The Twelve Labors of Hercules · chapter 6 of 8
The Golden Belt and the Red Cattle
金腰带
The Amazon queen gives Hercules her golden belt as a gift, but Hera is watching and starts a lie. Then she sends a swarm of bugs after the red cattle.
Read what you hear
- Hippolyta 你就是赫拉克勒斯？我听说过你。你来我们这里做什么？
Nǐ jiùshì Hèlākèlèsī? Wǒ tīngshuō guò nǐ. Nǐ lái wǒmen zhèlǐ zuò shénme?
You are Hercules? I have heard of you. What brings you here?
- Hercules 女王，我是来求您一样东西的。我想先跟您说清楚。
Nǚwáng, wǒ shì láiqiú nín yíyàng dōngxi de. Wǒ xiǎng xiān gēn nín shuō qīngchu.
Queen, I have come to ask you for something, and I want to explain it clearly first.
- Hippolyta 很少有人来求我，说说看吧。
Hěnshǎo yǒurén láiqiú wǒ, shuō shuo kànba.
Few people come to ask me for things. Tell me.
Chapter 6 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Twelve Labors of Hercules 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, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Hercules 国王的女儿想要您的金腰带。我不想抢，所以我来问您。
Guówáng de nǚ'ér xiǎngyào nín de jīnyāodài. Wǒ bùxiǎng qiǎng, suǒyǐ wǒlái wèn nín.
The king's daughter wants your golden belt. I don't want to snatch it, so I came to ask you.
- Hippolyta 你先问，没有抢，这样很好。
Nǐ xiān wèn, méiyǒu qiǎng, zhèyàng hěn hǎo.
You asked first and did not grab. That is good.
- Hercules 我知道这是对您很重要的东西。我会好好保护它。
Wǒ zhīdào zhè shì duì nín hěn zhòngyào de dōngxi. Wǒhuì hǎohǎo bǎohù tā.
I know it means a great deal to you, and I will take good care of it.
- Hippolyta 这是战神送给我的。可是你这个人，我很喜欢。
Zhèshì zhànshén sònggěi wǒ de. Kěshì nǐ zhège rén, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.
The god of war gave it to me. But I like you.
- Hercules 谢谢您，女王，您是我遇到的最有礼貌的人。
Xièxienín, nǚwáng, nín shì wǒ yùdào de zuì yǒu lǐmào de rén.
Thank you, Queen. You are the politest person I have ever met.
- Hippolyta 你比我想的更可爱。拿去吧，我送给你。
Nǐ bǐ wǒ xiǎng de gèng kě'ài. Ná qù ba, wǒ sònggěi nǐ.
You are nicer than I expected. Take it, it is my gift to you.
- Hippolyta 我们亚马逊人不怕打仗，只怕有人说谎。
Wǒmen Yàmǎxùn rén búpà dǎzhàng, zhǐpà yǒurén shuōhuǎng.
We Amazons are not afraid of a fight. We only fear people who lie.
- Hercules 我不说谎，我有话就直说。
Wǒ bù shuōhuǎng, wǒ yǒu huà jiù zhíshuō.
I don't lie. When I have something to say, I say it straight.
- Hippolyta 不过你路上要小心，有人不想看到你成功。
Búguò nǐ lùshàng yào xiǎoxīn, yǒurén bùxiǎng kàndào nǐ chénggōng.
But be careful on the road. Someone doesn't want to see you succeed.
- Hera 亚马逊的战士们！那个男人偷了你们女王的腰带！
Yàmǎxùn de zhànshì men! Nàge nánrén tōu le nǐmen nǚwáng de yāodài!
Warriors of the Amazons, that man has stolen your queen's belt!
- Hercules 什么？我没有偷！这是女王送给我的！
Shénme? Wǒ méiyǒu tōu! Zhèshì nǚwáng sònggěi wǒ de!
What? I didn't steal it, the queen gave it to me!
- Hera 你们别听他的，大力士总是说大话。
Nǐmen bié tīng tā de, dàlìshì zǒngshì shuōdàhuà.
Don't listen to him. Strong men always tell big stories.
- Hercules 我不想跟你们打架。我只想把腰带带回国王那里。
Wǒ bùxiǎng gēn nǐmen dǎjià. Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng bǎ yāodài dàihuí guówáng nàlǐ.
I don't want to fight you. I only want to take the belt back to the king.
- Narrator 战士们没有停，赫拉克勒斯拿着腰带跑上了船，船慢慢地离开了海边。
Zhànshì men méiyǒu tíng, Hèlākèlèsī ná zhe yāodài pǎo shàng le chuán, chuán mànmàn dì líkāi le hǎibiān.
The warriors did not stop. Hercules ran onto his ship with the belt, and it slowly left the shore.
- Hercules 赫拉女神，我不明白，你为什么这么讨厌我？
Hèlā nǚshén, wǒ bù míngbai, nǐ wèishénme zhème tǎoyàn wǒ?
Lady Hera, I don't understand. Why do you dislike me so much?
- Hera 你不用明白。你只要知道，后面还有很多难事。
Nǐ búyòng míngbai. Nǐ zhǐyào zhīdào, hòumiàn háiyǒu hěnduō nánshì.
You don't need to understand. You only need to know there are many hard things ahead.
- Hercules 好吧。那我先去把国王要的红牛赶回来。
Hǎo ba. Nà wǒ xiān qù bǎ guówáng yào de hóngniú gǎnhuílái.
Fine. Then I'll go and bring back the red cattle the king wants.
- Hercules 好了，红牛们，那个大巨人不会再欺负你们了。我们回家吧。
Hǎo le, hóngniú men, nàge dà jùrén búhuì zài qīfù nǐmen le. Wǒmen huíjiāba.
There, red cattle. That giant won't bother you anymore. Let's go home.
- Hera 你以为这样就完了吗？
Nǐ yǐwéi zhèyàng jiù wán le ma?
Do you think that's the end of it?
- Hercules 赫拉女神？又是你。
Hèlā nǚshén? Yòu shì nǐ.
Lady Hera? You again.
- Hera 我送你一群大虫子。牛会到处乱跑，看你怎么办。
Wǒ sòng nǐ yìqún dà chóngzi. Niúhuì dàochù luànpǎo, kàn nǐ zěnmebàn.
I'm sending you a swarm of big bugs. The cows will run everywhere. Let's see what you do.
- Hercules 牛啊，别怕。跟着我，一头一头，慢慢地走。
Niú a, biépà. Gēnzhe wǒ, yìtóu yìtóu, mànmàn dì zǒu.
Cows, don't be afraid. Follow me, one by one, slowly.
- Hera 你赶不回去的。河水会涨，山路也会断。
Nǐ gǎn bù huíqù de. Héshuǐ huìzhǎng, shānlù yě huìduàn.
You can't get them home. The rivers will rise, and the mountain roads will break.
- Hercules 那我就等水退了再走。反正我天天都在走路。
Nà wǒ jiù děng shuǐtuì le zài zǒu. Fǎnzhèng wǒ tiāntiān dōu zài zǒulù.
Then I'll wait for the water to go down before I go. I walk every day anyway.
- Hera 你的国王一点儿也不喜欢你，你为什么还要听他的话？
Nǐ de guówáng yìdiǎnr yě bù xǐhuan nǐ, nǐ wèishénme háiyào tīng tā dehuà?
Your king doesn't like you one bit. Why do you still do what he says?
- Hercules 因为我答应过，我说话算话。
Yīnwèi wǒ dāying guò, wǒ shuōhuàsuànhuà.
Because I promised, and I keep my word.
- Hera 你怎么这么不听话！
Nǐ zěnme zhème bùtīnghuà!
How stubborn you are!
- Hercules 而且每做完一项，我都更了解自己。我想要自由，所以我不能停。您去找别人玩吧。
Érqiě měi zuò wán yíxiàng, wǒ dōu gèng liǎojiě zìjǐ. Wǒ xiǎngyào zìyóu, suǒyǐ wǒ bùnéng tíng. Nín qù zhǎo biérén wánba.
And each time I finish a task, I understand myself better. I want to be free, so I can't stop. Go and play with someone else.
- Hera 好，你等着看吧！金苹果园，连神都找不到！
Hǎo, nǐ děng zhe kànba! Jīnpíngguǒ yuán, liánshén dōu zhǎo búdào!
Fine. You just wait and see. The garden of golden apples can't even be found by the gods!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Hercules get the belt?
“你比我想的更可爱。拿去吧，我送给你。”
- Why does Hippolyta like Hercules?
“你先问，没有抢，这样很好。”
- What lie does Hera tell the warriors?
“亚马逊的战士们！那个男人偷了你们女王的腰带！”
- What does Hera send to bother the red cattle?
“我送你一群大虫子。牛会到处乱跑，看你怎么办。”
- What does Hera say about the golden apple garden?
“好，你等着看吧！金苹果园，连神都找不到！”