5000-word Bedside English Learning Reader 3: The Phantom of the Opera (English-Chinese Contrastive Translation)

Author: Wang Ruoping and others
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The Phantom of the Opera is a story of a couple who overcomes adversity to finally come together, but it is also a tale of a man with a twisted and dark heart pursuing happiness throughout his life and ultimately gaining an angelic, pure soul. The rural child Erik was abandoned by his parents due to his naturally deformed appearance and endured indifference, discrimination, and exploitation. After countless creations, he saw through the hypocrisy of the world, his heart filled with hatred, and he became treacherous and cruel. Later, he secluded himself beneath the Paris Opera, becoming the feared "Phantom of the Opera." The fear of the world did not bring Erik satisfaction; he yearned for his own happiness and joy, so he composed the masterpiece Triumph of Don Juan, expressing his lifelong frustrations and hopes.
By chance, he met the pure Christine and fell deeply in love with her, realizing that winning her love was the only way to gain happiness and joy. However, due to his twisted psyche, Erik's love for the girl was filled with violence and tyranny, which Christine, already in a relationship, could not accept. The cruel Erik then began to retaliate, but Christine refused to yield even to death. However, when Erik threatened to destroy Paris, the kind-hearted girl bravely chose to sacrifice herself to save the others. This noble act made Erik realize that in the world, alongside the base falsity, evil, and ugliness, there still existed the noble truth, goodness, and beauty. His once dark heart was instantly illuminated—he gave Christine freedom, fulfilled her love with Raoul, and truly blessed her with a lifetime of happiness as an angel would. Meanwhile, he silently endured all the blows of losing Christine and died in extreme loneliness and despair.
A few days later, Christine quietly buried Erik, granting his soul peace.