And as he thought it came to gnaw at it, he drew his sword and said, "As long as I live, thou shalt not touch her," and hewed the snake in three pieces. After a time a second snake crept out of the hole, and when it saw the other lying dead and cut in pieces, it went back, but soon came again with three green leaves in its mouth. Then it took the three pieces of the snake, laid them together, as they ought to go, and placed one of the leaves on each wound. Immediately the severed parts joined themselves together, the snake moved, and became alive again, and both of them hastened away together. The leaves were left lying on the ground, and a desire came into the mind of the unhappy man who had been watching all this, to know if the wondrous power of the leaves which had brought the snake to life again, could not likewise be of service to a human being.

他以为蛇是去咬她的肉，便拔出宝剑说：

"

只要我还活着，你就休想碰她一下。

"

说完就把蛇砍成了三段。

过了一会儿，又一条蛇从洞里爬了出来。

当它看到第一条蛇被砍成了三段，已经死了，它便爬了回去。

可不一会儿它又爬了出来，嘴里衔着三片绿色的叶子。

然后，它把死蛇的三段拼在一起，在每一处伤口上盖上一片叶子。

顷刻之间，那条断蛇的的几个部分又长在了一起。

蛇动了几下便活了过来，然后和第二条蛇一起逃走了，而那三片叶子却留在了地上。

这位目睹了这一切的不幸青年突然产生了一个想法：不知道这些把死蛇重新救活的叶子的魔力能不能把人也救活。