The Odyssey: The Full Journey · chapter 8 of 10
The Raft and the Princess
木筏和公主
After seven years on a goddess's island, Odysseus builds a raft, but the sea god is waiting for him. A princess with a red ball finds a very muddy stranger.
Read what you hear
- Calypso 奥德修斯，你又在看海？七年了，我给你吃，给你穿，你想要什么，我都给你。
Àodéxiūsī, nǐ yòu zài kàn hǎi? Qī nián le, wǒ gěi nǐ chī, gěi nǐ chuān, nǐ xiǎngyào shénme, wǒ dōu gěi nǐ.
Odysseus, staring at the sea again? For seven years I've given you food and clothes. Whatever you want, I'll give you.
- Odysseus 我什么都有，只是没有家。
Wǒ shénme dōu yǒu, zhǐshì méiyǒu jiā.
I have everything, except a home.
- Calypso 留下来吧。我可以让你永远不老，永远不会死。
Liúxiàlái ba. Wǒ kěyǐ ràng nǐ yǒngyuǎn bù lǎo, yǒngyuǎn búhuì sǐ.
Stay. I can make you never grow old, never die.
Chapter 8 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.
- Odysseus 你对我很好。可是每天晚上，我都想我的太太，想我的儿子。
Nǐ duì wǒ hěn hǎo. Kěshì měitiān wǎnshàng, wǒ dōu xiǎng wǒ de tàitai, xiǎng wǒ de érzi.
You are very good to me. But every night I think of my wife and my son.
- Calypso 七年了……我还是没有你的心。
Qī nián le… wǒ háishì méiyǒu nǐ de xīn.
Seven years... and I still don't have your heart.
- Hermes 卡吕普索！我从天上来，带来一句话。众神之王说：放他走。
Kǎlǚpǔsuǒ! Wǒ cóng tiānshàng lái, dàilái yíjù huà. Zhòng shén zhī wáng shuō: fàng tā zǒu.
Calypso! I come from the sky with a message. The king of the gods says: let him go.
- Calypso 众神总是这样……好吧。奥德修斯，你可以走了。
Zhòng shén zǒngshì zhèyàng… hǎo ba. Àodéxiūsī, nǐ kěyǐ zǒu le.
The gods are always like this... All right. Odysseus, you may go.
- Odysseus 真的吗？我可以回家了？
Zhēnde ma? Wǒ kěyǐ huíjiā le?
Really? I can go home?
- Calypso 去吧。你自己做一条木筏，我给你斧头和食物。
Qù ba. Nǐ zìjǐ zuò yì tiáo mùfá, wǒ gěi nǐ fǔtóu hé shíwù.
Go. Build yourself a raft, and I'll give you an axe and food.
- Odysseus 谢谢你，卡吕普索。你是个好人，我不会忘记你。
Xièxie nǐ, Kǎlǚpǔsuǒ. Nǐ shì gè hǎorén, wǒ búhuì wàngjì nǐ.
Thank you, Calypso. You are a good person. I won't forget you.
- Calypso 忘了我吧。回去，好好爱你的太太。
Wàng le wǒ ba. Huíqù, hǎohǎo ài nǐ de tàitai.
Forget me. Go back and love your wife well.
- Hermes 快做木筏吧，天气好得很。风会送你一程。
Kuài zuò mùfá ba, tiānqì hǎo de hěn. Fēng huì sòng nǐ yìchéng.
Go build your raft, the weather is lovely. The wind will carry you a good way.
- Narrator 木筏做好了，可是海神看见了他。一阵大风，木筏碎了。奥德修斯游了两天两夜，才游到一个岛的岸边。
Mùfá zuòhǎo le, kěshì hǎishén kànjiàn le tā. Yí zhèn dàfēng, mùfá suì le. Àodéxiūsī yóu le liǎng tiān liǎngyè, cái yóu dào yí gè dǎo de ànbiān.
The raft was finished, but the sea god saw him. A great wind smashed the raft to pieces. Odysseus swam for two days and two nights before he reached the shore of an island.
- Nausicaa 接球！……啊！球飞到树后面去了！
Jiēqiú!… A! Qiú fēi dào shù hòumiàn qù le!
Catch! Oh! The ball flew behind the tree!
- Odysseus 公主，请你别怕。我是一个船坏了的人，没有衣服，也没有吃的。
Gōngzhǔ, qǐng nǐ biépà. Wǒ shì yí gè chuán huài le de rén, méiyǒu yīfú, yě méiyǒu chī de.
Princess, please don't be afraid. I'm a shipwrecked man with no clothes and nothing to eat.
- Nausicaa 你别怕。这里是我父亲的国家。我给你衣服和面包。
Nǐ biépà. Zhèlǐ shì wǒ fùqīn de guójiā. Wǒ gěi nǐ yīfú hé miànbāo.
Don't be afraid. This is my father's kingdom. I'll give you clothes and bread.
- Odysseus 谢谢你，公主。你救了我。
Xièxie nǐ, gōngzhǔ. Nǐ jiù le wǒ.
Thank you, Princess. You saved me.
- Nausicaa 快去洗一洗吧。你现在看起来像一条泥鱼！
Kuài qù xǐ yì xǐ ba. Nǐ xiànzài kànqǐlái xiàng yì tiáo ní yú!
Go and wash up. You look like a muddy fish right now!
- Odysseus 哈哈，我已经很久没有看到镜子了。
Hāhā, wǒ yǐjīng hěnjiǔméi yǒu kàndào jìngzi le.
Ha ha, I haven't seen a mirror in a very long time.
- Nausicaa 你去我们的大房子，先见我母亲，再见我父亲。记住了吗？
Nǐ qù wǒmen de dàfángzi, xiānjiàn wǒ mǔqīn, zàijiàn wǒ fùqīn. Jìzhù le ma?
Go to our big house. See my mother first, then my father. Got it?
- Odysseus 记住了。公主，你是一个好心人。
Jìzhù le. Gōngzhǔ, nǐ shì yí gè hǎoxīnrén.
Got it. Princess, you are a kind person.
- Nausicaa 好心人？我只是不想让你在我的沙滩上哭！
Hǎoxīnrén? Wǒ zhǐshì bùxiǎng ràng nǐ zài wǒ de shātān shàng kū!
Kind? I just don't want you crying on my beach!
- Alcinous 欢迎，陌生人！我女儿说，你是海里来的客人。你是谁？
Huānyíng, mòshēngrén! Wǒ nǚ'ér shuō, nǐ shì hǎilǐ lái de kèrén. Nǐ shì shéi?
Welcome, stranger! My daughter says you are a guest from the sea. Who are you?
- Odysseus 大王，我先吃饭，再告诉你。我是一个很累的人。
Dàwáng, wǒ xiān chīfàn, zài gàosù nǐ. Wǒ shì yí gè hěn lèi de rén.
Great king, let me eat first, and then I'll tell you. I am a very tired man.
- Alcinous 哈哈！好，先吃，先吃！这里没有人会饿着。
Hāhā! Hǎo, xiān chī, xiān chī! Zhèlǐ méiyǒu rén huì è zhe.
Ha ha! Good, eat first, eat first! Nobody goes hungry here.
- Odysseus 大王，我想回伊萨卡。你的国家有船，你能送我吗？
Dàwáng, wǒ xiǎng huí Yīsàkǎ. Nǐ de guójiā yǒu chuán, nǐ néng sòng wǒ ma?
Great king, I want to go home to Ithaca. Your land has ships. Can you take me?
- Alcinous 伊萨卡？那是很远的地方……你叫什么名字？
Yīsàkǎ? Nà shì hěn yuǎn de dìfāng… nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Ithaca? That is a very far place... What is your name?
- Odysseus 我是奥德修斯。二十年前，我离开家去了特洛伊，到今天还没有回去。
Wǒ shì Àodéxiūsī. Èrshí nián qián, wǒ líkāi jiā qù le Tèluòyī, dào jīntiān hái méiyǒu huíqù.
I am Odysseus. Twenty years ago I left home for Troy, and to this day I have not returned.
- Alcinous 你就是那个想出木马的奥德修斯！哈哈哈！
Nǐ jiùshì nà gè xiǎng chū mùmǎ de Àodéxiūsī! Hāhāhā!
You are the Odysseus who thought up the wooden horse! Ha ha ha!
- Alcinous 好！明天，我们的船就送你回伊萨卡！
Hǎo! Míngtiān, wǒmen de chuán jiù sòng nǐ huí Yīsàkǎ!
Good! Tomorrow, our ship will take you to Ithaca!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Calypso finally let Odysseus go?
“众神之王说：放他走。”
- What happens to Odysseus's raft?
“一阵大风，木筏碎了。”
- How does the princess treat the muddy stranger?
“你别怕。这里是我父亲的国家。我给你衣服和面包。”
- Why does Odysseus say he will eat before telling the king who he is?
“我先吃饭，再告诉你。我是一个很累的人。”
- How does King Alcinous react when he learns who the guest is?
“你就是那个想出木马的奥德修斯！”……“明天，我们的船就送你回伊萨卡！”