Now the spring was sacred to the god Mars，and it was Mars who had set a dragon to guard it．The dragon had surprised Cadmus‘s men at their drinking，and had destroyed them all；and now the monster，protected by its tough black hide，bore down on Cadmus with crimson jaws agape．Cadmus raised a huge rock，and casting it at the dragon he struck it forciblyforcibly adv.强制地， 用力， 硬 on the flank；but the dragon only gave a roar of pain and anger，and came on more furiously than before．It was now so near that Cadmus could see the blood and foam which dripped from its mouth，and he perceived also that there was but one spot where the monster was assailable．Cadmus lifted his spear，and struck the animal full between the jaws．Immediately the creature fell，writhing horribly，and Cadmus watched it till it runed on its back and lay still．这口泉是献给马耳斯神的，他派一条龙来守卫它。这条龙的出现使正在喝水卡德摩斯的人大为惊恐，龙把他们都毁掉了；这个怪兽外皮又黑又糙，起着保护作用，它张开血盆大口向卡德摩斯袭来，卡德摩斯举起一块大石头向这龙掷去，狠狠地砸在它的肋上；但这条龙只发出一声痛苦和愤怒的吼叫，又比以往更加凶猛地扑了上来，这次，它离卡德摩斯非常近，他可以看见鲜血和泡沫从它嘴中滴落，他同时意识到这个怪物只有一个可击之处。卡德摩斯举起矛，向这个动物的颌之间直击过去。这头畜生立即跌落在地，骇人地扭动着，卡德摩斯观望着，看到它翻过身，躺在那儿，一动不动。
Cadmus stood in the silence of the grovegrove n.小树林 for a while，gazing at his fallen enemy．Then a bright light fell all about him．He heard a voice，and he hung his head for fear．卡德摩斯在这片沉寂的小树林中又站了一会儿，凝视着他那倒下的敌人。后来一束明亮的光降落在他的周围，他听到了一个声音，并恐惧地垂下了头。
“Lift your eyes，Cadmus，”said the voice，“It is the goddess Minerva who speaks to you．The gods have taken pity on you because of your long search for your sister，and they have led you at last to the place where you may settle after your wandering．Here you must build a city，and dwell in it for the rest of your day．”
“抬起你的双眼，卡德摩斯，”这个声音说道，“对你说话的是密涅瓦女神。众神因你久久地寻找你的妹妹而对你充满同情。他们最终带你来到这个地方——你可以结束游荡并定居此地。你必须在这儿修建一座城市，并定居于此以度余生。”
“Great goddess，”replied Cadmus，“I have no power to build a city，for all my follwers are dead．”
“伟大的女神，”卡德摩斯回答，“我无力建城，因为我所有的随从都已死去。”
“Take the teeth of the dragon，” commanded the goddess， “and sow them in the ground．”
“拔掉这条龙的牙齿，”女神命令道，“把它们种在地里。”
Cadmus had no thought but to obey；and lifting the huge jaw with one hand，he exerted all his strength to extractextract n.精， 汁， 榨出物， 摘录， 选粹 vt.拔出， 榨取， 开方， 求根， 摘录， 析取， 吸取 the bloodstained teeth．Then he paced forward over the ground，and sowed the teeth in the shallow soil．He had scarcely finished，when a host of giants sprang fully armed from the ground and rushed on Cadmus to slay him．除了遵从之外，卡德摩斯别无它念。他用一只手抬起这个硕大无比的龙颌，使出全身力气拔出这些沾满血迹的牙齿。然后他往前走，把牙齿种在浅土中。卡德摩斯刚刚种完，就有一群全副武装的巨人从地上弹出，向他冲杀过来。
“Now take a large stone，”said Minerva，“and cast it into the midst of the giants．”With these words the goddess disappeared from sight．“搬起一块大石头，”密涅瓦说，“把它扔到巨人中间去。”女神说完这些话就无影无踪了。
Cadmus did as he was told，and not a moment too soon．The giants paused in their onslaught，looking grimlygrimly adv.严格地， 可怕地， 冷酷地 about；for each giant thought that his neighbour had cast the stone．Then they turned their swords against one and other，and for many hours Cadmus watched the strange conflict，as the weapons of the fighting giants clshed together．One after another they were slain，till at sundown there were only five giants remaining，and these were sore and weary．When Cadmus realized this he approached them．卡德摩斯立即依言而行，毫无怠慢。巨人停止了追杀，冷酷无情地环视着；因为每个巨人都认为是他的邻居扔了石头。紧接着，他们调转剑头，同室操戈，兵器丁当作响，卡德摩斯观看这场奇特的长达数小时的冲突，一个又一个巨人被杀死，太阳落山时，只剩五个巨人，他们遍体鳞伤，疲惫不堪，卡德摩斯看到这一点，便走向他们。
“Sheathe your weapons，”he commanded them，“and follow me，for tomorrow we must begin our laburs．On this spot where you have fought，we must build a noble city．” The giants did as they were bidden，and they became Cadmus‘s new followers．“把武器插入鞘内，”他命令道，“跟我来，明天我们必须开始劳动。在你们争斗的地方，我们必须修建一座宏伟的城市。”巨人依命行事，成为卡德摩斯的新随从。
And that is how Cadmus，after long wanderings，at length found rest．With the help of the gods，who added their labours to his own，and caused temples and palaces to rise while he slept，he built the great city of Thebes，and settled and ruled there．For the Immortals，when they are tired of casting a man down，will raise him up again，and show him a face of favour．Such favour they showed to Cadmus，even bestowing upon him a beautiful wife，Harmonia，the daughter of Mars．And Cadmus loved her，for he saw in her some of the bright beauty of Europa，for whom he had searched for so many years without success．卡德摩斯经过长久漫游之后，最终得以休憩。他在众神的帮助下——他们趁他熟睡之示把自己的劳动成果加给他，使庙宇和殿堂平地而起——建造了这座雄伟的底比斯城，并且定居下来，统治该城。对于诸神来说，当他们厌倦于挫伤一个人的时候，便抬起他，并施恩于他。他们便把这种恩惠施给卡德摩斯，甚至赐给他一位非常美丽的妻子——马耳斯的女儿哈耳默尼亚。卡德摩斯钟爱她，因为从她身上，卡德摩斯看到一些欧罗巴的那种耀人的美丽，他曾经花了许多年来寻找她，却没能成功。
Thereafter，Cadmus lived the life of a wise and loving king，and many will say that he was content to be so．But no man may abandon a quest on which he has long set his heart，but he will be haunted in his sleeping by the image of her he sought．So it was with Cadmus．In vain his eyes dwelt all day on the beauty of his beavenly bridenight and sleep would ever bring a return of his wanderings；and in his dreams，in his soft dreams，he saw Europa again．此后，卡德摩斯过着一个智慧并受人爱戴的国王的日子，许多人都说他满足于此，但一个人不会放弃他心目中的追求，那个他所寻找的人的形象会萦绕于他的梦中。对卡德摩斯来说也不例外。他整日注目于神妻的美丽，但这却无济于事，夜晚和睡梦又把他带回漫游的岁月。在他的睡梦中，在他柔美的睡梦中，他又见到了欧罗巴。
