The Nightingale · chapter 3 of 4
The Long Night
长长的夜
Years pass and the clockwork bird breaks. The emperor falls ill, and a quiet visitor in a crown sits on his chest. Who will sing for him now?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 一年又一年过去了。皇宫里的人都爱听金鸟唱歌。
Yì nián yòu yì nián guòqù le. Huánggōng lǐ de rén dōu ài tīng jīn niǎo chànggē.
Year after year went by. Everyone in the palace loved to hear the golden bird sing.
- The Emperor 又是这一首……我都会唱了。
Yòu shì zhè yì shǒu… wǒ dōu huì chàng le.
This song again... I can sing it myself now.
- The Music Master 皇上，金鸟的歌永远不会变。每一次都一样，这才是好歌！
Huángshang, jīn niǎo de gē yǒngyuǎn bú huì biàn. Měi yí cì dōu yíyàng, zhè cái shì hǎo gē!
Your Majesty, the golden bird's song never changes. It's the same every time. That is a good song!
Chapter 3 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 Emperor 我早上听，晚上听，天天听，真的有点累了。
Wǒ zǎoshang tīng, wǎnshang tīng, tiāntiān tīng, zhēn de yǒudiǎn lèi le.
I listen in the morning, I listen at night, every day. I'm really getting tired of it.
- The Music Master 累了？那是您没有听懂它，皇上！
Lèi le? Nà shì nín méiyǒu tīngdǒng tā, Huángshang!
Tired? That's because you haven't understood it, Your Majesty!
- The Emperor 可是我有时候想，夜莺的歌，每次都不一样……
Kěshì wǒ yǒushíhou xiǎng, yèyīng de gē, měi cì dōu bù yíyàng…
But sometimes I think about the nightingale, whose song was different every time...
- The Music Master 皇上，夜莺已经走了。您有金鸟啊！
Huángshang, yèyīng yǐjīng zǒu le. Nín yǒu jīn niǎo a!
Your Majesty, the nightingale is gone. You have the golden bird!
- The Emperor 咦？怎么不响了？
Yí? Zěnme bù xiǎng le?
Huh? Why has it stopped?
- The Music Master 发条断了！快，快去找钟表匠来！
Fātiáo duàn le! Kuài, kuài qù zhǎo zhōngbiǎojiàng lái!
The spring is broken! Quick, find the watchmaker!
- The Emperor 钟表匠能修好它吗？
Zhōngbiǎojiàng néng xiūhǎo tā ma?
Can the watchmaker fix it?
- The Music Master 钟表匠说能修好，可是它一年只能唱一次。
Zhōngbiǎojiàng shuō néng xiūhǎo, kěshì tā yì nián zhǐ néng chàng yí cì.
The watchmaker says he can, but it can only sing once a year.
- The Emperor 一年一次？那皇宫里就没有歌了，太安静了。
Yì nián yí cì? Nà huánggōng lǐ jiù méiyǒu gē le, tài ānjìng le.
Once a year? Then there will be no song in the palace.
- Narrator 五年过去了。皇上病了，病得很重。
Wǔ nián guòqù le. Huángshang bìng le, bìng de hěn zhòng.
Five years passed. The emperor fell ill, very ill.
- The Emperor 怎么这么冷？我的胸口……好重。
Zěnme zhème lěng? Wǒ de xiōngkǒu… hǎo zhòng.
Why is it so cold? My chest... it feels so heavy.
- Death 皇上，你好。你还认识我吗？
Huángshang, nǐ hǎo. Nǐ hái rènshi wǒ ma?
Hello, Your Majesty. Do you still know me?
- The Emperor 你是谁？你为什么坐在我的胸口上？
Nǐ shì shéi? Nǐ wèishénme zuò zài wǒ de xiōngkǒu shàng?
Who are you? Why are you sitting on my chest?
- Death 我是死神。这顶皇冠很好看，我先戴着。
Wǒ shì sǐshén. Zhè dǐng huángguān hěn hǎokàn, wǒ xiān dài zhe.
I am Death. This crown is beautiful, so I will wear it for now.
- The Emperor 墙上有很多脸，都在看我。有的好，有的不好……
Qiáng shàng yǒu hěn duō liǎn, dōu zài kàn wǒ. Yǒude hǎo, yǒude bù hǎo…
There are so many faces on the wall, all looking at me. Some are kind, some are not...
- Death 那些是你做过的事。你还想说什么吗？
Nàxiē shì nǐ zuò guo de shì. Nǐ hái xiǎng shuō shénme ma?
Those are the things you have done. Is there anything more you want to say?
- The Emperor 音乐！快给我音乐！别让那些脸看着我！我的小金鸟呢？
Yīnyuè! Kuài gěi wǒ yīnyuè! Bié ràng nàxiē liǎn kànzhe wǒ! Wǒ de xiǎo jīn niǎo ne?
Music! Give me music! Don't let those faces look at me! Where is my little golden bird?
- Death 没有人给它上发条，它不会唱的。
Méiyǒu rén gěi tā shàng fātiáo, tā bú huì chàng de.
No one has wound its spring. It cannot sing.
- The Emperor 那谁来唱歌？谁来救我？
Nà shéi lái chànggē? Shéi lái jiù wǒ?
Then who will sing? Who will save me?
- Death 皇上，我在等你。
Huángshang, wǒ zài děng nǐ.
Your Majesty, I am waiting for you.
- The Nightingale 皇上，我听说你病了。我回来了。
Huángshang, wǒ tīngshuō nǐ bìng le. Wǒ huílái le.
Your Majesty, I heard you were ill. I have come back.
- The Emperor 是你？我的小夜莺！可是……我把你赶走了。
Shì nǐ? Wǒ de xiǎo yèyīng! Kěshì… wǒ bǎ nǐ gǎn zǒu le.
It's you? My little nightingale! But... I sent you away.
- The Nightingale 我每天晚上都在你的窗外唱歌。我怎么会不回来？
Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang dōu zài nǐ de chuāng wài chànggē. Wǒ zěnme huì bù huílái?
Every night I sang outside your window. How could I not come back?
- The Emperor 对不起，小夜莺。你愿意再为我唱歌吗？
Duìbuqǐ, xiǎo yèyīng. Nǐ yuànyì zài wèi wǒ chànggē ma?
I'm sorry, little nightingale. Will you sing for me again?
- The Nightingale 皇上，我愿意。可是你要好起来，好吗？
Huángshang, wǒ yuànyì. Kěshì nǐ yào hǎo qǐlái, hǎo ma?
Your Majesty, I will. But you must get well.
- The Emperor 快唱！死神还坐在我的胸口上！
Kuài chàng! Sǐshén hái zuò zài wǒ de xiōngkǒu shàng!
Sing now! Death is still sitting on my chest!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What breaks the golden bird?
“发条断了！”
- How often can the mended golden bird sing?
“它一年只能唱一次。”
- What is Death wearing when he sits on the emperor?
“这顶皇冠很好看，我先戴着。”
- Why can't the golden bird sing for the sick emperor?
“没有人给它上发条，它不会唱的。”
- Where has the nightingale been singing all this time?
“我每天晚上都在你的窗外唱歌。”