The Magic Lotus Lantern · chapter 2 of 6
The Third Eye
第三只眼睛
At their baby's hundred-day party, Sanshengmu makes the Lotus Lantern shine for her son, so brightly that someone high up in heaven notices.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 一年以后，刘彦昌和三圣母住在华山下，有了一个儿子。
Yì nián yǐhòu, Liú Yànchāng hé Sānshèngmǔ zhù zài Huà Shān xià, yǒu le yí gè érzi.
A year later, Liu Yanchang and Sanshengmu were living at the foot of Mount Hua, and they had a baby son.
- Liu Yanchang 三娘，今天儿子一百天了！我给他写了一首诗！
Sānniáng, jīntiān érzi yìbǎi tiān le! Wǒ gěi tā xiě le yì shǒu shī!
My dear Sanniang, our son is a hundred days old today! I've written him a poem!
- Sanshengmu 又是诗？是“灯比火还热”那样的诗吗？
Yòu shì shī? Shì “dēng bǐ huǒ hái rè” nàyàng de shī ma?
Another poem? One like “your lamp is hotter than fire”?
- Liu Yanchang 这一首更好！“儿子一百天，眼睛大又圆……”
Zhè yì shǒu gèng hǎo! “Érzi yìbǎi tiān, yǎnjing dà yòu yuán…”
This one's even better! “Our son is a hundred days old, his eyes so big and round…”
- Sanshengmu 好了，好了！你写了一百首诗，可是儿子到现在还没有名字！
Hǎo le, hǎo le! Nǐ xiě le yìbǎi shǒu shī, kěshì érzi dào xiànzài hái méiyǒu míngzi!
All right, all right! You've written a hundred poems, and our son still doesn't have a name!
- Liu Yanchang 名字太难了！一个字，我要想一百天！
Míngzi tài nán le! Yí gè zì, wǒ yào xiǎng yìbǎi tiān!
Names are too hard! It takes me a hundred days to think of one character!
- Sanshengmu 那我来吧。你闻闻，这是什么？
Nà wǒ lái ba. Nǐ wénwen, zhè shì shénme?
Then leave it to me. Smell this. What is it?
- Liu Yanchang 好香啊！是你庙里的沉香？
Hǎo xiāng a! Shì nǐ miào li de chénxiāng?
Mmm, that smells lovely! Is it agarwood from your temple?
- Sanshengmu 对。我的庙里，天天都有沉香的味道。我们的儿子，就叫沉香吧！
Duì. Wǒ de miào li, tiāntiān dōu yǒu chénxiāng de wèidao. Wǒmen de érzi, jiù jiào Chénxiāng ba!
Yes. My temple always smells of agarwood. Let's name our son after it: Chenxiang!
- Sanshengmu 沉香，这块沉香给你。你带着它，妈妈一闻，就知道是你。
Chénxiāng, zhè kuài chénxiāng gěi nǐ. Nǐ dàizhe tā, māma yì wén, jiù zhīdào shì nǐ.
Chenxiang, this piece of agarwood is for you. Keep it with you, and your mama will know you by its smell.
- Liu Yanchang 沉香！好名字！比我的一百首诗都好！
Chénxiāng! Hǎo míngzi! Bǐ wǒ de yìbǎi shǒu shī dōu hǎo!
Chenxiang! What a good name! Better than all hundred of my poems!
- Liu Yanchang 今天是好日子，我还做了一百个包子！
Jīntiān shì hǎo rìzi, wǒ hái zuò le yìbǎi gè bāozi!
Today's a big day! And I've made a hundred buns, too!
- Sanshengmu 一百个？我们家只有三个人，沉香还不会吃呢！
Yìbǎi gè? Wǒmen jiā zhǐyǒu sān gè rén, Chénxiāng hái bú huì chī ne!
A hundred? There are only three of us, and Chenxiang can't even eat yet!
- Liu Yanchang 没关系！今天吃不完，明天再吃！
Méi guānxi! Jīntiān chī bu wán, míngtiān zài chī!
No problem! Whatever we don't finish today, we'll eat tomorrow!
- Sanshengmu 宝莲灯，亮起来！给沉香看看！
Bǎolián Dēng, liàng qǐlai! Gěi Chénxiāng kànkan!
Lotus Lantern, shine! Show Chenxiang how bright you are!
- Narrator 宝莲灯亮了，比哪一天都亮。它的光，一直照到了天上。
Bǎolián Dēng liàng le, bǐ nǎ yì tiān dōu liàng. Tā de guāng, yìzhí zhào dào le tiānshàng.
The Lotus Lantern shone brighter than it ever had, and its light reached all the way up to heaven.
- Erlang Shen 华山下，怎么这么亮？……三妹？！
Huà Shān xià, zěnme zhème liàng? … Sānmèi?!
Why is it so bright down at the foot of Mount Hua? ...Sister?!
- Narrator 门开了。二郎神带着他的黑狗，站在了门口。
Mén kāi le. Èrláng Shén dàizhe tā de hēi gǒu, zhàn zài le ménkǒu.
The door flew open. There in the doorway stood Erlang Shen, with his black dog.
- Erlang Shen 三妹！你是神仙，怎么和一个人在一起？你忘了天条吗？
Sānmèi! Nǐ shì shénxiān, zěnme hé yí gè rén zài yìqǐ? Nǐ wàng le tiāntiáo ma?
Sister! You're a goddess! How can you live with a human? Have you forgotten heaven's law?
- Sanshengmu 二哥，我没有忘。可是，我爱他，也爱我们的儿子。
Èrgē, wǒ méiyǒu wàng. Kěshì, wǒ ài tā, yě ài wǒmen de érzi.
I haven't forgotten, Brother. But I love him, and I love our son.
- Erlang Shen 天条就是天条！跟我回天上去！
Tiāntiáo jiù shì tiāntiáo! Gēn wǒ huí tiānshàng qù!
Heaven's law is heaven's law! You're coming back to heaven with me!
- Liu Yanchang 别……别过来！我……我有笔！
Bié… bié guòlái! Wǒ… wǒ yǒu bǐ!
D-don't come any closer! I... I've got a brush!
- Erlang Shen 笔？哈哈哈！读书人，你的笔，能打二郎神吗？
Bǐ? Hāhāhā! Dúshūrén, nǐ de bǐ, néng dǎ Èrláng Shén ma?
A brush? Ha ha ha! Scholar, do you really think your brush can beat Erlang Shen?
- Sanshengmu 他的笔不能，我的灯能！宝莲灯，亮起来！
Tā de bǐ bù néng, wǒ de dēng néng! Bǎolián Dēng, liàng qǐlai!
His brush can't, but my lantern can! Lotus Lantern, shine!
- Narrator 宝莲灯的光，像一千个太阳。二郎神和黑狗，都飞到了云上。
Bǎolián Dēng de guāng, xiàng yìqiān gè tàiyáng. Èrláng Shén hé hēi gǒu, dōu fēi dào le yún shang.
The Lotus Lantern blazed like a thousand suns, and Erlang Shen and his black dog were flung back up into the clouds.
- Erlang Shen 啊！我的第三只眼睛！好亮！
À! Wǒ de dì sān zhī yǎnjing! Hǎo liàng!
Argh! My third eye! It's too bright!
- Liu Yanchang 三娘，你的灯……太好了！他跑了！
Sānniáng, nǐ de dēng… tài hǎo le! Tā pǎo le!
Sanniang, your lantern... it's amazing! He ran away!
- Erlang Shen 三妹，有宝莲灯，我打不过你。可是没有宝莲灯呢？你等着！
Sānmèi, yǒu Bǎolián Dēng, wǒ dǎ bu guò nǐ. Kěshì méiyǒu Bǎolián Dēng ne? Nǐ děngzhe!
Sister, as long as you have the Lotus Lantern, I can't beat you. But what about without it? Just you wait!
- Sanshengmu 他不会走的。二哥想要的东西，他一定会拿到……
Tā bú huì zǒu de. Èrgē xiǎng yào de dōngxi, tā yídìng huì nádào…
He won't give up. Whatever my brother wants, he always gets...
- Narrator 那天夜里，大家都睡了。门外，二郎神的第三只眼睛，在看着宝莲灯。
Nà tiān yèli, dàjiā dōu shuì le. Mén wài, Èrláng Shén de dì sān zhī yǎnjing, zài kànzhe Bǎolián Dēng.
That night, while everyone slept, Erlang Shen's third eye was watching the Lotus Lantern from outside the door.
- Erlang Shen 哮天犬，去吧。把那个灯拿来。
Xiàotiānquǎn, qù ba. Bǎ nàge dēng nálái.
Go on, Xiaotian. Bring me that lantern.
- Sanshengmu 彦昌！彦昌，快起来！桌子上的灯呢？我的宝莲灯呢？！
Yànchāng! Yànchāng, kuài qǐlái! Zhuōzi shang de dēng ne? Wǒ de Bǎolián Dēng ne?!
Yanchang! Yanchang, wake up! Where's the lantern that was on the table? Where is my Lotus Lantern?!
What changed in the story?
- Why does the baby still have no name after a hundred days?
“儿子到现在还没有名字！”……“名字太难了！一个字，我要想一百天！”
- Why does Sanshengmu name the baby Chenxiang?
“我的庙里，天天都有沉香的味道。我们的儿子，就叫沉香吧！”
- How does Erlang Shen find the family?
“它的光，一直照到了天上。”……“华山下，怎么这么亮？”
- What does Liu do when Erlang Shen orders Sanshengmu back to heaven?
“别……别过来！我……我有笔！”
- How does Erlang Shen plan to beat his sister?
“有宝莲灯，我打不过你。可是没有宝莲灯呢？”……“把那个灯拿来。”