The Odyssey · chapter 25 of 29
Washing the Feet
洗脚
Late at night Penelope sits by the fire with the old beggar, who must lie to his own wife, and then the old nurse brings water to wash his feet.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，求婚的人都回家了。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, qiúhūn de rén dōu huí jiā le.
That night, the suitors all went home.
- Odysseus 孩子，快，这些剑都拿去另一个房间。
Háizi, kuài, zhèxiē jiàn dōu ná qù lìng yí gè fángjiān.
My son, quick, take all these swords to another room.
- Narrator 雅典娜手里拿着灯，走在前边。谁也看不见她。
Yǎdiǎnnà shǒu li názhe dēng, zǒu zài qiánbian. Shéi yě kàn bu jiàn tā.
Athena walked ahead with a lamp in her hand. No one could see her.
Chapter 25 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 孩子，别怕，是神在帮我们。去睡吧。
Háizi, bié pà, shì shén zài bāng wǒmen. Qù shuì ba.
Don't be afraid, my son. A god is helping us. Now go to bed.
- Narrator 佩涅洛佩来了，坐在她的银椅子上。
Pèinièluòpèi lái le, zuò zài tā de yín yǐzi shang.
Penelope came and sat in her silver chair.
- Odysseus 二十年了……我的妻子，还是那么好看。
Èrshí nián le… wǒ de qīzi, háishi nàme hǎokàn.
Twenty years... and my wife is still as lovely as ever.
- Penelope 客人，你是谁？从哪儿来？
Kèrén, nǐ shì shéi? Cóng nǎr lái?
Stranger, who are you? Where are you from?
- Odysseus 夫人，我是一个老乞丐。别问我的家，我会哭的。
Fūrén, wǒ shì yí gè lǎo qǐgài. Bié wèn wǒ de jiā, wǒ huì kū de.
My lady, I'm an old beggar. Don't ask about my home, or I'll cry.
- Penelope 客人，我也天天哭。求婚的人都要我选一个。
Kèrén, wǒ yě tiāntiān kū. Qiúhūn de rén dōu yào wǒ xuǎn yí gè.
Stranger, I cry every day too. The suitors all want me to choose one of them.
- Penelope 我说，大布织好了，我再选。可是，我白天织，晚上又拿掉！
Wǒ shuō, dà bù zhī hǎo le, wǒ zài xuǎn. Kěshì, wǒ báitiān zhī, wǎnshang yòu ná diào!
I said I'd choose when the shroud was finished. But I wove it by day and undid it again at night!
- Odysseus 真聪明……跟我一样。
Zhēn cōngming… gēn wǒ yíyàng.
So clever... just like me.
- Penelope 后来，被一个女孩看见了。现在，我不能再等了。
Hòulái, bèi yí gè nǚhái kànjiàn le. Xiànzài, wǒ bù néng zài děng le.
Then a girl saw me. Now I can't wait any longer.
- Odysseus 夫人，二十年前，我见过奥德修斯。
Fūrén, èrshí nián qián, wǒ jiànguo Àodéxiūsī.
My lady, twenty years ago, I met Odysseus.
- Penelope 真的？那你说，他穿的是什么衣服？
Zhēn de? Nà nǐ shuō, tā chuān de shì shénme yīfu?
Really? Then tell me, what was he wearing?
- Odysseus 他的衣服上，有一只金狗，抓着一只小动物。
Tā de yīfu shang, yǒu yì zhī jīn gǒu, zhuāzhe yì zhī xiǎo dòngwù.
On his clothes there was a gold dog, holding a little animal.
- Penelope 那是我给他的！
Nà shì wǒ gěi tā de!
I gave him that!
- Odysseus 夫人，您别哭了。这个月，他就会回家。
Fūrén, nín bié kū le. Zhège yuè, tā jiù huì huí jiā.
Don't cry, my lady. He'll come home this very month.
- Penelope 不会的……他不会回来了。奶妈，给客人洗洗脚吧。
Bú huì de… tā bú huì huílai le. Nǎimā, gěi kèrén xǐxi jiǎo ba.
No... he will never come back. Nurse, wash the stranger's feet.
- The Old Nurse 客人，你真像我们的奥德修斯！
Kèrén, nǐ zhēn xiàng wǒmen de Àodéxiūsī!
Stranger, you look so like our Odysseus!
- Odysseus 很多人都这么说。
Hěn duō rén dōu zhème shuō.
Lots of people say so.
- Odysseus 不好……奶妈会认出我的伤疤！
Bù hǎo… nǎimā huì rènchū wǒ de shāngbā!
Oh no... Nurse will recognize my scar!
- The Old Nurse 这个伤疤……你年轻的时候，山上那头大猪……
Zhège shāngbā… nǐ niánqīng de shíhou, shān shang nà tóu dà zhū…
This scar... when you were young, that big boar on the mountain...
- The Old Nurse 我认出你了！你就是奥德修斯！我的孩子！
Wǒ rènchū nǐ le! Nǐ jiù shì Àodéxiūsī! Wǒ de háizi!
I recognize you! You're Odysseus! My child!
- Narrator 佩涅洛佩就坐在那边。可是雅典娜让她什么也没看见，什么也没听见。
Pèinièluòpèi jiù zuò zài nàbiān. Kěshì Yǎdiǎnnà ràng tā shénme yě méi kànjiàn, shénme yě méi tīngjiàn.
Penelope sat right over there. But Athena made sure she saw nothing and heard nothing.
- Odysseus 奶妈，你想让我死吗？别说话！
Nǎimā, nǐ xiǎng ràng wǒ sǐ ma? Bié shuōhuà!
Nurse, do you want me dead? Don't say a word!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Odysseus tell his son to do with the swords?
“这些剑都拿去另一个房间”
- Who carries a lamp ahead of Odysseus and his son?
“雅典娜手里拿着灯，走在前边”
- How did Penelope keep the suitors waiting?
“大布织好了，我再选。可是，我白天织，晚上又拿掉”
- What does the old beggar describe to Penelope?
“他的衣服上，有一只金狗”
- How does the old nurse find out who the beggar is?
“这个伤疤……山上那头大猪……我认出你了！”