The Twelve Labors of Hercules · chapter 5 of 8
The Bull and the Wild Horses
公牛和野马
Hercules rides a fire-nosed bull home from Crete and tames four wild horses without a fight. But the king's spoiled daughter has just found something she wants even more.
Read what you hear
- Iolaus 大力士，这里就是克里特，那头公牛到底在哪儿？
Dàlìshì, zhèlǐ jiùshì Kèlǐtè, nàtóu gōngniú dàodǐ zài nǎr?
Big man, this is Crete. Where on earth is that bull?
- Hercules 你看海边，那头牛的眼睛是红的，它在看我们。
Nǐ kàn hǎibiān, nà tóuniú de yǎnjing shì hóng de, tā zài kàn wǒmen.
Look at the beach. That bull's eyes are red, and it's looking at us.
- Iolaus 它的鼻子真的喷出火来了，我们快走吧！
Tā de bízi zhēnde pēnchū huǒlái le, wǒmen kuài zǒu ba!
Fire is really coming out of its nose. Let's get out of here!
Chapter 5 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 别怕，我觉得牛也会怕人。
Biépà, wǒ juéde niú yě huì pàrén.
Don't be afraid. I think bulls are afraid of people too.
- Iolaus 它一直在看我，我觉得它想吃我。
Tā yìzhí zài kàn wǒ, wǒ juéde tā xiǎng chī wǒ.
It keeps looking at me. I think it wants to eat me.
- Hercules 它是想说，不要来烦我。
Tā shì xiǎng shuō, búyào láifán wǒ.
It's only trying to say, don't bother me.
- Iolaus 我不同意，我看它一点儿也不怕。
Wǒ bù tóngyì, wǒ kàn tā yìdiǎnr yě búpà.
I disagree. It doesn't look afraid at all.
- Hercules 那我们来试一试。你拿着绳子，我去抓它的角。
Nà wǒmen lái shìyíshì. Nǐ ná zhe shéngzi, wǒ qù zhuā tā de jiǎo.
Then let's try it. You hold the rope and I'll grab its horns.
- Iolaus 我拿绳子？你不是说要小心吗？
Wǒ ná shéngzi? Nǐ búshì shuō yào xiǎoxīn ma?
I hold the rope? Didn't you say to be careful?
- Hercules 我是说，我小心，你拿绳子。
Wǒ shì shuō, wǒ xiǎoxīn, nǐ ná shéngzi.
I said I'd be careful and you'd hold the rope.
- Hercules 来吧，大公牛，我抓住你的角了，别甩我，哈哈，你的力气也不小！
Lái ba, dà gōngniú, wǒ zhuāzhù nǐ de jiǎo le, bié shuǎi wǒ, hāhā, nǐ de lìqi yě bùxiǎo!
Come on, big bull, I've got your horns. Don't shake me off. Ha ha, you're pretty strong too!
- Narrator 后来，国王又放了公牛，下一项是色雷斯国王的四匹野马。
Hòulái, guówáng yòu fàng le gōngniú, xià yíxiàng shì Sèléisī guówáng de sìpǐ yěmǎ.
Later, the king let the bull go again. The next task was the four wild horses of the king of Thrace.
- King Diomedes 你想借我的马？你先问问它们同不同意吧！
Nǐ xiǎng jiè wǒ de mǎ? Nǐ xiān wènwèn tāmen tóng bù tóngyì ba!
You want to borrow my horses? Go ask them if they agree first!
- Hercules 国王，我只借几天，用完了就会还给你的。
Guówáng, wǒ zhǐ jiè jǐtiān, yòng wán le jiù huì huángěi nǐ de.
Your Majesty, I only need them for a few days, and I'll return them when I'm done.
- King Diomedes 不行，它们会把你踢出去的，哈哈！
Bùxíng, tāmen huì bǎ nǐ tīchūqù de, hāhā!
No way, they'll kick you right out of here. Ha ha!
- Iolaus 大力士，那些马一直在踢门，门快要坏了！
Dàlìshì, nàxiē mǎ yìzhí zài tīmén, mén kuàiyào huài le!
Big man, those horses keep kicking the gate, and it's about to break!
- Hercules 我看见了，它们不是坏，它们只是饿了，也没有人喜欢它们。
Wǒ kànjiàn le, tāmen búshì huài, tāmen zhǐshì è le, yě méiyǒu rén xǐhuan tāmen.
I see that. They aren't bad. They're just hungry, and nobody likes them.
- Hercules 好了，好了，这里有好吃的草，你们来吃吧。
Hǎo le, hǎo le, zhèlǐ yǒu hǎochī de cǎo, nǐmen lái chī ba.
There, there. Here is some good grass. Come and eat.
- Iolaus 它们吃了！它们真的吃了！
Tāmen chī le! Tāmen zhēnde chī le!
They're eating! They're really eating!
- King Diomedes 我的马怎么变得这么乖？它们从来不听我的话！
Wǒ de mǎ zěnme biàndé zhème guāi? Tāmen cóngláibù tīng wǒ dehuà!
Why have my horses become so good? They never listen to me!
- Hercules 你的马不是坏马。它们只是没有人爱，所以才会那么凶。
Nǐ de mǎ búshì huàimǎ. Tāmen zhǐshì méiyǒu rén'ài, suǒyǐ cái huì nàme xiōng.
Your horses aren't bad horses. Nobody loves them, and that's why they are so fierce.
- Hercules 因为我没有跟它们打架，我只是给它们东西吃。
Yīnwèi wǒ méiyǒu gēn tāmen dǎjià, wǒ zhǐshì gěi tāmen dōngxi chī.
Because I didn't fight them. I just gave them something to eat.
- King Eurystheus 这些马真的很乖，你是怎么做到的？
Zhèxiē mǎ zhēnde hěnguāi, nǐ shì zěnme zuòdào de?
These horses are really calm. How did you do it?
- Hercules 只用一点儿草，加上很多的耐心，国王。
Zhǐyòng yìdiǎnr cǎo, jiāshàng hěnduō de nàixīn, guówáng.
Just a little grass and a lot of patience, Your Majesty.
- King Eurystheus 唉，我的女儿也想要一样东西，她一直在窗户后面听着。
Āi, wǒ de nǚ'ér yě xiǎngyào yíyàng dōngxi, tā yìzhí zài chuānghu hòumiàn tīng zhe.
Sigh. My daughter wants something too, and she's been listening behind the window.
- The King's Daughter 爸爸，我要一条金腰带，就是亚马逊女王的那一条！
Bàba, wǒyào yìtiáo jīnyāodài, jiùshì Yàmǎxùn nǚwáng de nà yìtiáo!
Papa, I want a golden belt, the one that belongs to the queen of the Amazons!
- Hercules 金腰带？公主，那是女王的东西，不是我们的。
Jīnyāodài? Gōngzhǔ, nà shì nǚwáng de dōngxi, búshì wǒmen de.
A golden belt? Princess, that belongs to the queen, not to us.
- The King's Daughter 我不管，我要，我要，我要！
Wǒ bùguǎn, wǒyào, wǒyào, wǒyào!
I don't care! I want it, I want it, I want it!
- King Eurystheus 你听见了。我的女儿要什么，你就要去拿什么。
Nǐ tīngjiàn le. Wǒ de nǚ'ér yào shénme, nǐ jiùyào qù ná shénme.
You heard her. Whatever my daughter wants, you go and get.
- Hercules 国王，亚马逊的女人们非常会打仗。这项任务不简单。
Guówáng, Yàmǎxùn de nǚ rénmen fēicháng huì dǎzhàng. Zhèxiàng rènwù bù jiǎndān.
Your Majesty, the women of the Amazons are very good at fighting, and this is no simple task.
- Iolaus 我们又要出海了吗？我的鞋还是湿的！公主比公牛还可怕。
Wǒmen yòu yào chūhǎi le ma? Wǒ de xié háishi shī de! Gōngzhǔ bǐ gōngniú hái kěpà.
Are we going to sea again? My shoes are still wet! The princess is scarier than the bull.
- The King's Daughter 快点儿去，我明天晚上就要戴！
Kuài diǎnr qù, wǒ míngtiān wǎnshang jiùyào dài!
Hurry up and go, I want to wear it tomorrow night!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is unusual about the bull of Crete?
“它的鼻子真的喷出火来了，我们快走吧！”
- Who holds the rope when Hercules faces the bull?
“那我们来试一试。你拿着绳子，我去抓它的角。”
- Why are the wild horses so fierce, according to Hercules?
“我看见了，它们不是坏，它们只是饿了，也没有人喜欢它们。”
- How does Hercules calm the horses?
“好了，好了，这里有好吃的草，你们来吃吧。”
- What does the king's daughter want?
“爸爸，我要一条金腰带，就是亚马逊女王的那一条！”