The Nightingale · chapter 2 of 4
The Jeweled Bird
金鸟
A golden wind-up bird covered in jewels arrives at the palace, and the real nightingale is no longer the favorite. Then one morning the cage is empty.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夜莺住进了皇宫。全城的人都在说：“皇上有一只夜莺！”
Yèyīng zhù jìn le huánggōng. Quán chéng de rén dōu zài shuō: “Huángshang yǒu yì zhī yèyīng!”
The nightingale moved into the palace. The whole city was saying, "The emperor has a nightingale!"
- The Chamberlain 听着！夜莺每天唱两次歌。十二个人，每人拿一条丝带，跟着它。
Tīngzhe! Yèyīng měitiān chàng liǎng cì gē. Shí'èr gè rén, měi rén ná yì tiáo sīdài, gēnzhe tā.
Listen! The nightingale sings twice a day. Twelve of you, each hold one silk ribbon and follow it.
- The Nightingale 笼子很漂亮。一条丝带在我的腿上。我不能飞，不能回森林……
Lóngzi hěn piàoliang. Yì tiáo sīdài zài wǒ de tuǐ shàng. Wǒ bù néng fēi, bù néng huí sēnlín…
The cage is pretty. A ribbon on my leg. I can't fly, I can't go back to the forest...
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Nightingale 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 Nightingale 皇宫很漂亮。可是我想树，想海，想小兰。
Huánggōng hěn piàoliang. Kěshì wǒ xiǎng shù, xiǎng hǎi, xiǎng Xiǎo Lán.
The palace is beautiful. But I miss the trees, the sea, and Xiao Lan.
- The Chamberlain 夜莺！别看外面了，皇上在等你唱歌！
Yèyīng! Bié kàn wàimiàn le, Huángshang zài děng nǐ chànggē!
Nightingale! Stop looking outside, the emperor is waiting for you to sing!
- The Nightingale 好的，大人。我这就唱。
Hǎo de, dàrén. Wǒ zhè jiù chàng.
Yes, sir. I'll sing right now.
- Narrator 一天，日本的皇上送来一个大箱子。里面有一只会唱歌的金鸟。
Yì tiān, Rìběn de huángshang sòng lái yí gè dà xiāngzi. Lǐmiàn yǒu yì zhī huì chànggē de jīn niǎo.
One day, the emperor of Japan sent a big box. Inside was a golden bird that could sing.
- The Emperor 哇！它身上有很多宝石！真漂亮！
Wā! Tā shēn shàng yǒu hěn duō bǎoshí! Zhēn piàoliang!
Wow! It's covered with jewels! How beautiful!
- The Music Master 皇上，它只要上一下发条，就会唱歌。
Huángshang, tā zhǐyào shàng yíxià fātiáo, jiù huì chànggē.
Your Majesty, you only need to wind its spring once and it will sing.
- The Emperor 快，让它唱！
Kuài, ràng tā chàng!
Quick, let it sing!
- The Music Master 皇上，让金鸟和夜莺一起唱，一定好听！
Huángshang, ràng jīn niǎo hé yèyīng yìqǐ chàng, yídìng hǎotīng!
Your Majesty, let the golden bird and the nightingale sing together. It will be lovely!
- The Emperor 好主意！夜莺，你也来！一，二，三，唱！
Hǎo zhǔyi! Yèyīng, nǐ yě lái! Yī, èr, sān, chàng!
Good idea! Nightingale, you too! One, two, three, sing!
- The Music Master 不对，不对！夜莺唱得太乱了！金鸟才是对的！
Bú duì, bú duì! Yèyīng chàng de tài luàn le! Jīn niǎo cái shì duì de!
No, no! The nightingale is too messy! The golden bird is the right one!
- The Emperor 是吗？可是我觉得，两个都很好听。
Shì ma? Kěshì wǒ juéde, liǎng gè dōu hěn hǎotīng.
Is that so? But I think both sound lovely.
- The Music Master 皇上，夜莺的下一句是什么，我们不知道。金鸟的歌，我一直都知道！
Huángshang, yèyīng de xià yí jù shì shénme, wǒmen bù zhīdào. Jīn niǎo de gē, wǒ yìzhí dōu zhīdào!
Your Majesty, we never know what the nightingale will sing next. The golden bird's song, I always know!
- The Nightingale 我唱的是心里的歌。它唱的，只是发条的歌。
Wǒ chàng de shì xīn lǐ de gē. Tā chàng de, zhǐshì fātiáo de gē.
I sing the song in my heart. It only sings the spring's song.
- The Music Master 皇上，同一首歌，它已经唱了三十三次，一点儿也不累！
Huángshang, tóng yì shǒu gē, tā yǐjīng chàng le sānshísān cì, yìdiǎnr yě bú lèi!
Your Majesty, the same song, thirty-three times, and it isn't a bit tired!
- The Emperor 哈哈，真的！它真会唱！
Hāhā, zhēn de! Tā zhēn huì chàng!
Ha ha, it's true! It really can sing!
- The Nightingale 皇上，你有金鸟了。再见。
Huángshang, nǐ yǒu jīn niǎo le. Zàijiàn.
Your Majesty, you have the golden bird now. Goodbye.
- The Emperor 夜莺？夜莺！你去哪儿？快回来！
Yèyīng? Yèyīng! Nǐ qù nǎr? Kuài huílái!
Nightingale? Nightingale! Where are you going?
- The Music Master 皇上，别找了。金鸟一直都在这儿，它不会飞走。
Huángshang, bié zhǎo le. Jīn niǎo yìzhí dōu zài zhèr, tā bú huì fēi zǒu.
Your Majesty, don't look for it. The golden bird is always here.
- Narrator 第二天早上，金笼子是空的。
Dì-èr tiān zǎoshang, jīn lóngzi shì kōng de.
The next morning, the golden cage was empty.
- The Chamberlain 皇上，夜莺不在笼子里了……
Huángshang, yèyīng bú zài lóngzi lǐ le…
Your Majesty, the nightingale is not in its cage...
- The Emperor 我知道！它不听话，是只坏鸟！从今天起，它不能再回来！
Wǒ zhīdào! Tā bù tīnghuà, shì zhī huài niǎo! Cóng jīntiān qǐ, tā bù néng zài huílái!
I know! It doesn't obey, it's a bad bird! From today, it may never come back!
- Xiao Lan 大人，夜莺不是坏鸟。它只是想家了。
Dàrén, yèyīng bú shì huài niǎo. Tā zhǐshì xiǎng jiā le.
Sir, the nightingale isn't a bad bird. It only missed its home.
- The Chamberlain 嘘……小兰，别说了。皇上今天不高兴。
Xū… Xiǎo Lán, bié shuō le. Huángshang jīntiān bù gāoxìng.
Shh... Xiao Lan, don't say that. The emperor is unhappy today.
- Xiao Lan 小夜莺，你去哪儿了？你还会回来吗？
Xiǎo yèyīng, nǐ qù nǎr le? Nǐ hái huì huílái ma?
Little nightingale, where did you go? Will you ever come back?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is tied to the nightingale's leg?
“一条丝带在我的腿上。”
- What gift does the emperor of Japan send?
“里面有一只会唱歌的金鸟。”
- Why does the music master prefer the golden bird?
“金鸟的歌，我一直都知道！”
- What does the nightingale do after the duet?
“皇上，你有金鸟了。再见。”
- What does Xiao Lan think about the nightingale?
“它只是想家了。”