The chess players 2 11. Then Chao Yen realizes* that the two players must be spirits, not ordinary men. The numbers they are calling out must be the years of a man's life. He jumps up* and runs towards* them. 12. "Who are you?" he asks. "And what game* are you playing?" The two men look up*. "What are you doing here?" asks one of them. "I was asleep*," says Chao Yen, "and I slept* too long. But please tell me what game you are playing." 13. "Very well," says the man, smiling. "But you must not tell anyone else*. I am the spirit of the Great Bear*, those seven stars that you can see every night in the sky, and my friend is the God of Long Life*... 14. . . . He fixes the date when every human being is born*, and I must fix the date when every human being dies. So we are playing chess to decide how long each child born today will live." 15. "I am sure you can help me," says Chao Yen. "It is my fate* to die when I am nineteen, and I will be nineteen in a few weeks. Please will you play for my life again, making it just a little longer?" 16. The two chess players shake their heads*. "Alas," says the God of Long Life, "the numbers are written in the sacred books and no one can erase them*." 17. "But surely there is something you can do," says Chao Yen. "Just a few years longer. Look," — and he points to* the two deer he has killed* — "every year I live, every month I live, I shall bring you* offerings of meat*." 18. The God of Long Life hesitates, and then suddenly he laughs*. "Of course* I can do something," he says. "No one, it is true*, can erase the numbers in the sacred books. But I shall reverse* them so that instead of reading* "nineteen" (19), they read "ninety-one" (91). 19. Chao Yen falls on his knees* and bows his head* to the ground* nine times*. When he looks up, he is alone*. The two chess players, and the two deer, have vanished*. 20. Chao Yen lives for ninety-one years. Every month he goes to the temples of the God of Long Life and the Spirit of the Great Bear, and he brings them offerings of meat. He often goes hunting in the mountains, but he never sees the two chess players again. 11. To realize (i-ai) Se rendre compte, réaliser. To jump up. Towards Se lever d'un bond. Vers. 12.What game (ei). To look up A quel jeu. Lever les yeux. Asleep. I slept Endormi. J'ai dormi 13.Anyone else (A) personne d'autre. The Great (ei) Bear (e) La Grande Ourse. The God of Long Life (ai) Le Dieu de Longue Vie. 14.The date when... is born La date où... naît. 15.My fate (ei) Mon destin. 16.Shake (ei) their heads Secouent la tète. No one can erase (i-ei) them Personne ne peut les effacer. 17.He points to Il montre du doigt. He has killed Qu'il a tués. I shall bring you Je vous apporterai. Offerings of meat Des offrandes de viande. 18.To laugh (a:). Of course Rire. Bien sûr. It is true. To reverse C'est vrai. Inverser. So that instead of reading Afin qu'au lieu de se lire. 19.Falls on his knees Tombe à genoux. Bows (au) his head Baisse, incline la tète. To the ground (au). Jusqu'au sol Nine times. Neuf fois. Alone. Have vanished Seul. Ont disparu.