779

THE BUILDING OF CLOUD-CUCKOO-TOWN

From The Birds': Frere's Translation

Enter Messenger, quite out of breath, and speaking in short snatches.] Messenger - Where is he? Where? Where is he? Where?

is he? The president Peisthetairus?

Peisthetairus [coolly]

Where

Here am I.

Mess. [in a gasp of breath] - Your fortification's finished.

Peis.

Mess. A most amazing, astonishing work it is!

Peis.

So that Theagenes and Proxenides

Well! that's well.

Might flourish and gasconade and prance away
Quite at their ease, both of them four-in-hand,
Driving abreast upon the breadth of wall,

Each in his own new chariot.

You surprise me.

Mess. And the height (for I made the measurement myself)

Is exactly a hundred fathoms.

Peis.

Heaven and earth!

How could it be? such a mass! who could have built it? Mess. The Birds; no creature else, no foreigners,

Egyptian bricklayers, workmen or masons.

But they themselves, alone, by their own efforts,

(Even to my surprise, as an eye-witness)
The Birds, I say, completed everything:

There came a body of thirty thousand cranes,

(I won't be positive, there might be more)

With stones from Africa in their craws and gizzards,
Which the stone-curlews and stone-chatterers

Worked into shape and finished.

The sand-martens

And mud-larks, too, were busy in their department,
Mixing the mortar, while the water-birds,

As fast as it was wanted, brought the water
To temper and work it.

Peis. [in a fidget] —

Mess.-

But who served the masons

Who did you get to carry it?

To carry it?

Of course, the carrion crows and carrying pigeons.
Peis. [in a fuss, which he endeavors to conceal]-
Yes! yes! but after all, to load your hods,
How did you manage that?

Mess.

Oh, capitally,

I promise you. There were the geese, all barefoot
Trampling the mortar, and when all was ready
They handed it into the hods, so cleverly,

Peis. [a bad joke, as a vent for irritation]

They footed it, you mean

Come; it was handily done though, I confess.

Mess.- Indeed, I assure you, it was a sight to see them;
And trains of ducks there were, clambering the ladders
With their duck legs, like bricklayers' 'prentices,
All dapper and handy, with their little trowels.
Peis. In fact, then, it's no use engaging foreigners;

Mere folly and waste, we've all within ourselves.

Ah, well now, come! But about the woodwork? Heh!
Who were the carpenters? Answer me that!

Mess. The woodpeckers, of course: and there they were,
Laboring upon the gates, driving and banging,

With their hard hatchet-beaks, and such a din,

Such a clatter, as they made, hammering and hacking,
In a perpetual peal, pelting away

Like shipwrights, hard at work in the arsenal.
And now their work is finished, gates and all,
Staples and bolts, and bars and everything;
The sentries at their posts; patrols appointed;
The watchman in the barbican; the beacons
Ready prepared for lighting; all their signals
Arranged but I'll step out, just for a moment,
To wash my hands. You'll settle all the rest.

CHORUS OF WOMEN

From the Thesmophoriazusæ': Collins's Translation

HEY'RE always abusing the women,

THE

As a terrible plague to men:
They say we're the root of all evil,
And repeat it again and again;

Of war, and quarrels, and bloodshed,
All mischief, be what it may!

And pray, then, why do you marry us,
If we're all the plagues you say?
And why do you take such care of us,
And keep us so safe at home,

And are never easy a moment

If ever we chance to roam?

When you ought to be thanking heaven
That your Plague is out of the way,
You all keep fussing and fretting —
"Where is my Plague to-day?"
If a Plague peeps out of the window,
Up go the eyes of men;

If she hides, then they all keep staring
Until she looks out again.

CHORUS OF MYSTE IN HADES

From The Frogs': Frere's Translation

CHORUS [shouting and singing]

ACCHUS! Iacchus! Ho!

Iacchus! Iacchus! Ho!

Xanthias- There, master, there they are, the initiated

All sporting about as he told us we should find em,
They're singing in praise of Bacchus like Diagoras.

Bacchus Indeed, and so they are; but we'll keep quiet
Till we make them out a little more distinctly.

CHORUS [Song]

Mighty Bacchus! Holy Power!

Hither at the wonted hour

Come away,

Come away,

With the wanton holiday,
Where the revel uproar leads
To the mystic holy meads,
Where the frolic votaries fly,
With a tipsy shout and cry;
Flourishing the Thyrsus high,
Flinging forth, alert and airy,
To the sacred old vagary,
The tumultuous dance and song,
Sacred from the vulgar throng;
Mystic orgies that are known
To the votaries alone-

To the mystic chorus solely

Secret-unrevealed - and holy.

Xan.O glorious virgin, daughter of the Goddess!

What a scent of raosted griskin reached my senses!
and watch for a chance of a piece of the has
lets.

Bac. - Keep quiet

CHORUS [Song]

Raise the fiery torches high!
Bacchus is approaching nigh,
Like the planet of the morn
Breaking with the hoary dawn
On the dark solemnity-
There they flash upon the sight;
All the plain is blazing bright,
Flushed and overflown with light:
Age has cast his years away,
And the cares of many a day,
Sporting to the lively lay-
Mighty Bacchus! march and lead
(Torch in hand toward the mead)
Thy devoted humble Chorus;
Mighty Bacchus-move before us!

Keep silence - keep peace and let all the profane From our holy solemnity duly refrain;

Whose souls, unenlightened by taste, are obscure; Whose poetical notions are dark and impure; Whose theatrical conscience

Is sullied by nonsense;

Who never were trained by the mighty Cratinus
In mystical orgies, poetic and vinous;

Who delight in buffooning and jests out of season;
Who promote the designs of oppression and treason;
Who foster sedition and strife and debate;

All traitors, in short, to the Stage and the State:
Who surrender a fort, or in private export
To places and harbors of hostile resort

Clandestine consignments of cables and pitch,
In the way that Thorycion grew to be rich
From a scoundrelly dirty collector of tribute:
All such we reject and severely prohibit;

All statesmen retrenching the fees and the salaries Of theatrical bards, in revenge for the railleries And jests and lampoons of this holy solemnity, Profanely pursuing their personal enmity,

For having been flouted and scoffed and scorned-All such are admonished and heartily warned⚫

We warn them once,

We warn them twice,

We warn and admonish-we warn them thrice,
To conform to the law,

To retire and withdraw;

While the Chorus again with the formal saw,
(Fixt and assign'd to the festive day)
Move to the measure and march away.

SEMI-CHORUS

March! march! lead forth,
Lead forth manfully,

March in order all;

Bustling, hustling, justling,
As it may befall;

Flocking, shouting, laughing,

Mocking, flouting, quaffing,

One and all;

All have had a belly-full

Of breakfast brave and plentiful;