木兰的勇敢旅程
Mulan's Brave Journey
Page 1
安静的织布机
The Silent Loom
Mulan sits quietly at her loom with her parents nearby.
一天早上，Mùlán · 《木兰诗》中代父从军的女子。坐在织布机旁，却没有织布。前一天晚上，一位送信的人带来了皇帝的命令：木兰的父亲必须参军，跟着军队去打仗。
木兰的弟弟还是个孩子，家里也没有哥哥可以代替父亲。为了这件事，她想了整整一夜。最后，木兰开口了：“我去。我替父亲从军。”
父母惊讶地看着她。前面的路一定很危险，谁也不知道战争会持续多久。可是木兰已经作出了决定。
One morning, Mùlán · 木兰 · The young woman in the Ballad of Mulan who joins the army in her father's place. sat at her loom, but she did not weave. The night before, a messenger had brought an order from the emperor: Mulan's father must join the army and go to war.
Mulan's little brother was still a child, and she had no older brother who could go in her father's place. She had thought about the notice all night. At last, she spoke. “I will go,” Mulan said. “I will take Father's place.”
Her parents stared at her. The journey would be dangerous, and no one knew how long the war might last. But Mulan had made up her mind.
Page 2
向北的远路
The Road North
Mulan looks back toward home as she begins her long ride north.
第二天，木兰来到市场，买了一匹马，又准备好马鞍、垫子、缰绳和长鞭。到了晚上，一切都准备好了。
太阳升起时，木兰告别家人，骑马离开。走出村庄以后，她最后回头望了一眼。家人、房屋，还有门边的织布机，全都留在了身后。
木兰骑了一整天，夜里停在Huáng Hé · 流经中国北方、携带大量泥沙的大河。边。她再也听不见父母的声音，只听见河水在黑暗中不停地流。
第二天早晨，她继续向北走。道路越过山坡，穿过一道道山口。又到了夜里，远处传来了战马的嘶鸣声。
家从来没有这样遥远。
The next day, Mulan went to the market. She bought a horse, a saddle and blanket, a bridle, and a riding whip. By evening, everything was ready.
At sunrise, she said goodbye to her family and rode away. Outside the village, Mulan turned for one last look. Her family, her home, and the loom by the door were all behind her now.
She rode until nightfall and stopped beside the Huáng Hé · 黄河 · The great northern Chinese river known for carrying large amounts of silt.. She could no longer hear her parents' voices. All she heard was the river rushing through the darkness.
The next morning, Mulan rode on. The road led north, across hills and through mountain passes. By the following night, she could hear the distant cries of warhorses.
Home had never felt so far away.
Page 3
漫长的战争
The Long Years of War
Mulan rides with the army during the long years of war.
木兰跟着军队走过千山万水。她骑马穿过广阔的原野，翻越陡峭的山路，经历了一场又一场战斗。
白天很辛苦，夜里又冷得刺骨。大多数士兵睡下以后，守夜的人还要在黑暗的营地里来回巡逻，报出时辰。月光照在他们冰冷的铁甲上。
一年又一年过去了。有些士兵再也没有回来，活下来的人只能继续向前。
伙伴们渐渐发现，木兰是一位可以信赖的战友。她和大家一起战斗，一起守夜，也一起面对危险。
可是，没有一个人知道木兰是一位女子。
Mulan traveled thousands of miles with the army. She rode across open plains, climbed steep mountain roads, and faced one battle after another.
The days were hard, and the nights were bitterly cold. After most of the soldiers went to sleep, guards walked through the dark camp and called out the time. Moonlight flashed across their iron armor.
Years passed. Some soldiers never returned. Those who survived kept moving forward.
The other soldiers learned that they could depend on Mulan. She fought beside them, stood guard beside them, and shared every danger they faced.
Yet none of them knew that Mulan was a woman.
Page 4
木兰想要的奖赏
The Reward She Wanted
战争终于结束了。皇帝称赞木兰的功劳，想让她留在皇宫里做一份重要的工作。木兰感谢了皇帝，可她很清楚自己想要什么。
“我只想回家，”她说。皇帝答应了，还为她准备了一匹赶路的马。
木兰骑上马，再次踏上长路。第一次走过这条路时，每走一里，她就离家更远一点。现在，每走一里，她都离家更近一点。
At last, the war ended. The emperor praised Mulan and offered her an important job at the palace. Mulan thanked him, but she knew what she wanted.
“I only want to go home,” she said. The emperor agreed and gave her a horse for the journey.
Mulan climbed onto the horse and began the long journey again. The first time she had traveled this road, every mile carried her farther from home. Now every mile brought her closer.
Page 5
门口的惊喜
The Surprise at the Door
The soldiers who fought beside Mulan are amazed when they see her at home.
木兰的家人听说她要回来，赶紧为她准备。父母走出城外迎接她，姐姐换上了庆祝团聚的衣裳，弟弟忙着准备一桌饭菜。木兰终于到家了。
她走进从前的房间，脱下出征时穿的衣服，换回原来的衣裳，又重新梳好头发。然后，她走了出去。军中的伙伴全都愣住了。
这么多年来，他们和木兰一起骑马、一起战斗，还把自己的性命交给过她。可是，没有一个人知道木兰是一位女子。
“木兰？”终于有一个人开口问。木兰笑了。她还是那个和伙伴们一起翻山越岭、熬过漫长战争的朋友，只是换了一身衣裳。
很快，大家的惊讶变成了笑声。所有人一起走进屋里，庆祝木兰平安回家。
When Mulan's family heard that she was coming, they hurried to prepare. Her parents walked outside the town to meet her. Her older sister dressed for the celebration, and her little brother helped prepare a feast. Mulan was finally home.
She went into her old room and changed out of her army clothes. She put on the clothes she had worn before the war and fixed her hair. Then she stepped outside. The soldiers who had fought beside her stared.
For years, they had ridden with Mulan, fought beside her, and trusted her with their lives. Not one of them had known that she was a woman.
“Mulan?” one of them finally said. Mulan smiled. She was still the same friend who had crossed mountains and survived the long war beside them. Only her clothes had changed.
Soon their surprise gave way to laughter, and everyone went inside to celebrate Mulan's return.
两只奔跑的兔子
Two Rabbits Running
古老的《木兰诗》最后留下了一个有趣的问题：一只雄兔和一只雌兔安静地待在一起时，也许你能把它们分清。可是，当两只兔子一起贴着地面飞奔时，谁还能一眼看出哪一只是雄兔，哪一只是雌兔呢？
木兰的伙伴一直不知道她是一位女子。可是，他们知道她很勇敢，也知道遇到危险时可以依靠她。
离家多年以后，木兰终于回到了自己最想回到的地方。她到家了。
The old song of Mulan ends with a playful question. If a male rabbit and a female rabbit are sitting side by side, perhaps you can tell them apart. But when they race across the ground together, who can say which is which?
The other soldiers had never known that Mulan was a woman. But they knew she was brave, and they knew they could count on her when danger came.
After many years away, Mulan was finally where she wanted to be. She was home.