The Odyssey · chapter 16 of 29
The Son of Odysseus
奥德修斯的儿子
In Ithaca, more than a hundred young men feast in Odysseus's hall every day, and his son sits among them alone, until a stranger comes to the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 伊萨卡。奥德修斯的家里，有一百多个年轻人。
Yīsàkǎ. Àodéxiūsī de jiā li, yǒu yìbǎi duō gè niánqīngrén.
Ithaca. In Odysseus's house were more than a hundred young men.
- The Suitors 再杀一头猪！又不是我们的猪！
Zài shā yì tóu zhū! Yòu bú shì wǒmen de zhū!
Kill another pig! They're not our pigs anyway!
- Telemachus 爸爸走的时候，我还不会走路。现在，他们都想向妈妈求婚。
Bàba zǒu de shíhou, wǒ hái bú huì zǒulù. Xiànzài, tāmen dōu xiǎng xiàng māma qiúhūn.
When my father left, I couldn't even walk. Now they all want to marry my mother.
Chapter 16 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.
- Telemachus 客人，您好！他们都不看您，对不起。请坐！
Kèrén, nín hǎo! Tāmen dōu bú kàn nín, duìbuqǐ. Qǐng zuò!
Welcome, sir! They won't even look at you. I'm sorry. Please, sit down!
- Narrator 这是女神雅典娜，样子像一个开船的人。
Zhè shì nǚshén Yǎdiǎnnà, yàngzi xiàng yí gè kāi chuán de rén.
This was the goddess Athena, looking like a sea captain.
- The Guest 忒勒马科斯，你爸爸没有死。他会回来的。
Tèlèmǎkēsī, nǐ bàba méiyǒu sǐ. Tā huì huílai de.
Telemachus, your father isn't dead. He will come home.
- Telemachus 客人，他在哪儿？
Kèrén, tā zài nǎr?
Sir, where is he?
- The Guest 在很远的一座岛上。
Zài hěn yuǎn de yí zuò dǎo shang.
On an island far away.
- The Guest 去斯巴达吧。墨涅拉奥斯国王，可能有他的消息。
Qù Sībādá ba. Mònièlā'àosī guówáng, kěnéng yǒu tā de xiāoxi.
Go to Sparta. Menelaus, the king there, may have news of him.
- Telemachus 他像一只鸟，飞走了！那不是人……是神！
Tā xiàng yì zhī niǎo, fēi zǒu le! Nà bú shì rén… shì shén!
He flew off like a bird! That was no man... it was a god!
- Penelope 别唱了！我的奥德修斯，还没有回来……
Bié chàng le! Wǒ de Àodéxiūsī, hái méiyǒu huílai…
Stop singing! My Odysseus still hasn't come home...
- Telemachus 妈妈，别哭了。您回楼上吧，这里有我。
Māma, bié kū le. Nín huí lóushàng ba, zhèlǐ yǒu wǒ.
Mother, don't cry. Go back upstairs. Leave this to me.
- Penelope 孩子，你今天怎么不一样了？
Háizi, nǐ jīntiān zěnme bù yíyàng le?
My child, why are you so different today?
- Narrator 第二天，伊萨卡人都来了。
Dì èr tiān, Yīsàkǎ rén dōu lái le.
The next day, all the people of Ithaca came together.
- Telemachus 你们天天在我家吃，在我家喝。都走吧！
Nǐmen tiāntiān zài wǒ jiā chī, zài wǒ jiā hē. Dōu zǒu ba!
Every day you eat in my house and drink in my house. Leave, all of you!
- Antinous 忒勒马科斯，这不是我们的错。是你妈妈的错！
Tèlèmǎkēsī, zhè bú shì wǒmen de cuò. Shì nǐ māma de cuò!
Telemachus, this isn't our fault. It's your mother's fault!
- Antinous 她说，给你爷爷拉埃尔特斯的大布织好了，就选一个人。
Tā shuō, gěi nǐ yéye Lā'āi'ěrtèsī de dà bù zhī hǎo le, jiù xuǎn yí gè rén.
She said that when the shroud for your grandfather Laertes was done, she would choose one of us.
- Antinous 可是她白天织，晚上把线一根一根拿出来！
Kěshì tā báitiān zhī, wǎnshang bǎ xiàn yì gēn yì gēn ná chūlai!
But she wove by day, and at night she pulled the threads out, one by one!
- The Suitors 三年了，那块布还没有织好！后来，一个女孩告诉了我们。
Sān nián le, nà kuài bù hái méiyǒu zhī hǎo! Hòulái, yí gè nǚhái gàosu le wǒmen.
Three years, and that shroud still wasn't done! Then a girl told us.
- Antinous 让她选一个人，做他的妻子。我们就走！
Ràng tā xuǎn yí gè rén, zuò tā de qīzi. Wǒmen jiù zǒu!
Let her choose one of us and be his wife. Then we'll go!
- Telemachus 安提诺奥斯，我要坐船，去找爸爸的消息！
Āntínuò'àosī, wǒ yào zuò chuán, qù zhǎo bàba de xiāoxi!
Antinous, I'm taking a ship to look for news of my father!
- Antinous 你？坐船？你有船吗？
Nǐ? Zuò chuán? Nǐ yǒu chuán ma?
You? A ship? Do you even have a ship?
- The Suitors 去吧，小孩子！别在海上哭！
Qù ba, xiǎo háizi! Bié zài hǎi shang kū!
Off you go, little boy! Don't cry when you're out at sea!
- Telemachus 天黑了。昨天来的神，您在哪儿？我没有船……
Tiān hēi le. Zuótiān lái de shén, nín zài nǎr? Wǒ méiyǒu chuán…
It's dark. You, the god who came yesterday, where are you? I have no ship...
- Narrator 海边有一条船，二十个人。一个老人在等他。
Hǎibiān yǒu yì tiáo chuán, èrshí gè rén. Yí gè lǎorén zài děng tā.
On the beach were a ship and twenty men. An old man was waiting for him.
- Telemachus 门托尔？您是爸爸的老朋友……可是，您的眼睛怎么这么亮？
Méntuō'ěr? Nín shì bàba de lǎo péngyou… kěshì, nín de yǎnjing zěnme zhème liàng?
Mentor? My father's old friend... But why are your eyes so bright?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the stranger tell Telemachus about his father?
“你爸爸没有死。他会回来的。”……“在很远的一座岛上。”
- Where does the stranger send Telemachus for news?
“去斯巴达吧。墨涅拉奥斯国王，可能有他的消息。”
- How does Telemachus know the stranger was a god?
“他像一只鸟，飞走了！那不是人……是神！”
- What did Penelope do at night, according to Antinous?
“晚上把线一根一根拿出来！”
- Who is waiting for Telemachus on the beach that night?
“一个老人在等他。”……“门托尔？您是爸爸的老朋友”