Hercules · chapter 3 of 5
The Dirty Stables
牛的家
Three thousand cows and thirty years of dirt: Hercules gets one day. He does not use a shovel, and the king is still not happy.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 牛的家在山下，是奥革阿斯的家。
Niú de jiā zài shānxià, shì Àogé'āsī de jiā.
The cows' home was at the foot of the hill. It belonged to Augeas.
- Hercules 啊，这是什么味道？我想走开！
A, zhè shì shénme wèidao? Wǒ xiǎng zǒukāi!
Ah, what is that smell? I want to leave!
- Hercules 哪儿都是脏东西，我怎么走进去？
Nǎr dōu shì zāng dōngxi, wǒ zěnme zǒu jìnqù?
There's dirt everywhere. How do I even walk in?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Hercules is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Augeas 你是大力士吗？我有三千头牛。
Nǐ shì dàlìshì ma? Wǒ yǒu sānqiān tóu niú.
Are you the strongman? I have three thousand cows.
- Augeas 三十年了，没有人洗过这个地方！
Sānshí nián le, méiyǒu rén xǐ guo zhège dìfang!
Thirty years, and nobody has cleaned this place!
- Hercules 一天洗干净？这怎么可能！
Yì tiān xǐ gānjìng? Zhè zěnme kěnéng!
Clean in one day? How is that possible!
- Augeas 如果你一天洗干净了，我给你十头牛。
Rúguǒ nǐ yì tiān xǐ gānjìng le, wǒ gěi nǐ shí tóu niú.
If you get it clean in one day, I'll give you ten cows.
- Hercules 好，我们说好了！十头牛，一头也不能少！
Hǎo, wǒmen shuō hǎo le! Shí tóu niú, yì tóu yě bù néng shǎo!
Good, we have a deal! Ten cows, not one less!
- Hercules 我一个人拿不了这么多脏东西……
Wǒ yí gè rén ná bù liǎo zhème duō zāng dōngxi…
I can't carry away this much dirt alone…
- Hercules 水！我要水！山旁边有两条大河！
Shuǐ! Wǒ yào shuǐ! Shān pángbiān yǒu liǎng tiáo dà hé!
Water! I need water! There are two big rivers beside the hill!
- Hercules 河水，你们来帮我吧，一、二、三！
Héshuǐ, nǐmen lái bāng wǒ ba, yī, èr, sān!
Rivers, come and help me! One, two, three!
- Hercules 河水来了！你们快看，水来了！
Héshuǐ lái le! Nǐmen kuài kàn, shuǐ lái le!
The water is coming! Look, look, the water is here!
- Hercules 脏东西都走了，牛也都很高兴！
Zāng dōngxi dōu zǒu le, niú yě dōu hěn gāoxìng!
The dirt is all gone, and the cows are happy!
- Hercules 我一点也不累，我的手也很干净！
Wǒ yìdiǎn yě bú lèi, wǒ de shǒu yě hěn gānjìng!
I'm not tired at all, and my hands are clean too!
- Augeas 什么？已经干净了？这怎么可能！
Shénme? Yǐjīng gānjìng le? Zhè zěnme kěnéng!
What? Already clean? How is that possible!
- Augeas 我……我不给你牛了，你走吧。
Wǒ… wǒ bù gěi nǐ niú le, nǐ zǒu ba.
I… I won't give you the cows. Just go.
- Hercules 奥革阿斯，你说好了要给我十头牛！
Àogé'āsī, nǐ shuō hǎo le yào gěi wǒ shí tóu niú!
Augeas, you promised to give me ten cows!
- Augeas 我没有牛给你！走吧，走吧！
Wǒ méiyǒu niú gěi nǐ! Zǒu ba, zǒu ba!
I have no cows for you! Go away, go away!
- Hercules 好，我不要你的牛了。国王在等我。
Hǎo, wǒ bú yào nǐ de niú le. Guówáng zài děng wǒ.
Fine, I don't want your cows. The king is waiting for me.
- King Eurystheus 赫拉克勒斯！这一件也不能算！
Hèlākèlèsī! Zhè yí jiàn yě bù néng suàn!
Hercules! This one doesn't count either!
- Hercules 为什么不能算？这是我一个人做的！
Wèishénme bù néng suàn? Zhè shì wǒ yí gè rén zuò de!
Why not? I did it all by myself!
- King Eurystheus 是河水做的，不是你做的！
Shì héshuǐ zuò de, bú shì nǐ zuò de!
The rivers did it, not you!
- Hercules 国王，你今天的话真多。
Guówáng, nǐ jīntiān de huà zhēn duō.
King, you have a lot to say today.
- King Eurystheus 你听着，我有新的事给你做！
Nǐ tīngzhe, wǒ yǒu xīn de shì gěi nǐ zuò!
Listen, I have a new task for you!
- King Eurystheus 很远很远的地方，有一个金苹果树。
Hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn de dìfang, yǒu yí gè jīn píngguǒ shù.
Far, far away there is a tree of golden apples.
- Hercules 金苹果？那是什么？
Jīn píngguǒ? Nà shì shénme?
Golden apples? What are those?
- King Eurystheus 我想吃！可是没有人回来过……
Wǒ xiǎng chī! Kěshì méiyǒu rén huílái guo…
I want to eat one! But nobody has ever come back…
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How many cows does Augeas have?
“你是大力士吗？我有三千头牛。”
- What does Augeas promise if the place is clean in one day?
“如果你一天洗干净了，我给你十头牛。”
- How does Hercules clean the yard?
“水！我要水！山旁边有两条大河！”
- What does Augeas do when the yard is clean?
“我……我不给你牛了，你走吧。”
- Why does the king say this task does not count?
“是河水做的，不是你做的！”