Urashima Taro · chapter 1 of 4
The Turtle on the Beach
海边的海龟
Kind young Urashima Taro gives away his mother's dinner to save a turtle. The next morning, a voice calls to him from the waves with an invitation.
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- Narrator 很久很久以前，日本的海边住着一个年轻人，叫浦岛太郎。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Rìběn de hǎibiān zhùzhe yí gè niánqīngrén, jiào Pǔdǎo Tàiláng.
Long, long ago, on the coast of Japan, there lived a young man called Urashima Taro.
- Urashima Taro 大海，大海，早上好！今天给我一条大鱼吧，我妈妈想吃鱼了！
Dàhǎi, dàhǎi, zǎoshang hǎo! Jīntiān gěi wǒ yì tiáo dà yú ba, wǒ māma xiǎng chī yú le!
Good morning, sea! Send me a big fish today, will you? My mom's been craving fish!
- Urashima Taro 有鱼了，有鱼了！是大鱼吗？……啊，怎么这么小？
Yǒu yú le, yǒu yú le! Shì dà yú ma?… À, zěnme zhème xiǎo?
A bite, a bite! Is it a big one? ...Oh. Why is it so small?
- Urashima Taro 小鱼，你还是个孩子吧？快回家找你妈妈去吧。
Xiǎo yú, nǐ hái shi ge háizi ba? Kuài huí jiā zhǎo nǐ māma qù ba.
Little fish, you're still just a kid, aren't you? Hurry on home to your mother.
- Narrator 那天，太郎只钓到了两条鱼。太阳下山了，他拿着鱼走回家。
Nà tiān, Tàiláng zhǐ diàodào le liǎng tiáo yú. Tàiyáng xià shān le, tā názhe yú zǒu huí jiā.
That day, Taro caught only two fish. As the sun went down, he carried them home along the shore.
- Village Boy 你们看，它走得多慢啊！再推一下，再推一下！
Nǐmen kàn, tā zǒu de duō màn a! Zài tuī yíxià, zài tuī yíxià!
Look how slow it is! Push it again, push it again!
- Urashima Taro 喂！你们在做什么？
Wèi! Nǐmen zài zuò shénme?
Hey! What are you kids doing?
- Village Boy 浦岛大哥哥，我们在玩儿海龟！是我们先看见的！
Pǔdǎo dà gēge, wǒmen zài wánr hǎiguī! Shì wǒmen xiān kànjiàn de!
Hey, Mr. Urashima, we're playing with a turtle! We saw it first!
- Urashima Taro 你们看，它多难过啊。它也想回家。
Nǐmen kàn, tā duō nánguò a. Tā yě xiǎng huí jiā.
Look how unhappy it is. It wants to go home too.
- Village Boy 想要海龟？可以啊。你拿鱼来换！
Xiǎng yào hǎiguī? Kěyǐ a. Nǐ ná yú lái huàn!
You want the turtle? Sure. Trade us your fish for it!
- Urashima Taro 这两条鱼，是我妈妈的晚饭……
Zhè liǎng tiáo yú, shì wǒ māma de wǎnfàn…
But these two fish are my mom's dinner...
- Urashima Taro 好吧！鱼都给你们，海龟给我。
Hǎo ba! Yú dōu gěi nǐmen, hǎiguī gěi wǒ.
Oh, all right! You can have both fish. Give me the turtle.
- Village Boy 真的？谢谢大哥哥！走，回家吃鱼去！
Zhēn de? Xièxie dà gēge! Zǒu, huí jiā chī yú qù!
Really? Thanks, mister! Come on, everybody, let's go home and eat fish!
- Urashima Taro 别怕，他们走了。来，我送你回海里。
Bié pà, tāmen zǒu le. Lái, wǒ sòng nǐ huí hǎi lǐ.
Don't be scared. They're gone. Come on, I'll take you back to the sea.
- Narrator 太郎把海龟放进了海里。可是海龟没有走，它回过头来。
Tàiláng bǎ hǎiguī fàngjìn le hǎi lǐ. Kěshì hǎiguī méiyǒu zǒu, tā huíguo tóu lái.
Taro set the turtle down in the sea. But the turtle didn't swim away. It turned its head and looked back at him.
- The Turtle 浦岛先生，谢谢你。你救了我。
Pǔdǎo xiānsheng, xièxie nǐ. Nǐ jiù le wǒ.
Thank you, Mr. Urashima. You saved my life.
- Urashima Taro 啊！你……你会说话？
A! Nǐ… nǐ huì shuōhuà?
Ah! You... you can talk?
- The Turtle 会啊。我还会游泳，游得很快呢。
Huì a. Wǒ hái huì yóuyǒng, yóu de hěn kuài ne.
Of course I can. And I can swim, too. Very fast!
- Urashima Taro 你看起来很老了。你多大了？
Nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn lǎo le. Nǐ duō dà le?
You look very old. How old are you?
- The Turtle 老？我才两百岁！在海里，我还是个孩子呢。
Lǎo? Wǒ cái liǎngbǎi suì! Zài hǎi lǐ, wǒ hái shi ge háizi ne.
Old? I'm only two hundred! In the sea, I'm still just a kid.
- Urashima Taro 两百岁的孩子？好吧，小朋友，快回家找你妈妈吧！
Liǎngbǎi suì de háizi? Hǎo ba, xiǎopéngyǒu, kuài huí jiā zhǎo nǐ māma ba!
A two-hundred-year-old kid? All right then, little one, hurry on home to your mother!
- The Turtle 浦岛先生，你是个好人。我会回来谢你的！
Pǔdǎo xiānsheng, nǐ shì ge hǎo rén. Wǒ huì huílái xiè nǐ de!
Mr. Urashima, you're a good man. I'll come back to thank you!
- Narrator 那天晚上，太郎家的晚饭只有米饭和青菜。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Tàiláng jiā de wǎnfàn zhǐ yǒu mǐfàn hé qīngcài.
That night, supper at Taro's house was just rice and greens.
- Taro's Mother 你用鱼换了海龟，又把海龟放了？你这个孩子啊！
Nǐ yòng yú huàn le hǎiguī, yòu bǎ hǎiguī fàng le? Nǐ zhège háizi a!
You traded our fish for a turtle, and then let the turtle go? Oh, you silly boy!
- Urashima Taro 妈，对不起。明天我一定钓一条大鱼回来！
Mā, duìbuqǐ. Míngtiān wǒ yídìng diào yì tiáo dà yú huílái!
Sorry, Mom. Tomorrow I'll bring home a big fish, I promise!
- Taro's Mother 好。明天早点儿回来，妈妈在门口的小树下等你。
Hǎo. Míngtiān zǎo diǎnr huílái, māma zài ménkǒu de xiǎo shù xià děng nǐ.
All right. Come home early tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you under the little tree by the door.
- Narrator 第二天早上，太郎来到海边。他刚要上小船，水里就有声音叫他。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Tàiláng láidào hǎibiān. Tā gāng yào shàng xiǎo chuán, shuǐ lǐ jiù yǒu shēngyīn jiào tā.
The next morning, Taro went down to the beach. He was just about to climb into his little boat when a voice called to him from the waves.
- The Turtle 浦岛先生！是我啊！我们的公主想谢谢你，她请你去龙宫！
Pǔdǎo xiānsheng! Shì wǒ a! Wǒmen de gōngzhǔ xiǎng xièxie nǐ, tā qǐng nǐ qù Lónggōng!
Mr. Urashima! It's me! Our princess wants to thank you. She's inviting you to the Dragon Palace!
- Urashima Taro 龙宫？海下面真的有龙宫？
Lónggōng? Hǎi xiàmiàn zhēn de yǒu Lónggōng?
The Dragon Palace? There really is a Dragon Palace under the sea?
- The Turtle 当然有！那里有好吃的，还有会跳舞的鱼！坐到我的背上来吧，别急，慢慢来。
Dāngrán yǒu! Nàlǐ yǒu hǎochī de, hái yǒu huì tiàowǔ de yú! Zuò dào wǒ de bèi shang lái ba, bié jí, mànmàn lái.
Of course there is! There's delicious food, and fish that dance! Climb onto my back. No rush, take your time.
- Urashima Taro 会跳舞的鱼？我从小就想去海下面看看！可是妈妈……
Huì tiàowǔ de yú? Wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù xiǎng qù hǎi xiàmiàn kànkan! Kěshì māma…
Fish that dance? I've wanted to see what's under the sea ever since I was little! But Mom...
- Urashima Taro 好，我去！就去看一看。妈，等着我，晚饭以前我一定回家！
Hǎo, wǒ qù! Jiù qù kàn yi kàn. Mā, děngzhe wǒ, wǎnfàn yǐqián wǒ yídìng huí jiā!
All right, I'll go! Just for a quick look. Wait for me, Mom. I'll be home before dinner, I promise!
What changed in the story?
- What does Taro do with the tiny fish he catches?
“小鱼，你还是个孩子吧？快回家找你妈妈去吧。”
- How does Taro get the turtle away from the children?
“你拿鱼来换！……好吧！鱼都给你们，海龟给我。”
- Why does the turtle get a little upset with Taro?
“老？我才两百岁！在海里，我还是个孩子呢。”
- Where will Taro's mother wait for him the next day?
“妈妈在门口的小树下等你。”
- What does Taro promise before he goes with the turtle?
“晚饭以前我一定回家！”