就把窗帘拉下来了。
Qióngxī, dāying wǒ, bì shàng yǎnjing, bié kàn chuāngwài. Wǒ huà huà yào yǒu guāng, bùrán zǎojiù bǎ chuānglián lā xiàlái le.
Johnsy, promise me you'll close your eyes and not look out the window. I need the light to draw, or I'd have pulled the shade down long ago.
- Johnsy 你不能去另一个房间画吗？
Nǐ bù néng qù lìng yí gè fángjiān huà ma?
Why not draw in the next room?
- Sue 我想在这儿陪着你。而且，我不想你再看那些傻叶子了。
Wǒ xiǎng zài zhèr péizhe nǐ. Érqiě, wǒ bù xiǎng nǐ zài kàn nàxiē shǎ yèzi le.
I want to stay here with you. Besides, I don't want you watching those silly leaves anymore.
- Johnsy 好吧，画完了马上告诉我，我要看最后一片掉下来。我累了，不想再等了。
Hǎo ba, huà wán le mǎshàng gàosu wǒ, wǒ yào kàn zuìhòu yí piàn diào xiàlái. Wǒ lèi le, bù xiǎng zài děng le.
Fine. The moment you finish, tell me. I want to see the last one fall. I'm tired. I'm done waiting.
- Sue 好孩子，睡一会儿吧。我去楼下叫贝尔曼先生，让他来当我的模特。我马上就回来！
Hǎo háizi, shuì yíhuìr ba. Wǒ qù lóuxià jiào Bèi'ěrmàn xiānsheng, ràng tā lái dāng wǒ de mótè. Wǒ mǎshàng jiù huílái!
Good girl. Get some sleep. I'm going downstairs to get Mr. Behrman to model for me. I'll be right back!
- Johnsy 风大了……今天晚上，它们都会掉下来的。我也会的。
Fēng dà le… jīntiān wǎnshang, tāmen dōu huì diào xiàlái de. Wǒ yě huì de.
The wind's picking up… Tonight they'll all come down. And so will I.
What changed in the story?
- What chance does the doctor give Johnsy?
“她的机会只有十分之一。”
- What would make the doctor say her chances are one in five?
“她要是问你一句，今年冬天流行什么大衣，她的机会就有五分之一。”
- What does Sue tell Johnsy the doctor said?
“你很快就会好，机会是……十比一！”
- What does Johnsy believe will happen when the last leaf falls?
“最后一片掉下来的时候，我也要走了。”
- Why does Sue go downstairs at the end?
“我去楼下叫贝尔曼先生，让他来当我的模特。”