王尔德的故事

Part Three: The Punishment

The Star-Child went to his friends but when they saw him they laughed at him.

"We don't want to play with you now because you're ugly," they said.

"Why do they say these things to me?" he thought.

He went to the well to look at his reflection.

He was different now: he had a face like a toad and skin like a snake.

Then the Star-Child understood and started to cry.

"This is my punishment," he said.

"I am very cruel and my mother suffered. Now I must find her and say sorry."

The woodcutter's little daughter said to him, "It's not important if you're ugly. Please stay.

I will not laugh at you."

"No, this is my punishment," he replied.

"I treated my mother very badly and now I must find her."

He ran into the forest calling, "Mother! Mother! I'm sorry, please come back."

All day he called but nobody answered.

When night came he slept on a bed of leaves, but when the animals saw him they ran away.

They knew that he was a cruel boy.

He said to the mole, "You can go under the ground.

Tell me if my mother is there?"

"I don't know if your mother is there. I

cannot see because you hurt my eyes," replied the mole.

He said to a little bird, "You can fly over the trees.

Tell me if you can see my mother."

"I don't know if your mother is there.

I cannot fly because you hurt my wings," replied the bird.

He saw a little squirrel and asked, "Where is my mother?"

"I don't know," replied the squirrel.

"You killed my mother. Do you want to kill your mother too?"

The Star-Child heard all these things and he cried and prayed to God to forgive him.

He travelled to many different villages to find his mother, and the children of these villages laughed at him and threw stones at him.

Nobody had pity for the Star-Child.

Part Four: Three Pieces of Gold

For three years the Star-Child walked around the world but he didn't find his mother.

One day he arrived at the gates of a city near a river with a big wall around it.

The soldiers there stopped him. "What are you doing here?" they asked.

"I'm looking for my mother," he said.

"Please let me pass. Perhaps she is in this city."

"Who is your mother and why are you looking for her?" asked another soldier.

"She is a poor beggar like me and I was very cruel to her.

Now I want her pardon."

But the soldiers laughed.

"You are very ugly. No mother loves an ugly child. She will not be happy to see you.

Come with us. We will sell you to be a slave."

They sold the Star-Child to an old man for the price of a cup of sweet wine.

This old man was a magician from Libya.

The Magician took the boy to a dark prison and gave him a piece of old bread and some dirty water.

The next day he said, "Now you must go into the forest.

In the forest there are three pieces of gold: one is of white gold, one is of yellow gold and the other is of red gold.

You are my slave and if you do not bring me the piece of white gold I will beat you one hundred times."

So the Star-Child went to the forest to look for the white gold but he found only many thorns and dangerous plants.

He could not find the white gold anywhere.

When the sun started to disappear the boy started to cry.

He knew that the Magician wanted to beat him.

Suddenly he heard a cry of pain and saw a little hare in a trap.

He forgot his problems. He felt pity for the hare and opened the trap.

"Thank you, you are very kind," said the hare.

"Thanks to you I have my freedom. What can I give you?"

"I must find a piece of white gold for the Magician.

If I don't take it to him he will beat me."

"I will help you," said the hare.

"I know where to find the white gold."

He took the Star-Child to a tree and in the tree he found the gold.

The Star-Child was very happy and thanked the hare.

He returned to the city.

But at the city gate he saw an old man.

This old man was very ill and very poor.

"Give me some money. If you don't give me some money I will die of hunger!" shouted the old man.

The Star-Child felt pity for the old man but he only had the piece of white gold for the Magician.

"The old man needs the money more than me," thought the Star-Child and gave him the gold.

The Magician was very angry when he saw that the Star-Child didn't have the gold and he beat the boy.

He put him in prison with no food and no water.

The next day the Magician said, "Today you must return to the forest and find the piece of yellow gold.

If you do not do this I will beat you three hundred times."

The boy went into the forest and looked for the gold.

He looked all day long but he could not find it.

Finally he sat under a tree and started to cry.

The hare heard him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

"I must find the piece of yellow gold.

If I don't find it the Magician will beat me."

"Follow me.

I will show you the yellow gold," said the hare and he took the Star-Child to a pool of water.

At the bottom of this pool he found the piece of yellow gold.

The Star-Child returned to the city but at the city gate he saw the old man again.

"Give me some money. If you don't give me money I will die of hunger!" he shouted.

The Star-Child felt pity for the old man and gave him the gold.

The Magician was very angry.

"What!? No gold?

No gold, no food and no water!" He beat the Star-Child and put chains on him and put him in prison

again.

The next day the Magician said, "Today you must return to the forest and find the piece of red gold.

If you find it, you will be free.

If you do not find it,I will kill you."

The boy went into the forest and all day long he looked for the gold but he could not find it.

In the evening he sat under a tree and started to cry.

The hare heard him and asked, "Why are you crying?"

The Star-Child explained everything and again the hare helped him.

This time he found the gold in a cave near the tree.

"Thank you, thank you," said the boy and he ran back to the city.

At the city gate he saw the old man.

"Give me some money. If you don't give me money, I will die!" he shouted.

The Star-Child felt pity for the old man and gave him the gold.

"You need it more than me," he said, but he was very sad and his heart was very heavy. "

The Magician will kill me," he thought.

But when he passed the guards at the city gates they bowed to him and said, "Look at our beautiful Lord!"

The Star-Child walked through the city and more and more people followed him.

They all said, "He is the most beautiful boy in the world."

But the Star-Child was very sad,

"They are laughing at me," he thought.

He walked for a long time and finally arrived in a big square where there was a king's palace.

The people said, "You are our Lord, the son of our king!"

"I am not a king's son.

I am the son of a poor beggar woman.

Why do you say that I am beautiful?

I know I am very ugly."

"Why do you say that you are ugly? Look!" said a soldier.

The Star-Child looked into the soldier's shield.

The shield was silver like a mirror.

There he saw his face and saw that his face was beautiful like before.

"There is a prophecy," said the people, "that on this day our king will come.

You are our king.

Take this crown and this scepter.

Govern us with justice and with mercy."

"No, I am a bad boy," he replied.

"I must find my mother, I cannot accept the crown and the scepter."

He turned towards the city gate.

In the crowd he saw his mother, the beggar woman.

Then next to her he saw the old man from the city gate.

He ran to the woman, knelt in front of her and kissed her feet.

"Mother I am so sorry. Please forgive me. Once I gave you my hatred Please give me your love now."

But the woman didn't speak.

The Star-Child spoke to the old man.

"Please,I helped you three times. Please tell my mother to speak to me."

But the old man didn't speak. The Star-Child started to cry.

"Please forgive me, Mother. Please forgive me."

The woman put her hand on the boy's head and said, "Stand up."

The old man put his hand on the boy's head too.

When the Star-Child stood up he saw that the beggar woman was a queen and the old man was a king.

The queen said to him, "This is your father. You helped him three times."

And the king said to him. "This is your mother. You washed her feet with your tears."

The boy hugged them and kissed them both.

They took him to the palace and they put a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand.

He was a very good king and showed justice and mercy to everyone.

He sent gifts to the woodcutter and his family. He helped poor people,

he was kind to the animals and birds and there was peace in all the land.

Unfortunately he died after three years because he suffered a lot in his life

and the next king was a cruel king.

歌剧魅影

Chapter Four: A Love Story 

Christine Daae did not appear in public for some time after the gala performance. She seemed to disappear completely.

The young Vicomte de Chagny wrote to her, asking if he could come to see her. He received no reply to his letter, and then one day a letter came to his house.

Monsieur,

I have not forgotten the little boy who went into the sea for my scarf. I

am going to the country tomorrow, to see my father's wave. He is buried where we played when we were children.

Raoul decided to follow Christine to her father's grave. It was a long train journey into the country, and he passed the time remembering his childhood .

He remembered Mr Daae and Christine. Mr Daae, who came from Sweden,

had been a very good musician, a violinist. He lived for his music, and he taught Christine to sing. The father and daughter went from village to village,

playing for people. One day Raoul heard them play. He saw Christine and fell in love with her immediately. He followed them, and Christine stopped near the sea. The wind blew suddenly, and her scarf was carried away by the waves. Raoul went into the water and brought it back to her. They had been friends from that day onwards .

Mr Daae liked Raoul, and he taught him to play the violin.

The old man told them stories and legends. Many of the stories he told them were about ghosts. One of them was about the Angel of Music. No one can play or sing well, Mr Daae told them, unless they hear the Angel of Music. No one had ever seen the Angel, he explained. It is only possible to hear him.

'Have you ever heard the Angel of Music, father?' Christine asked.

The old man smiled sadly and shook his head. Then he looked at his daughter.

'But you will hear him,' he promised her. 'I'll send him to you when I'm in heaven.'

The years went by. When Mr Daae died, Christine's lovely singing voice disappeared. Raoul became a man. He never forgot Christine, but he knew that he could never marry her. He was an aristocrat , and she was a singer.

Then one day he had seen her at the Opera, and all his old love for her returned. After this he started going to the opera more often.

It was dark when Raoul arrived at the little village in the country. He went to the inn immediately. Christine was waiting for him.

'I'm happy you've come,' she said.

'Why did you pretend that you didn't know me when I came to your dressing room?' Raoul asked. 'Why did you laugh when I mentioned your scarf?'

Christine was silent.

'I know why!' Raoul cried angrily. 'There was someone else in the room that evening, wasn't there? There was a man—I heard his voice.'

Christine gave Raoul a strange look. She seemed to be afraid.

Then she took hold of his arm excitedly.

'What do you mean?' she asked.

'I heard you talking,' Raoul replied. 'I heard you tell him, "I only sing for you, you know that!" Then you told him, "I gave you my soul tonight.'''

'What else did you hear?' Christine asked urgently .

'He told you, "You must love me". Who is he, Christine? Who is this man that you love so much?'

'Go on, go on!' Christine cried. 'What else did he say? Tell me everything!'

'He said, "The angels wept to hear you sing this evening". I heard him say that. Tell me who he is!'

Suddenly Christine's eyes filled with tears. She held tightly onto Raoul for a moment, then she turned to him very seriously.

'It's the Angel of Music,' she said solemnly . 'That's the voice you heard in my dressing room.'

Raoul did not know what to say. Then Christine continued. 'He has come to me for three months now. He gives me singing lessons. He's a wonderful teacher!'

'It's true that Christine sings much better now,' Raoul thought. 'She sings wonderfully, and she never did before. But I don't believe in the Angel of Music— it's too incredible !'

Late that night Raoul saw Christine leave the little village inn. He followed her in the darkness. She walked to the churchyard where her ① urgently：急切的。

father's grave was. She knelt by the grave and began to pray.

Raoul could hear music playing. It seemed to be coming from the sky. The music was from The Resurrection of Lazarus. It had been Mr Daae's favourite piece of music. Raoul listened in amazement to the beautiful music.

He moved forward to see who was playing. Suddenly there was a noise,

and some skulls came rolling across the ground towards him. He looked up, and saw a figure in front of him in the darkness - a figure wearing a long cloak . Raoul took hold of the cloak, and the figure turned to face him.

Raoul stared in horror —he was looking at a skull with terrible eyes. He fainted and fell to the ground. He woke up in the churchyard the next morning.

Chapter Five: The New Managers and The Ghost Monsieur Richard and Monsieur Moncharmin continued to manage the Opera House. They investigated Box 5, but there was nothing unusual in it.

They began to think the story of the ghost was finished. Then, one day they received another letter in the same handwriting.

Gentlemen,

Do you want a war between us? If you want peace, you must meet the following conditions:

1. Give back box 5

2. Christine Daae must sing the role of Margherita tonight 3. My box-keeper must return to work 4. You must pay me my money every month If you do not do these things, I will put a curse on tonight performance of Faust!

'I'm sick of this ghost!' exclaimed Monsieur Richard impatiently.

There were other problems as well. The head groom of the Opera came to make a report.

'Someone has stolen one of the horses,' he said. 'I think it was the ghost.'

'Ghost!' cried Monsieur Richard. 'Why do you think the ghost took the horse?'

'I saw a dark figure riding the horse away in the darkness.

I'm sure it was the ghost.'

While the managers were considering the mystery of the stolen horse, one of the Opera's singers was reading a strange letter written in red ink.

Dear Carlotta,

If you sing at tonight's performance of Faust, there will be a tragedy. It will be worse than death.

Carlotta read the letter thoughtfully . She knew that if she did not sing that night, Christine would sing in her place —and she was jealous of Christine. The letter made her nervous, but she was determined to sing at the performance of Faust.

The Opera House was crowded for the performance. The two managers waited for the performance to begin. They were sitting comfortably in Box 5.

Carlotta was still a little nervous, but she began to sing as usual. She received a lot of applause . Soon she forgot the mysterious letter. She gave all her thought to her singing.

Suddenly, in the middle of a difficult passage , Carlotta's voice changed.

'Croak !'

She sounded exactly like a frog croaking. She was astonished at the noise she had made, and she stood in horror on the stage. The audience, too,

was shocked. There was a terrible, stunned silence in the huge auditorium . Everyone felt that some kind of terrible magic was responsible for the incident. There was fear in the Opera House audience.

The two managers in Box 5 sat perfectly still . They were very pale and they looked terrified. They could hear the ghost breathing behind their chairs,

and they did not dare to move.

Then Monsieur Richard recovered his courage.

'Go on,' he cried to the unfortunate Carlotta. 'Go on, try again!'

The poor singer took a deep breath, and tried to sing again.

She sang half a line, but then the terrible noise came from her again.

'Croak!'

The managers were in despair . Then the breathing behind them changed,

and they heard a voice whisper:

'She will make the chandelier fall down with her singing.'

Monsieur Richard and Monsieur Moncharmin looked up at the great chandelier in horror. The huge chandelier began to fall, slowly at first. Then it crashed into the audience. There were screams of terror, and the crowd ran away from the Opera House.

A woman was killed that night.