Hercules · chapter 1 of 5
The Baby and the Snakes
两条蛇
A baby wins a wrestling match with two snakes, and a jealous goddess swears he will suffer. Twenty years later a nervous king sends him after a lion no weapon can hurt.
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- Narrator 很久以前，希腊有一个小男孩。他叫赫拉克勒斯。
Hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Xīlà yǒu yí gè xiǎo nánhái. Tā jiào Hèlākèlèsī.
Long ago in Greece, there was a little boy. His name was Hercules.
- Alcmene 孩子，你睡了吗？妈妈来看你了。
Háizi, nǐ shuì le ma? Māma lái kàn nǐ le.
Child, are you asleep? Mama has come to see you.
- Alcmene 啊，床上有蛇，有两条大蛇！
A, chuáng shàng yǒu shé, yǒu liǎng tiáo dà shé!
Ah, there are snakes on the bed, two big snakes!
- Alcmene 孩子，你别动，妈妈来帮你！
Háizi, nǐ bié dòng, māma lái bāng nǐ!
Child, don't move, Mama is coming to help you!
- Baby Hercules 啊，啊！好玩，好玩！
A, a! Hǎowán, hǎowán!
Ah, ah! Fun, fun!
- Alcmene 你在笑吗？你的手上有两条大蛇啊！
Nǐ zài xiào ma? Nǐ de shǒu shàng yǒu liǎng tiáo dà shé a!
You're laughing? You have two big snakes in your hands!
- Baby Hercules 蛇，蛇！我玩，我玩！
Shé, shé! Wǒ wán, wǒ wán!
Snake, snake! I play, I play!
- Alcmene 你的手上好有力气……蛇都不动了。
Nǐ de shǒu shàng hǎo yǒu lìqi… Shé dōu bú dòng le.
Your hands are so strong… The snakes aren't moving at all.
- Narrator 这两条蛇，是天上的女神赫拉送来的。
Zhè liǎng tiáo shé, shì tiān shàng de nǚshén Hèlā sòng lái de.
Those two snakes were sent by Hera, a goddess of the sky.
- Hera 一个小孩子，就有这么大的力气？
Yí gè xiǎo háizi, jiù yǒu zhème dà de lìqi?
A little child, and already so strong?
- Hera 我不喜欢他，因为他是宙斯的孩子。
Wǒ bù xǐhuan tā, yīnwèi tā shì Zhòusī de háizi.
I don't like him, because he is Zeus's child.
- Hera 我是天上的女神，我要让他很累很累！
Wǒ shì tiān shàng de nǚshén, wǒ yào ràng tā hěn lèi hěn lèi!
I am a goddess of the sky, and I will make him so tired!
- Hera 我要让他做很多很难的事，让他哭！
Wǒ yào ràng tā zuò hěn duō hěn nán de shì, ràng tā kū!
I will make him do many, many hard things, until he cries!
- Hera 我是女神，你们等着看吧！
Wǒ shì nǚshén, nǐmen děngzhe kàn ba!
I am a goddess. Just wait and see!
- Narrator 二十年过去了。孩子长大了，成了大力士。
Èrshí nián guòqù le. Háizi zhǎng dà le, chéng le dàlìshì.
Twenty years passed. The child grew up and became a great strongman.
- Hercules 国王，我来了，您找我吗？
Guówáng, wǒ lái le, nín zhǎo wǒ ma?
King, I'm here. Did you send for me?
- King Eurystheus 赫拉克勒斯！我听说，你的力气很大！
Hèlākèlèsī! Wǒ tīngshuō, nǐ de lìqi hěn dà!
Hercules! I have heard that you are very strong!
- Hercules 谢谢您，国王，我要做什么事？
Xièxie nín, guówáng, wǒ yào zuò shénme shì?
Thank you, King. What must I do?
- King Eurystheus 你要做十二件事，一件也不能少！
Nǐ yào zuò shí'èr jiàn shì, yí jiàn yě bù néng shǎo!
You must do twelve tasks, and not one less!
- Hercules 十二件？好，第一件是什么？
Shí'èr jiàn? Hǎo, dì-yī jiàn shì shénme?
Twelve? Fine. What is the first?
- King Eurystheus 第一件不难……有一只大狮子。
Dì-yī jiàn bù nán… yǒu yì zhī dà shīzi.
The first is very easy… There is a big lion.
- Hercules 狮子？它在哪儿？
Shīzi? Tā zài nǎr?
A lion? Where is it?
- King Eurystheus 在尼米亚。什么都打不了它，谁去都不行。
Zài Nímǐyà. Shénme dōu dǎ bù liǎo tā, shéi qù dōu bù xíng.
In Nemea. Nothing can hurt it, and no one who goes can beat it.
- Hercules 什么都打不了它？那我去看看！
Shénme dōu dǎ bù liǎo tā? Nà wǒ qù kànkan!
Nothing can hurt it? Then I'll go and see!
- King Eurystheus 你不怕吗？
Nǐ bú pà ma?
Aren't you afraid?
- Hercules 我怕？我妈妈说，我是大力士！
Wǒ pà? Wǒ māma shuō, wǒ shì dàlìshì!
Afraid? My mother says I'm a strongman!
- King Eurystheus 去吧，去吧……
Qù ba, qù ba…
Go, go…
- King Eurystheus 没有人打得了那只狮子，你不会回来了。
Méiyǒu rén dǎ de liǎo nà zhī shīzi, nǐ bú huì huílái le.
Nobody can beat that lion. You won't be coming back.
What changed in the story?
- What did Hercules's mother find on his bed?
“啊，床上有蛇，有两条大蛇！”
- What happened to the snakes?
“你的手上好有力气……蛇都不动了。”
- Who sent the snakes?
“这两条蛇，是天上的女神赫拉送来的。”
- Why does Hera not like the boy?
“我不喜欢他，因为他是宙斯的孩子。”
- How many tasks does the king give Hercules?
“你要做十二件事，一件也不能少！”