The Odyssey: The Full Journey · chapter 5 of 10
The Land of Shadows
影子的世界
In a foggy land where the sun never shines, Odysseus asks a ghost the way home and meets someone he can never hold. Then a song from the sea begins to call his name.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 船到了世界的边上。那里没有太阳，只有雾，和很多很多影子。
Chuán dào le shìjiè de biānshàng. Nàlǐ méiyǒu tàiyáng, zhǐyǒu wù, hé hěn duō hěn duō yǐngzi.
The ship reached the edge of the world. There was no sun there, only fog, and a great many shadows.
- The Sailor 奥德修斯，我看到好多影子……他们都在看我们。
Àodéxiūsī, wǒ kàndào hǎoduō yǐngzi… tāmen dōu zài kàn wǒmen.
Odysseus, I see so many shadows... they're all watching us.
- Odysseus 别怕。他们只是影子，不会伤害我们。我们在这儿等特瑞西阿斯。
Biépà. Tāmen zhǐshì yǐngzi, búhuì shānghài wǒmen. Wǒmen zài zhèr děng Tèruìxī'āsī.
Don't be afraid. They're only shadows. We'll wait here for Tiresias.
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Odyssey: The Full Journey 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 and Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing from start to finish.
- Tiresias 奥德修斯……我知道你为什么来。你想回家。
Àodéxiūsī… wǒ zhīdào nǐ wèishénme lái. Nǐ xiǎng huíjiā.
Odysseus... I know why you have come. You want to go home.
- Odysseus 先知，请你告诉我，我能回到伊萨卡吗？
Xiānzhī, qǐng nǐ gàosù wǒ, wǒ néng huídào Yīsàkǎ ma?
Prophet, please tell me, can I get back to Ithaca?
- Tiresias 能。可是海神很生气，你的路会很长。
Néng. Kěshì hǎishén hěn shēngqì, nǐ de lù huì hěn zhǎng.
You can. But the sea god is angry, and your road will be long.
- Tiresias 你们会到太阳神的岛。那里有很多牛。无论多饿，都不要碰它们。
Nǐmen huì dào tàiyángshén de dǎo. Nàlǐ yǒu hěn duō niú. Wúlùn duō è, dōu búyào pèng tāmen.
You will come to the island of the sun god. There are many cattle there. No matter how hungry you are, do not touch them.
- Odysseus 我记住了。我的朋友们也会记住的。
Wǒ jìzhù le. Wǒ de péngyǒumen yě huì jìzhù de.
I'll remember. My friends will remember too.
- Tiresias 如果你们碰了，朋友们都回不了家。你自己，很晚很晚才到家。
Rúguǒ nǐmen pèng le, péngyǒumen dōu huí bùliǎo jiā. Nǐ zìjǐ, hěn wǎn hěn wǎn cái dào jiā.
If you touch them, your friends will never get home. And you yourself will get home very, very late.
- Tiresias 到家以后，你家里会有很多坏人。你要很小心。
Dào jiā yǐhòu, nǐ jiālǐ huì yǒu hěn duō huàirén. Nǐ yào hěn xiǎoxīn.
When you get home, your house will be full of bad men. You must be very careful.
- Anticleia 我的孩子……是你吗？
Wǒ de háizi… shì nǐ ma?
My child... is it you?
- Odysseus 妈妈！你怎么在这儿？我走的时候，你还好好的。
Māma! Nǐ zěnme zài zhèr? Wǒ zǒu de shíhòu, nǐ hái hǎohǎo de.
Mother! Why are you here? When I left, you were well.
- Anticleia 我太想你了，孩子。你的太太一直在等你，你的儿子也长大了。
Wǒ tài xiǎng nǐ le, háizi. Nǐ de tàitai yìzhí zài děng nǐ, nǐ de érzi yě zhǎngdà le.
I missed you too much, child. Your wife is still waiting for you, and your son has grown up.
- Odysseus 我想抱抱你……可是，我抓不到你。
Wǒ xiǎng bàobào nǐ… kěshì, wǒ zhuā búdào nǐ.
I want to hold you... but I can't catch hold of you.
- Anticleia 别哭。我们的世界不一样。去吧，快回家。
Biékū. Wǒmen de shìjiè bù yíyàng. Qù ba, kuài huíjiā.
Don't cry. Our worlds are different. Go, hurry home.
- Odysseus 我会的，妈妈。我一定会回家。
Wǒ huì de, māma. Wǒ yídìng huì huíjiā.
I will, Mother. I will get home, I promise.
- Odysseus 朋友们，喀耳刻说，前面有两个海上的女人。她们的歌太美，听的人会忘记回家。
Péngyǒumen, Kā'ěrkè shuō, qiánmiàn yǒu liǎng gè hǎishàng de nǚrén. Tāmen de gē tài měi, tīng de rén huì wàngjì huíjiā.
Friends, Circe says there are two women of the sea ahead. Their song is so beautiful that anyone who hears it forgets to go home.
- Odysseus 你们用蜡塞住耳朵。把我绑在船中间的柱子上，让我一个人听。
Nǐmen yòng là sāizhù ěrduǒ. Bǎ wǒ bǎng zài chuán zhōngjiān de zhùzi shàng, ràng wǒ yí gè rén tīng.
Plug your ears with wax. Tie me to the post in the middle of the ship, so I can hear it alone.
- The Sailor 你想听？你不怕自己会跳到海里去吗？
Nǐ xiǎng tīng? Nǐ búpà zìjǐ huì tiào dào hǎilǐ qù ma?
You want to hear it? Aren't you scared?
- Odysseus 我怕。可是我想知道，那是什么样的歌。绑紧一点！
Wǒ pà. Kěshì wǒ xiǎng zhīdào, nà shì shénme yàng de gē. Bǎngjǐn yìdiǎn!
I am. But I want to know what kind of song it is. Tie me tighter!
- The Sailor 绑好了！奥德修斯，你听到歌以后，千万别哭啊。
Bǎng hǎo le! Àodéxiūsī, nǐ tīngdào gē yǐhòu, qiānwànbié kū a.
All tied! Odysseus, please don't cry.
- The Sirens 奥德修斯，过来吧。我们知道你所有的事。
Àodéxiūsī, guòlái ba. Wǒmen zhīdào nǐ suǒyǒu de shì.
Odysseus, come closer. We know everything about you.
- The Sirens 你累了，十年了。留下来，听我们唱歌，你不用再回家。
Nǐ lèi le, shí nián le. Liúxiàlái, tīng wǒmen chànggē, nǐ búyòng zài huíjiā.
You are tired. It has been ten years. Stay and listen to us sing. You don't need to go home anymore.
- Odysseus 放开我！我要去！朋友们，放开我！
Fàngkāi wǒ! Wǒ yào qù! Péngyǒumen, fàngkāi wǒ!
Let me go! I want to go to them! Friends, let me go!
- The Sailor 我听不见！我耳朵里有蜡！你在喊什么？绳子我绑得紧紧的！
Wǒ tīngbújiàn! Wǒ ěrduǒ lǐ yǒu là! Nǐ zài hǎn shénme? Shéngzi wǒ bǎng de jǐnjǐn de!
I can't hear! What are you shouting? I tied the rope nice and tight!
- The Sirens 别走……别走……
Bié zǒu… bié zǒu…
Don't go... don't go...
- Odysseus 歌远了……我还在。朋友们，谢谢你们。
Gē yuǎn le… wǒ hái zài. Péngyǒumen, xièxie nǐmen.
The song is fading... I'm still here. Friends, thank you.
- The Sailor 我把蜡拿出来了！奥德修斯，你没有跳海，太好了！我还以为你要游到她们那里去！
Wǒ bǎ là ná chūlái le! Àodéxiūsī, nǐ méiyǒu tiàohǎi, tàihǎo le! Wǒ hái yǐwéi nǐ yào yóu dào tāmen nàlǐ qù!
My ears! Odysseus, you didn't jump into the sea. Thank goodness!
- Odysseus 先别高兴。前面还有两个更可怕的地方。
Xiān bié gāoxìng. Qiánmiàn hái yǒu liǎng gè gèng kěpà de dìfāng.
Don't celebrate yet. There are two even scarier places ahead.
- The Sailor 更可怕的？是什么？
Gèng kěpà de? Shì shénme?
Scarier? What are they?
- Odysseus 一边有六个头的怪物，一边有能吞船的大漩涡。我们要从中间过去。
Yìbiān yǒu liù gè tóu de guàiwù, yìbiān yǒu néng tūn chuán de dà xuánwō. Wǒmen yào cóng zhōngjiān guòqù.
On one side, a monster with six heads. On the other, a huge whirlpool that swallows ships. We have to pass between them.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What must the sailors never touch, according to Tiresias?
“无论多饿，都不要碰它们。”
- Why does Odysseus cry when he meets his mother?
“我想抱抱你……可是，我抓不到你。”
- What do Odysseus's men put in their ears?
“你们用蜡塞住耳朵。”
- Why does Odysseus have himself tied to the post?
“我怕。可是我想知道，那是什么样的歌。绑紧一点！”
- What does the sailor mean by “I can't hear! What are you shouting?”
“我听不见！我耳朵里有蜡！你在喊什么？”