Hercules · chapter 4 of 5
The Golden Apples
金苹果
At the top of the world stands a man holding up the sky. Hercules offers to help, but Atlas has a sneaky plan of his own.
Read what you hear
- Hercules 好高的山，天好近啊！
Hǎo gāo de shān, tiān hǎo jìn a!
What a high mountain, and the sky is so close!
- Hercules 那边有一个人，他好大啊！
Nàbiān yǒu yí gè rén, tā hǎo dà a!
There's a man over there, and he's huge!
- Hercules 老人家，你在那儿做什么？
Lǎorenjia, nǐ zài nàr zuò shénme?
Old sir, what are you doing over there?
Chapter 4 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.
- Atlas 我叫阿特拉斯，我在拿着天。
Wǒ jiào Ātèlāsī, wǒ zài názhe tiān.
My name is Atlas. I am holding up the sky.
- Hercules 拿着天？你是说真的吗？
Názhe tiān? Nǐ shì shuō zhēn de ma?
Holding up the sky? Are you serious?
- Atlas 天很重，我拿了很多很多年，我好累。
Tiān hěn zhòng, wǒ ná le hěn duō hěn duō nián, wǒ hǎo lèi.
The sky is heavy. I have held it for many, many years, and I'm so tired.
- Hercules 阿特拉斯，你知道金苹果在哪儿吗？
Ātèlāsī, nǐ zhīdào jīn píngguǒ zài nǎr ma?
Atlas, do you know where the golden apples are?
- Atlas 金苹果在我家那边，我去拿很快。
Jīn píngguǒ zài wǒ jiā nàbiān, wǒ qù ná hěn kuài.
The golden apples are near my house. It's quick for me to fetch them.
- Atlas 可是天怎么办？没有人拿着它……
Kěshì tiān zěnme bàn? Méiyǒu rén názhe tā…
But what about the sky? No one would be holding it…
- Hercules 我来拿吧，我的力气也很大！
Wǒ lái ná ba, wǒ de lìqi yě hěn dà!
I'll hold it. I'm very strong too!
- Atlas 你要小心，它真的很重！
Nǐ yào xiǎoxīn, tā zhēn de hěn zhòng!
Be careful, it's really heavy!
- Hercules 啊……真重！可是我可以，你去吧！
A… zhēn zhòng! Kěshì wǒ kěyǐ, nǐ qù ba!
Ah… so heavy! But I can do it. Go!
- Atlas 谢谢你，我很快就回来！
Xièxie nǐ, wǒ hěn kuài jiù huílái!
Thank you, I'll be back very soon!
- Atlas 我能走路了！风、树、花，我都好久没有看到了！
Wǒ néng zǒulù le! Fēng, shù, huā, wǒ dōu hǎojiǔ méiyǒu kàndào le!
I can walk! Wind, trees, flowers, I haven't seen them in ages!
- Atlas 这里有三个金苹果，我都拿上。
Zhèlǐ yǒu sān gè jīn píngguǒ, wǒ dōu ná shàng.
Here are three golden apples. I'll take them all.
- Atlas 我不想回去了，让他拿着天吧！
Wǒ bù xiǎng huíqù le, ràng tā názhe tiān ba!
I don't want to go back. Let him hold the sky!
- Atlas 苹果我自己给国王，我不要别人帮我。
Píngguǒ wǒ zìjǐ gěi guówáng, wǒ bú yào biéren bāng wǒ.
I'll give the apples to the king myself. I don't need anyone's help.
- Hercules 阿特拉斯，你在哪儿？我好累啊！
Ātèlāsī, nǐ zài nǎr? Wǒ hǎo lèi a!
Atlas, where are you? I'm so tired!
- Atlas 我回来了，朋友，谢谢你。
Wǒ huílái le, péngyou, xièxie nǐ.
I'm back, friend. Thank you.
- Atlas 苹果我自己给国王，你拿着天吧。
Píngguǒ wǒ zìjǐ gěi guówáng, nǐ názhe tiān ba.
I'll give the apples to the king myself. You keep holding the sky.
- Hercules 什么？……好，好，没有问题。
Shénme? …Hǎo, hǎo, méiyǒu wèntí.
What? …Fine, fine, no problem.
- Hercules 可是我的头好疼。我想拿一件衣服，放在头上。
Kěshì wǒ de tóu hǎo téng. Wǒ xiǎng ná yí jiàn yīfu, fàng zài tóu shang.
But my head hurts. I want to get a coat and put it on my head.
- Hercules 你拿一下天，好吗？一下就好。
Nǐ ná yíxià tiān, hǎo ma? Yíxià jiù hǎo.
Will you hold the sky for a moment? Just a moment.
- Atlas 一下？好吧，给我。
Yíxià? Hǎo ba, gěi wǒ.
A moment? All right, give it here.
- Hercules 谢谢你，阿特拉斯，再见！
Xièxie nǐ, Ātèlāsī, zàijiàn!
Thank you, Atlas. Goodbye!
- Atlas 等一下！赫拉克勒斯，你回来！
Děng yíxià! Hèlākèlèsī, nǐ huílái!
Wait! Hercules, come back!
- Hercules 我的朋友，天是你的，你拿好吧！
Wǒ de péngyou, tiān shì nǐ de, nǐ ná hǎo ba!
My friend, the sky is yours. Hold it well!
- Messenger 大力士！国王说话了！
Dàlìshì! Guówáng shuōhuà le!
Strongman! The king has spoken!
- Messenger 最后一件事，去地下，找一只有三个头的大狗！
Zuìhòu yí jiàn shì, qù dìxià, zhǎo yì zhī yǒu sān gè tóu de dà gǒu!
The last task: go under the earth and find a dog with three heads!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is Atlas doing when Hercules finds him?
“我叫阿特拉斯，我在拿着天。”
- What does Hercules offer to do?
“我来拿吧，我的力气也很大！”
- What does Atlas want when he comes back?
“苹果我自己给国王，你拿着天吧。”
- What does Hercules say he wants to get?
“可是我的头好疼。我想拿一件衣服，放在头上。”
- What is the king's last task?
“最后一件事，去地下，找一只有三个头的大狗！”