The Twelve Labors of Hercules · chapter 4 of 8
The Dirty Stables and the Iron Birds
牛圈和铜鸟
Hercules has one day to clean a stable that hasn't been washed in thirty years, then meets a marsh full of bronze birds. The king finds a new rule to cancel one of them.
Read what you hear
- Augeas 哎呀，你就是那个大力士？来来来，看看这是我的牛圈，是不是很大？
Āiyā, nǐ jiùshì nàge dàlìshì? Láiláilái, kànkan zhè shì wǒ de niújuàn, shìbúshì hěndà?
Oh, so you're the strong man? Come, come, look at my cow house. Isn't it big?
- Hercules 好大的牛圈，而且好臭啊，我的眼睛都痛了。
Hǎodà de niújuàn, érqiě hǎo chòu a, wǒ de yǎnjing dōu tòng le.
What a huge cow house, and it smells awful. My eyes hurt.
- Augeas 三十年没有洗了，你一个白天洗完就可以了，很简单。
Sānshínián méiyǒu xǐ le, nǐ yígè báitiān xǐwán jiù kěyǐ le, hěn jiǎndān.
It hasn't been cleaned in thirty years. If you wash it all in one day, that's enough. Very simple.
Chapter 4 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 一个白天？那你要给我什么东西？
Yígè báitiān? Nà nǐ yào gěi wǒ shénme dōngxi?
In one day? What will you give me for it?
- Augeas 你洗完了，我给你三百头牛，怎么样？
Nǐ xǐwán le, wǒ gěi nǐ sānbǎitóu niú, zěnmeyàng?
When you finish, I'll give you three hundred cows. How's that?
- Hercules 真的吗？你一定要说话算话。
Zhēnde ma? Nǐ yídìng yào shuōhuàsuànhuà.
Really? You must keep your word.
- Augeas 当然，当然。他一定洗不完的，哈哈。
Dāngrán, dāngrán. Tā yídìng xǐ bù wán de, hāhā.
Of course, of course. There's no way he'll finish. Ha ha.
- Hercules 你说什么？我好像听见你在笑。
Nǐ shuō shénme? Wǒ hǎoxiàng tīngjiàn nǐ zài xiào.
What did you say? I think I heard you laughing.
- Augeas 我是说，你的力气真大，一看就知道。
Wǒ shì shuō, nǐ de lìqi zhēn dà, yíkàn jiù zhīdào.
I said you're very strong. Anyone can see that.
- Hercules 我不用铲子，看好了，我要让两条河从牛圈里流过去！
Wǒ búyòng chǎnzi, kànhǎo le, wǒyào ràng liǎngtiáo hé cóng niú juànlǐ liúguòqù!
I won't use a shovel. Watch, I'm going to make two rivers run through your cow house!
- Augeas 天啊，河水进来了，牛圈真的干净了！
Tiān a, héshuǐ jìnlái le, niújuàn zhēnde gānjìng le!
Heavens, the river is coming in, and the cow house is really clean!
- Augeas 不过我不给你牛，你做的是国王的任务，不是我的任务。
Búguò wǒ bù gěi nǐ niú, nǐ zuò de shì guówáng de rènwù, búshì wǒ de rènwù.
But I won't give you the cows. You did the king's task, not mine.
- Hercules 算了，国王的任务，我本来就一定要做。
Suànle, guówáng de rènwù, wǒ běnlái jiù yídìng yào zuò.
Never mind. I had to do the king's task anyway.
- Narrator 后来，他来到一个大沼泽，那里有很多铜做的大鸟，翅膀像小刀一样。
Hòulái, tā láidào yígè dà zhǎozé, nàlǐ yǒu hěnduō tóng zuò de dàniǎo, chìbǎng xiàng xiǎodāo yíyàng.
Later, he came to a big marsh. It was full of bronze birds whose wings were as sharp as knives.
- Hercules 这么多鸟，我的箭不够用，而且它们飞在树里面，我进不去。
Zhème duōniǎo, wǒ de jiàn búgòu yòng, érqiě tāmen fēi zài shù lǐmiàn, wǒ jìnbúqù.
So many birds, and I don't have enough arrows. They fly among the trees, so I can't get in.
- Athena 赫拉克勒斯，你不用箭，用我给你的东西吧。
Hèlākèlèsī, nǐ búyòng jiàn, yòng wǒ gěi nǐ de dōngxi ba.
Hercules, you don't need arrows. Use what I give you.
- Hercules 是谁在叫我？
Shì shuí zài jiào wǒ?
Who is calling me?
- Athena 我是雅典娜，这个铜响板送给你，拿去吧。
Wǒ shì Yǎdiǎnnà, zhège tóng xiǎngbǎn sònggěi nǐ, ná qù ba.
I am Athena. This bronze rattle is a gift for you. Take it.
- Hercules 谢谢您，女神，可是这个东西要怎么用？
Xièxienín, nǚshén, kěshì zhège dōngxi yào zěnme yòng?
Thank you, goddess, but how do I use this thing?
- Athena 用力摇它，这些鸟最怕大声音。
Yònglì yáotā, zhèxiē niǎo zuìpà dà shēngyīn.
Shake it hard. These birds are most afraid of loud noise.
- Hercules 好，我摇了，你们都听好了，我要摇得很大声！
Hǎo, wǒ yáo le, nǐmen dōu tīng hǎo le, wǒyào yáodé hěn dàshēng!
Right, I'm shaking it. Listen up, everyone!
- Hercules 哈，它们都飞走了，一只也没有留下来！
Hā, tāmen dōu fēi zǒu le, yìzhī yě méiyǒu liúxiàlái!
Ha, they've all flown away, and not one is left!
- Athena 做得好，赫拉克勒斯，这个响板你带着，以后也许还用得着。
Zuòdéhǎo, Hèlākèlèsī, zhège xiǎngbǎn nǐ dài zhe, yǐhòu yěxǔ hái yòngdézhe.
Well done, Hercules. Keep the rattle. You may need it again someday.
- Hercules 谢谢您，雅典娜女神，我会好好带着它，我的国王又要给我新的难事了。
Xièxienín, Yǎdiǎnnà nǚshén, wǒhuì hǎohǎo dài zhe tā, wǒ de guówáng yòu yào gěi wǒ xīn de nánshì le.
Thank you, goddess Athena. I'll take good care of it. My king is about to give me another hard task.
- King Eurystheus 鸟都飞走了？很好，可是牛圈那一项不算！
Niǎo dōu fēi zǒu le? Hěn hǎo, kěshì niújuàn nà yíxiàng búsuàn!
The birds all flew away? Good. But the cow house task doesn't count!
- Hercules 为什么？我已经把牛圈洗得干干净净了！
Wèishénme? Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ niújuàn xǐ dé gāngānjìngjìng le!
Why? I got the cow house completely clean!
- King Eurystheus 因为是河水洗的，不是你洗的！
Yīnwèi shì héshuǐ xǐ de, búshì nǐ xǐ de!
Because the river washed it, not you!
- Hercules 国王，是我让河水过去的呀，河水也不会自己走进牛圈。
Guówáng, shì wǒ ràng héshuǐ guòqù de ya, héshuǐ yě búhuì zìjǐ zǒujìn niújuàn.
Your Majesty, I was the one who sent the river through. A river doesn't walk into a cow house by itself.
- King Eurystheus 我不听，我不听，你还要多做一项！
Wǒ bù tīng, wǒ bù tīng, nǐ háiyào duō zuò yíxiàng!
I'm not listening, I'm not listening! You have to do one more!
- Hercules 好，好，你这次想要什么？
Hǎo, hǎo, nǐ zhècì xiǎngyào shénme?
All right, all right. What do you want this time?
- King Eurystheus 克里特的公牛，它的鼻子会喷火！
Kèlǐtè de gōngniú, tā de bízi huì pēnhuǒ!
The bull of Crete, with fire coming out of its nose!
- Hercules 喷火？这项任务，听起来很热啊。
Pēnhuǒ? Zhèxiàng rènwù, tīng qǐlái hěn rè a.
Breathing fire? This task sounds hot.
- King Eurystheus 你去吧，我在罐子里等你！
Nǐ qù ba, wǒ zài guànzi lǐ děng nǐ!
Off you go, I'll wait for you in my jar!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Hercules clean the huge cow house?
“我不用铲子，看好了，我要让两条河从牛圈里流过去！”
- Why does Augeas refuse to give the cows?
“不过我不给你牛，你做的是国王的任务，不是我的任务。”
- What does Athena give Hercules?
“我是雅典娜，这个铜响板送给你，拿去吧。”
- Why does the rattle work on the birds?
“用力摇它，这些鸟最怕大声音。”
- Why does the king say the cow house task does not count?
“因为是河水洗的，不是你洗的！”