The Odyssey · chapter 23 of 29
The Dogs Don't Bark
狗没有叫
Morning at the swineherd's hut brings footsteps on the path, and the fierce dogs that rushed at the beggar don't make a sound.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 夜里，雅典娜让忒勒马科斯走了另一条路回家。
Yèli, Yǎdiǎnnà ràng Tèlèmǎkēsī zǒu le lìng yì tiáo lù huí jiā.
In the night, Athena sent Telemachus home by another way.
- Eumaeus 老人家，天亮了，起来吃点儿东西吧。
Lǎorénjiā, tiān liàng le, qǐlai chī diǎnr dōngxi ba.
It's morning, old friend. Get up and have something to eat.
- Odysseus 你听，有人来了。可是狗没有叫……
Nǐ tīng, yǒu rén lái le. Kěshì gǒu méiyǒu jiào…
Listen, someone's coming. But the dogs aren't barking...
Chapter 23 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The Odyssey (chapters 1–4) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Odysseus 你看它们的尾巴！来的一定是它们喜欢的人。
Nǐ kàn tāmen de wěiba! Lái de yídìng shì tāmen xǐhuan de rén.
Look at their tails! It must be someone they love.
- Eumaeus 忒勒马科斯，孩子，你回来了！我天天想你！
Tèlèmǎkēsī, háizi, nǐ huílai le! Wǒ tiāntiān xiǎng nǐ!
Telemachus, my boy, you're back! I've missed you every day!
- Narrator 欧迈俄斯抱着他哭了，像爸爸看见儿子回来一样。
Ōumài'ésī bàozhe tā kū le, xiàng bàba kànjiàn érzi huílai yíyàng.
Eumaeus held him and cried, like a father seeing his son come home.
- Telemachus 欧迈俄斯，别哭了。这位老人是谁？
Ōumài'ésī, bié kū le. Zhè wèi lǎorén shì shéi?
Eumaeus, don't cry. Who is this old man?
- Eumaeus 一个从很远的地方来的乞丐。我去告诉你妈妈，你回来了！
Yí gè cóng hěn yuǎn de dìfang lái de qǐgài. Wǒ qù gàosu nǐ māma, nǐ huílai le!
A beggar from far away. I'll go and tell your mother you're back!
- Narrator 欧迈俄斯走了。雅典娜来了，忒勒马科斯看不见她。
Ōumài'ésī zǒu le. Yǎdiǎnnà lái le, Tèlèmǎkēsī kàn bu jiàn tā.
Eumaeus left. Athena came, but Telemachus could not see her.
- Athena 奥德修斯，现在告诉你儿子吧。
Àodéxiūsī, xiànzài gàosu nǐ érzi ba.
Odysseus, tell your son now.
- Telemachus 您变年轻了！衣服也是新的！您是神吧？
Nín biàn niánqīng le! Yīfu yě shì xīn de! Nín shì shén ba?
You've grown young! Your clothes are new too! You must be a god!
- Odysseus 我不是神。孩子，我是你爸爸。
Wǒ bú shì shén. Háizi, wǒ shì nǐ bàba.
I am no god. My son, I am your father.
- Telemachus 二十年了……我爸爸怎么会回来？
Èrshí nián le… wǒ bàba zěnme huì huílai?
After twenty years... how could my father come back?
- Odysseus 是雅典娜让我变的。我就是奥德修斯。
Shì Yǎdiǎnnà ràng wǒ biàn de. Wǒ jiù shì Àodéxiūsī.
Athena changed me. I really am Odysseus.
- Telemachus 爸爸……您真的回来了！
Bàba… nín zhēn de huílai le!
Father... you really have come home!
- Narrator 爸爸和儿子抱在一起，哭了很久很久。
Bàba hé érzi bào zài yìqǐ, kū le hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ.
Father and son held each other and cried for a long, long time.
- Odysseus 孩子，明天我还是做乞丐，回我们的家。
Háizi, míngtiān wǒ háishi zuò qǐgài, huí wǒmen de jiā.
My son, tomorrow I'll go back to our house, still as a beggar.
- Odysseus 他们打我，笑我，你都别动，就看着。
Tāmen dǎ wǒ, xiào wǒ, nǐ dōu bié dòng, jiù kànzhe.
If they hit me or laugh at me, don't move. Just watch.
- Telemachus 看着他们打您？这太难了！
Kànzhe tāmen dǎ nín? Zhè tài nán le!
Watch them hit you? That's too hard!
- Odysseus 别怕，做乞丐，我很会。
Bié pà, zuò qǐgài, wǒ hěn huì.
Don't worry. I'm very good at being a beggar.
- Telemachus 对！海伦说过，您在特洛伊也做过乞丐！
Duì! Hǎilún shuōguo, nín zài Tèluòyī yě zuòguo qǐgài!
That's right! Helen said you were a beggar in Troy too!
- Odysseus 谁都不能知道，你妈妈也不能。
Shéi dōu bù néng zhīdào, nǐ māma yě bù néng.
No one can know. Not even your mother.
- Telemachus 好，我答应您，谁也不说。
Hǎo, wǒ dāying nín, shéi yě bù shuō.
All right, I promise you. I won't tell anyone.
- Athena 有人来了！奥德修斯，快，再做老乞丐吧！
Yǒu rén lái le! Àodéxiūsī, kuài, zài zuò lǎo qǐgài ba!
Someone's coming! Odysseus, quick, be the old beggar again!
- Telemachus 爸爸，您的脸……又老了。
Bàba, nín de liǎn… yòu lǎo le.
Father, your face... it's old again.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Odysseus know a friend is coming to the hut?
“可是狗没有叫”
- Where does Eumaeus go after Telemachus arrives?
“我去告诉你妈妈，你回来了”
- Who does Telemachus think the changed man is?
“您是神吧？”
- What must Telemachus do if the suitors hit the beggar?
“你都别动，就看着”
- Who may Telemachus tell that his father is home?
“谁都不能知道，你妈妈也不能”