The Odyssey: The Full Journey · chapter 1 of 10
The Wooden Horse
木马
After ten years of war, clever Odysseus draws a horse in the sand. Then a storm throws his ship onto an island where the ground shakes with giant footsteps.
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Read what you hear
- The Sailor 十年了！奥德修斯，这座城的墙还是那么高，我们还是进不去。
Shí nián le! Àodéxiūsī, zhè zuò chéng de qiáng háishì nàme gāo, wǒmen háishì jìn bú qù.
Ten years, Odysseus! That city's walls are still just as tall, and we still can't get in.
- Odysseus 我知道。我也想家了。我想我的太太，还有我的儿子。
Wǒ zhīdào. Wǒ yě xiǎng jiā le. Wǒ xiǎng wǒ de tàitai, hái yǒu wǒ de érzi.
I know. I miss home too. I miss my wife, and my son.
- The Sailor 我们的刀和箭都没有用。我们还能做什么？
Wǒmen de dāo hé jiàn dōu méiyǒu yòng. Wǒmen hái néng zuò shénme?
Our swords and arrows are no use. What else can we do?
- Odysseus 刀没有用……那我们就不用刀！朋友，我有一个好主意，一个非常好的主意！
Dāo méiyǒu yòng… nà wǒmen jiù búyòng dāo! Péngyǒu, wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo zhǔyì, yí gè fēicháng hǎo de zhǔyì!
Swords are no use... so we won't use swords! I have a great idea!
- The Sailor 你上一次的好主意，让我们走了三天的路。
Nǐ shàng yí cì de hǎo zhǔyì, ràng wǒmen zǒu le sān tiān de lù.
Your last great idea made us walk for three days.
- Odysseus 这次真的不一样。你看，我正在沙子上画一匹很大的马。
Zhècì zhēnde bù yíyàng. Nǐ kàn, wǒ zhèngzài shāzi shàng huà yì pǐ hěn dà de mǎ.
This time is different. Look, I'm drawing a horse in the sand.
- The Sailor 一匹马？我们要请它去打仗吗？
Yì pǐ mǎ? Wǒmen yào qǐng tā qù dǎzhàng ma?
A horse? Are we going to send it off to fight?
- Odysseus 它是木头做的，大得像一座房子。我们把它留在城外，说这是给他们的礼物。
Tā shì mùtou zuò de, dà de xiàng yí zuò fángzi. Wǒmen bǎ tā liúzài chéngwài, shuō zhè shì gěi tāmen de lǐwù.
It's made of wood, big as a house. We leave it outside the city and say it's a gift for them.
- The Sailor 他们真的会要吗？
Tāmen zhēnde huì yào ma?
Will they really take it?
- Odysseus 会的。他们以为我们坐船走了。可是马的肚子里，藏着我们最好的人。
Huì de. Tāmen yǐwéi wǒmen zuòchuán zǒu le. Kěshì mǎ de dǔzi lǐ, cáng zhe wǒmen zuìhǎo de rén.
They will. They think we sailed away. But in the horse's belly, our best men are hiding.
- The Sailor 我就是那个躲在马肚子里的人，对不对？这里好黑，我的腿也好疼。
Wǒ jiùshì nà gè duǒ zài mǎ dǔzi lǐ de rén, duì bú duì? Zhèlǐ hǎo hēi, wǒ de tuǐ yě hǎo téng.
I'm the one hiding in the horse's belly, aren't I? It's so dark in here, and my leg hurts.
- Odysseus 嘘！别出声。你听，外面有人走过来了。
Xū! Bié chū shēng. Nǐ tīng, wàimiàn yǒu rén zǒu guòlái le.
Shh. Listen, someone's coming.
- The Sailor 他们在说什么？你听得懂吗？
Tāmen zài shuō shénme? Nǐ tīng de dǒng ma?
What are they saying?
- Odysseus 他们在笑。他们说，希腊人走了，这匹马是给雅典娜的礼物。
Tāmen zài xiào. Tāmen shuō, Xīlà rén zǒu le, zhè pǐ mǎ shì gěi Yǎdiǎnnà de lǐwù.
They're laughing. They say the Greeks have gone, and this horse is a gift for Athena.
- The Sailor 那他们会把我们拉进城里去吗？
Nà tāmen huì bǎ wǒmen lā jìnchéng lǐ qù ma?
So will they pull us into the city?
- Odysseus 会的。所以，你的肚子千万别叫。
Huì de. Suǒyǐ, nǐ de dǔzi qiānwànbié jiào.
They will. So whatever you do, don't let your stomach growl.
- The Sailor 我尽量！可是我从早上到现在，什么也没吃。
Wǒ jǐnliàng! Kěshì wǒ cóng zǎoshàng dào xiànzài, shénme yě méi chī.
I'll try! But I haven't eaten anything since this morning.
- Narrator 天黑了。城里的人喝了很多酒，高高兴兴地睡着了。
Tiānhēi le. Chénglǐ de rén hē le hěn duō jiǔ, gāogāoxìngxìng de shuìzháo le.
Night fell. The people in the city had drunk a lot of wine, and they were all asleep.
- Odysseus 就是现在！轻一点，小心，我们下去，去打开城门。
Jiùshì xiànzài! Qīng yìdiǎn, xiǎoxīn, wǒmen xiàqù, qù dǎkāi chéngmén.
Now! Quietly, carefully, we climb down and open the city gate.
- The Sailor 城门开了！外面的朋友们，一个一个地走进来了！
Chéngmén kāi le! Wàimiàn de péngyǒumen, yí gè yí gè de zǒujìn lái le!
The gate is open! Our friends are pouring in!
- Odysseus 十年的战争，一个晚上就结束了。朋友们，我们可以回家了！
Shí nián de zhànzhēng, yí gè wǎnshàng jiù jiéshù le. Péngyǒumen, wǒmen kěyǐ huíjiā le!
Ten years of war, over in a single night. Friends, we can go home!
- Narrator 他们坐上船，回家的路却很长。一阵大风，把船吹到了一个奇怪的岛。
Tāmen zuò shàngchuán, huíjiā de lù què hěn zhǎng. Yí zhèn dàfēng, bǎ chuán chuī dào le yí gè qíguài de dǎo.
They boarded their ships, but the road home was long. A strong wind blew their ship to a strange island.
- The Sailor 你看！好大的山洞！里面有很多羊，还有很多很多奶酪！
Nǐ kàn! Hǎo dà de shāndòng! Lǐmiàn yǒu hěn duō yáng, hái yǒu hěn duō hěn duō nǎilào!
Look! What a huge cave! There are so many sheep in there, and so much cheese!
- Odysseus 谁会住在这么大的山洞里？小心一点，别乱动东西。
Shéi huì zhù zài zhème dà de shāndòng lǐ? Xiǎoxīn yìdiǎn, bié luàndòng dōngxi.
Who would live in a cave this big? Be careful.
- The Sailor 我们只拿一点吃的，马上就走。没有人会知道的。
Wǒmen zhǐ ná yìdiǎn chī de, mǎshàng jiù zǒu. Méiyǒu rén huì zhīdào de.
We'll take just a little food and leave right away. Nobody will ever know.
- Odysseus 我还是不放心……可是船上，真的什么吃的也没有了。
Wǒ háishì bú fàngxīn… kěshì chuánshàng, zhēnde shénme chī de yě méiyǒu le.
I'm still uneasy... but there really is nothing to eat on the ship.
- The Sailor 奥德修斯，你看这把椅子！它比我还高！
Àodéxiūsī, nǐ kàn zhè bǎ yǐzi! Tā bǐ wǒ hái gāo!
Odysseus, look at this chair! It's taller than I am!
- Odysseus 那住在这里的人，手一定也比我们的大很多很多……
Nà zhù zài zhèlǐ de rén, shǒu yídìng yě bǐ wǒmen de dà hěn duō hěn duō…
Then whoever lives here must have hands much bigger than ours...
- The Sailor 奥德修斯，你有没有听到？地在动……
Àodéxiūsī, nǐ yǒu méi yǒu tīngdào? Dì zài dòng…
Do you hear that? The ground is shaking...
- The One-Eyed Giant 谁在我的家里？！
Shéi zài wǒ de jiālǐ?!
Who is in my home?!
What changed in the story?
- What does Odysseus miss most after ten years of war?
“我想我的太太，还有我的儿子。”
- What is Odysseus's plan to get into Troy?
“它是木头做的，大得像一座房子。我们把它留在城外，说这是给他们的礼物。”……“马的肚子里，藏着我们最好的人。”
- What does the sailor worry about while hiding in the horse?
“所以，你的肚子千万别叫。”
- What do the hidden men do once the city is asleep?
“我们下去，去打开城门。”……“城门开了！外面的朋友们，一个一个地走进来了！”
- What tells Odysseus that a giant may live in the cave?
“你看这把椅子！它比我还高！”