金色的羊毛
King Athamus of northern Greece had two children，Phrixus and Helle．After he left his first wife and married Ino，a wicked(wicked adj.坏的，邪恶的，缺德的，不道德的，恶劣的)woman，the two children received all the cruel treatment that a stepmother could devise，at one time the kingdom was ruined by a famine(famine n.饥荒，<古>饥饿，严重的缺乏)．Ino persuaded her credulous(credulous adj.轻信的)husband into believing that his son，Phrixus，was the actual cause of the disaster，and should be sacrificed(sacrifice n.牺牲，献身，祭品，供奉v.牺牲，献出，献祭，供奉)to Zeus to endite．The poor boy was then placed on the altar and was about to be knifed when a ram with golden fleece was sent down by the gods and carried off the two children on its back．
希腊北部国王阿塔玛斯有两个孩子，法瑞克斯和赫勒。当国王离开第一个妻子和一个名叫伊诺的坏女人结婚后，两个孩子受到后母残忍虐待，整个王国也受到毁灭性瘟疫的侵袭。伊诺在爱轻信的丈夫耳边进谗言，终于使国王相信：他的儿子法瑞克斯是这次灾害的罪魁祸首，并要将他献给宙斯以结束瘟疫。可怜的孩子被推上了祭坛，将要被处死。正在此时，上帝派了一只浑身上下长着金色羊毛的公羊来将两个孩子驮在背上带走了。
As they flew over the strait that divides Asia from Europe，Helle，faint(faint n.昏晕，昏倒adj.虚落地，衰弱的，软弱的，无力的vi.昏晕，昏倒，变得微弱，变得没气力)at the vast expanse of water below，fell into the sea and was drowned．Thus the sea of Helle，Hellespont，became the ancient name of the strip of water．Her brother kept on and arrived in Colchis on the eastern shore of the black sea．There he sacrificed the ram to Zeus and gave its golden fleece(fleece n.羊毛（尤指未剪下的），羊毛状之物，绒头织物vt.剪下羊毛，诈取)to king Acetes，who nailed it on a sacred tree and put a sleepless dragon in charge．
当他们飞过隔开欧洲和亚洲的海峡时，赫勒由于看到浩瀚的海洋而头晕目眩，最终掉进大海淹死了。这片海洋古时候的名称叫赫勒之海，赫勒拉旁海峡便由此而来。金色公羊驮着法瑞克斯继续向前飞去，来到了黑海东岸的科尔契斯。在那里，法瑞克斯将公羊献给了宙斯；而将金羊毛送给了埃厄忒斯国王。国王将羊毛钉在一棵圣树上，并派了一条不睡觉的龙负责看护。
