The Twelve Labors of Hercules · chapter 2 of 8
The Nine-Headed Snake
九头蛇
A nine-headed swamp snake grows two new heads for every one Hercules cuts off. Iolaus has a fiery idea, but the king has a rule that changes everything.
Read what you hear
- Iolaus 大力士，你看，前面就是勒拿的大水塘，那里的雾好大，我什么也看不见！
Dàlìshì, nǐ kàn, qiánmiàn jiùshì Lèná de dà shuǐtáng, nàlǐ de wù hǎo dà, wǒ shénme yě kànbújiàn!
Big man, look, just ahead is the big swamp of Lerna. The fog is so thick I can't see a thing!
- Hercules 伊俄拉俄斯，你为什么一直拿着火把，现在是白天啊。
Yī'élā'ésī, nǐ wèishénme yìzhí ná zhe huǒbǎ, xiànzài shì báitiān a.
Iolaus, why do you keep holding that torch? It's daytime.
- Iolaus 因为我有一个好办法，你等一下就知道了。
Yīnwèi wǒ yǒu yígè hǎo bànfǎ, nǐ děng yíxià jiù zhīdào le.
Because I have a good idea. You'll see in a moment.
Chapter 2 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 你总是有办法，可是这次的敌人有九个头，比以前都难。
Nǐ zǒngshì yǒu bànfǎ, kěshì zhècì de dírén yǒu jiǔgè tóu, bǐ yǐqián dōu nán.
You always have an idea, but this enemy has nine heads. It's harder than any before.
- Iolaus 九个头，就是九张嘴，它一定很会吃，也很会说话！
Jiǔgè tóu, jiùshì jiǔ zhāngzuǐ, tā yídìng hěnhuì chī, yě hěnhuì shuōhuà!
Nine heads means nine mouths. It must be great at eating and great at talking!
- Hercules 它只会咬人，还会喷出很臭的毒气，所以你要用布把鼻子和嘴盖起来。
Tā zhǐhuì yǎo rén, háihuì pēnchū hěn chòu de dúqì, suǒyǐ nǐ yào yòngbù bǎ bízi hé zuǐ gàiqǐlái.
It only bites, and it blows out stinking poison air, so cover your nose and mouth with a cloth.
- Iolaus 好主意！你看，我现在像一个小偷，对不对？
Hǎo zhǔyì! Nǐ kàn, wǒ xiànzài xiàng yígè xiǎotōu, duì bú duì?
Good idea! Look, I look like a thief now, don't I?
- Hercules 哈哈，一个很可爱的小偷。看，水里在冒泡，它要出来了。
Hāhā, yígè hěn kě'ài de xiǎotōu. Kàn, shuǐlǐ zài màopào, tā yào chūlái le.
Ha ha, a very cute thief. Look, bubbles in the water. It's coming out.
- The Hydra 谁来了？你只有一个头，我有九个头，哈哈哈！
Shuí lái le? Nǐ zhǐyǒu yígètóu, wǒ yǒu jiǔgè tóu, hāhāhā!
Who is here? You have one head and I have nine. Ha ha ha!
- Hercules 九个头也一样，我先砍一个！啊，怎么长出来两个？
Jiǔgè tóu yě yíyàng, wǒ xiānkǎn yígè! A, zěnme zhǎng chūlái liǎnggè?
Nine heads or not, I'll chop one first! Huh, why did two grow back?
- Iolaus 大力士，它现在有十个头了，你别再砍了！
Dàlìshì, tā xiànzài yǒu shígè tóu le, nǐbié zài kǎn le!
Big man, it has ten heads now. Stop chopping!
- The Hydra 砍吧，砍吧，你越砍我的头越多，我越高兴！
Kǎn ba, kǎn ba, nǐ yuè kǎn wǒ de tóu yuè duō, wǒyuè gāoxìng!
Chop, chop! The more you chop, the more heads I have, and the happier I am!
- Hercules 你说得对，这样不行……伊俄拉俄斯，你有什么好办法？
Nǐ shuōdéduì, zhèyàng bùxíng…… Yī'élā'ésī, nǐ yǒu shénme hǎo bànfǎ?
You're right, this doesn't work... Iolaus, what is your good idea?
- Iolaus 火！我的火把！你砍一个，我马上烧一个！
Huǒ! Wǒ de huǒbǎ! Nǐ kǎn yígè, wǒ mǎshàng shāo yígè!
Fire! My torch! You chop one, and I'll burn it right away!
- Hercules 好，一，二，三，砍！
Hǎo, yī, èr, sān, kǎn!
Good. One, two, three, chop!
- Iolaus 烧！哈哈，它们不长了，它们真的不长了！
Shāo! Hāhā, tāmen bùzhǎng le, tāmen zhēnde bùzhǎng le!
Burn! Ha ha, they don't grow back. They really don't grow back!
- The Hydra 好烫……好烫……不要再烧了……
Hǎo tàng…… Hǎo tàng…… Búyào zài shāo le……
Hot... so hot... stop burning...
- Hercules 太好了，伊俄拉俄斯，你真聪明！只剩最中间的一个头了。
Tàihǎole, Yī'élā'ésī, nǐ zhēn cōngming! Zhǐ shèng zuì zhōngjiān de yígètóu le.
Wonderful, Iolaus, you're so clever! Only the middle head is left.
- Iolaus 这个头永远不会死，我们要怎么办？
Zhège tóu yǒngyuǎn búhuì sǐ, wǒmen yào zěnmebàn?
This head never dies. What do we do with it?
- Hercules 我们把它压在一块大石头下面，它就再也出不来了。
Wǒmen bǎ tā yā zài yíkuài dàshítou xiàmiàn, tā jiù zàiyě chūbùlái le.
We'll press it under a huge rock, and it will never come out again.
- Narrator 后来，赫拉克勒斯把蛇的毒水涂在他的箭上，然后他们回到了国王的大厅。
Hòulái, Hèlākèlèsī bǎ shé de dúshuǐ tú zài tā de jiàn shàng, ránhòu tāmen huídào le guówáng de dàtīng.
Afterward, Hercules put the snake's poison on his arrows, and then they returned to the king's hall.
- King Eurystheus 你、你回来了？那条大蛇呢？
Nǐ, nǐ huílái le? Nàtiáo dàshé ne?
You... you're back? Where is the big snake?
- Hercules 它不会再咬人了，国王，伊俄拉俄斯用火帮我烧了它的脖子。
Tā búhuì zài yǎo rén le, guówáng, Yī'élā'ésī yònghuǒ bāng wǒ shāo le tā de bózi.
It won't bite anyone anymore, Your Majesty. Iolaus helped me by burning its necks with fire.
- King Eurystheus 什么？有人帮你？那不算，一点儿也不算！
Shénme? Yǒurén bāng nǐ? Nà búsuàn, yìdiǎnr yě búsuàn!
What? Someone helped you? That doesn't count, not one bit!
- Iolaus 国王，我只是拿了一个火把而已。
Guówáng, wǒ zhǐshì ná le yígè huǒbǎ éryǐ.
Your Majesty, I only held a torch.
- King Eurystheus 拿火把也是帮忙，这一项不算，你还要多做一项！
Ná huǒbǎ yě shì bāngmáng, zhè yíxiàng búsuàn, nǐ háiyào duō zuò yíxiàng!
Holding a torch is helping! This one doesn't count, so you have to do one more!
- Hercules 又多一项？好吧，国王，下一项是什么？
Yòu duō yíxiàng? Hǎo ba, guówáng, xià yíxiàng shì shénme?
One more? All right, Your Majesty. What is the next one?
- King Eurystheus 去抓一只金角的母鹿，它跑得比风还快，你不可以伤它！
Qù zhuā yìzhī jīnjiǎo de mǔlù, tā pǎo dé bǐfēng hái kuài, nǐ bù kěyǐ shāng tā!
Go and catch a deer with golden horns. It runs faster than the wind, and you must not hurt it!
- Hercules 比风还快？国王，你是想让我跑一年吗？
Bǐfēng hái kuài? Guówáng, nǐ shì xiǎng ràng wǒ pǎo yìnián ma?
Faster than the wind? Your Majesty, do you want me to run for a whole year?
- King Eurystheus 对，我最好一年都看不见你！
Duì, wǒ zuìhǎo yìnián dōu kànbújiàn nǐ!
Yes! I'd be happy not to see you for a whole year!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Iolaus carry a torch in the daytime?
“因为我有一个好办法，你等一下就知道了。”
- What happens when Hercules cuts off one head?
“九个头也一样，我先砍一个！啊，怎么长出来两个？”
- How do they stop the heads from growing back?
“火！我的火把！你砍一个，我马上烧一个！”
- What do they do with the head that never dies?
“我们把它压在一块大石头下面，它就再也出不来了。”
- Why does the king say the task does not count?
“什么？有人帮你？那不算，一点儿也不算！”