Cadmus，having waited for the return of his men till midday，went in search of them.His covering was a lion"s hide，and besides his javelin he carried in his hand a lance，and in his breast a bold heart，a surer reliance than either.When he entered the wood，and saw the lifeless bodies of his men and the monster with his bloody(bloody adj.血腥的，嗜杀的，有血的)jaws，he exclaimed，“Oh，faithful friends，I will avenge you，or share your death.”So saying he lifted a huge stone and threw it with all his force at the serpent.Such a block would have shaken the wall of a fortress，but it made no impression on the monster.Cadmus next threw his javelin，which met with better success，for it penetrated the serpent"s scales and pierced through to his entrails.Fierce with pain the monster turned back his head to view the wound，and attempted to draw out the weapon with his mouth，and attempted to draw out the weapon with his mouth，but broke it off，leaving the iron point rankling(rankle vi.溃烂，发炎，怨恨vt.激怒)in his flesh.His neck swelled with rage，bloody foam covered his jaws，and the breath of his nostrils poisoned the air around.Now he twisted himself into a circle，then stretched himself out on the ground like the trunk of a fallen tree.As he moved onward，Cadmus retreated before him holding his spear opposite to the monster"s opened jaws.The serpent snapped at the weapon and attempted to bite its iron point.At last Cadmus，watching his chance，thrust the spear at a moment when the animal"s head thrown back came against the trunk of a tree，and so succeeded in pinning him to its side.His weight bent the tree as he struggled in the agonies of death.
卡德摩斯等到中午过还不见他的仆从的踪影，就去寻找他们。他身披狮皮，一手拿矛，一手持镖，但他胸中的那颗勇敢的心是比这两件利器还要可靠的必胜的依据。他走进树林，发现了随丛们的尸体，只见那条恶蛇还在舐着嘴角上的血汁，他高呼道：“忠诚的朋友们，我死也要替你们报仇。”说着他举起一块巨石，用尽全身气力朝大蛇砸去。这一击也许能振动城堡的围墙，但落到那蛇身上，却没有什么作用。卡德摩斯紧接着投出了长矛。这一手倒还奏效，长矛穿过鳞片刺入了蛇的内脏。疼痛使得那怪物暴躁不安，它扭过头来察看伤口，并用牙齿去拔那长矛，但只是把矛咬断了，铁矛尖扎在肉里更加疼痛难熬。它气得脖子发胀，嘴角冒着血沫，鼻中喷出一股股的毒气。它先把身子缩成一团，然后又伸长，活像一截伐倒在地的树桩。它朝卡德摩斯一点点地逼过来，卡德摩斯边退却边用长矛在那怪物的大嘴前挑逗，卡德摩斯伺机行动，待到那蛇仰着的头移到一棵大树干旁时，他猛力一刺，将那蛇头横钉在树上，那蛇临死前痛苦地挣扎着，沉重的身躯把大树都压弯了。
While Cadmus stood over his conquered foe，contemplating its vast size，a voice was heard（from whence he knew not，but he heard it distinctly）commanding him to take the dragon"s teeth and sow them in the earth.He obeyed.He made a furrow in the ground，and planted the teeth，destined to produce a crop of men.Scarce had he done so when the clods began to move，and the points of spears to appear above the surface.Next helmets with their nodding plumesplume n.羽毛came up，and next the shoulders and breasts and limbs of men with weapons，and in time a harvest of armed warriors.Cadmus，alarmed，prepared to encounter a new enemy，but one of them said to him，“Meddle not with our civil war.”With that he who had spoken smote one of his earthborn brothers with a swordsword n.剑，and he himself fell pierced with an arrow from another.The latter fell victim to a fourth，and in like manner the whole crowd dealt with each other till all fell slain with mutual wounds，except five survivors.One of these cast away his weapons and said，“Brothers，let us live in peace！”These five joined with Cadmus in building his city，to which they gave the name of Thebes.
正当卡德摩斯站到他已打倒的大敌前面，打量着这个硕大的尸体时，有个声音向他发话了（他不知道声音是从哪里发出来的，但却听得真真切切），命令他拔掉毒蛇的牙齿，把它们播种在地里。他遵命行事，挖了一条垄，把蛇牙洒在其中，天意决定了这些牙会滋生出一茬人。他刚刚填平了垄，土块就松动起来，许多长矛尖拱出了地面，接着就露出了头盔及其上插着的半折的羽饰，然后是手持武器的士兵的肩膀、胸膛、四肢，不一会儿功夫，一群全身披挂的武士长了出来。卡德摩斯惊恐万状，准备迎战这群敌人。但是其中的一个武士向他说：“不要插手我们的内战。”说毕就挥剑刺死一个同他一起从土中长出来的兄弟。但他却中了另一个武士射出的箭，倒地死去。射箭的那个又被另一个武士杀死，就这样，这一群人自相残杀着，最后只剩下了五个。其中的一个扔下了武器说：“弟兄们，我们讲和吧！”他们协助卡德摩斯建造了一座城，称之为底比斯。
Cadmus obtained in marriage Harmonia，the daughter of Venus.The gods left Olympus to honor the occasion with their presence，and Vulcan presented the bride with a necklace of surpassing brilliancy (brilliancy n.光辉，出色)，his own workmanship.But a fatality hung over the family of Cadmus in consequence of his killing the serpent sacred to Mars.Semele and Ino，his daughters，and Actaeon and Pentheus，his grandchildren，all perished unhappily，and Cadmus and Harmonia quitted Thebes，now grown odious to them，and emigrated to the country of the Enchelians，who received them with honor and made Cadmus their king.But the misfortunes of their children still weighed upon their minds；and one day Cadmus exclaimed，“If a serpent"s life is so dear to the gods，I would I were myself a serpent.”No sooner had he uttered the words than he began to change his form.Harmonia beheld it and prayed to the gods to let her share his fate (fate n.天数，命运，运气vt.注定，送命).Both became serpents.They live in the woods，but mindful of their origin，they neither avoid the presence of man，nor do they ever injure any one.
卡德摩斯和维纳斯的女儿哈耳摩尼亚结婚了。奥林匹斯山上的众神都来庆贺他们的婚礼。伏尔甘送给了新娘一串他亲手制作的项链，精美绝伦。但因为卡德摩斯杀死的那条蛇是马尔斯的圣物，所以他的家族在劫难逃。他的女儿塞墨勒和伊诺，他的孙儿阿克特翁和彭透斯都死于非命。底比斯城如今只能勾起卡德摩斯和哈耳摩尼亚的无限伤感。他们弃城出走，投奔了安奇里亚人。那里的人们热情地接待了他们，并拥戴卡德摩斯为王。但儿孙们的厄运始终使他们忧郁寡欢。有一天卡德摩斯哀呼道：“既然众神对一条蛇的生命如此看重，我倒不如就是一条蛇吧。”话刚出口他就开始变形了。哈耳摩尼亚眼看事情如此，只好祈求众神赐给她同样的归宿。于是他们两人都变成了蛇，从此在森林中生活。他们铭记着自己的身世，所以从来不逃避人类，也从不伤害人类。
