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SCENE: A wild, desolate tract of open country; broken rocks and brushwood occupy the centre of the stage. Euelpides (to his jay)[1] f1 Euelpides is holding a jay and Pisthetaerus a crow; they are the guides who are to lead them to the kingdom of the birds. Pisthetaerus (to his crow) Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 A stranger who wanted to pass as an Athenian, although coming originally for a far-away barbarian country. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides That Philocrates, the bird-seller, played us a scurvy trick, when he pretended these two guides could help us to find Tereus,[1] the Epops, who is a bird, without being born of one. He has indeed sold us this jay, a true son of Tharelides,[2] for an obolus, and this crow for three, but what can they do? Why, nothing whatever but bite and scratch! —What’s the matter with you then, that you keep opening your beak? Do you want us to fling ourselves headlong down these rocks? There is no road that way. f1 A king of Thrace, a son of Ares, who married Procne, the daughter of Pandion, King of Athens, whom he had assisted against the Megarians. He violated his sister-in-law, Philomela, and then cut out her tongue; she nevertheless managed to convey to her sister how she had been treated. They both agreed to kill Itys, whom Procne had borne to Tereus, and dished up the limbs of his own son to the father; at the end of the meal Philomela appeared and threw the child’s head upon the table. Tereus rushed with drawn sword upon the princesses, but all the actors in this terrible scene were metamorph[o]sed. Tereus became an Epops (hoopoe), Procne a swallow, Philomela a nightingale, and Itys a goldfinch. According to Anacreon and Apollodorus it was Procne who became the nightingale and Philomela the swallow, and this is the version of the tradition followed by Aristophanes. f2 An Athenian who had some resemblance to a jay—so says the scholiast, at any rate. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides What misfortune is ours! we strain every nerve to get to the birds,[1] do everything we can to that end, and we cannot find our way! Yes, spectators, our madness is quite different from that of Sacas. He is not a citizen, and would fain be one at any cost; we, on the contrary, born of an honourable tribe and family and living in the midst of our fellow-citizens, we have fled from our country as hard as ever we could go. ’Tis not that we hate it; we recognize it to be great and rich, likewise that everyone has the right to ruin himself; but the crickets only chirrup among the fig-trees for a month or two, whereas the Athenians spend their whole lives in chanting forth judgments from their law-courts.[2] That is why we started off with a basket, a stew-pot and some myrtle boughs3 and have come to seek a quiet country in which to settle. We are going to Tereus, the Epops, to learn from him, whether, in his aerial flights, he has noticed some town of this kind. f1 Literally, ‘to go to the crows,’ a proverbial expression equivalent to our ‘going to the devil.’ f2 They leave Athens because of their hatred of lawsuits and informers; this is the especial failing of the Athenians satirized in ‘The Wasps.’ f3 Myrtle boughs were used in sacrifices, and the founding of every colony was started by a sacrifice. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Trochilus Pisthetaerus f1 The actors wore masks made to resemble the birds they were supposed to represent. Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus Euelpides f1 Fear had had disastrous effects upon Euelpides’ internal economy, and this his feet evidenced. Trochilus Pisthetaerus f1 The same mishap had occurred to Pisthetaerus. Euelpides Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus ’Tis no doubt because he was a man. At times he wants to eat a dish of loach from Phalerum; I seize my dish and fly to fetch him some. Again he wants some pea-soup; I seize a ladle and a pot and run to get it. Euelpides f1 The Greek word for a wren is derived from the same root as ‘to run.’ Trochilus Euelpides Trochilus Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Epops f1 No doubt there was some scenery to represent a forest. Besides, there is a pun intended. The words answering for ‘forests’ and ‘door’ in Greek only differ slightly in sound. Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops f1 Sophocles had written a tragedy about Tereus, in which, no doubt, the king finally appears as a hoopoe. Euelpides f1ne would expect the question to be “bird or man.” —Are you a peacock? The hoopoe resembles the peacock inasmuch as both have crests. Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides f1 Athens. Epops f1 The Athenians were madly addicted to lawsuits. (See ‘The Wasps.’) Euelpides Epops f1 As much as to say, ‘Then you have such things as anti-dicasts?’ And Euelpides practically replaces, ‘Very few.’ Euelpides Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides Because you formerly were a man, like we are, formerly you had debts, as we have, formerly you did not want to pay them, like ourselves; furthermore, being turned into a bird, you have when flying seen all lands and seas. Thus you have all human knowledge as well as that of birds. And hence we have come to you to beg you to direct us to some cosy town, in which one can repose as if on thick coverlets. Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides f1 His name was Aristocrates; he was a general and commanded a fleet sent in aid of Corcyra. Epops Euelpides A place where the following would be the most important business transacted. —Some friend would come knocking at the door quite early in the morning saying, “By Olympian Zeus, be at my house early, as soon as you have bathed, and bring your children too. I am giving a nuptial feast, so don’t fail, or else don’t cross my threshold when I am in distress.” Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus I want a town where the father of a handsome lad will stop in the street and say to me reproachfully as if I had failed him, “Ah! Is this well done, Stilbonides! You met my son coming from the bath after the gymnasium and you neither spoke to him, nor embraced him, nor took him with you, nor ever once twitched his parts. Would anyone call you an old friend of mine?” Epops Euelpides Oh, no. Not a sea-port, where some fine morning the Salaminian1 galley can appear, bringing a writ-server along. Have you no Greek town you can propose to us? f1 The State galley, which carried the officials of the Athenian republic to their several departments and brought back those whose time had expired; it was this galley that was sent to Sicily to fetch back Alcibiades, who was accused of sacrilege. Epops Euelpides f1 A tragic poet, who was a leper; there is a play, of course, on the word Lepreum. Epops Euelpides f1 An allusion to Opuntius, who was one-eyed. Epops Euelpides Epops Euelpides f1 The newly-married ate a sesame-cake, decorated with garlands of myrtle, poppies and mint. Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus In what way? Well, firstly, do not fly in all directions with open beak; it is not dignified. Among us, when we see a thoughtless man, we ask, “What sort of bird is this?” and Teleas answers, “’Tis a man who has no brain, a bird that has lost his head, a creature you cannot catch, for it never remains in any one place.” Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Or, if you like it, the land. And since it turns and passes through the whole universe, it is called, ’pole.’[1] If you build and fortify it, you will turn your pole into a fortified city.[2] In this way you will reign over mankind as you do over the grasshoppers and cause the gods to die of rabid hunger f1 From [the word meaning] ‘to turn.’ f2 The Greek words for ‘pole’ and ‘city’ only differ by a single letter. Epops Pisthetaerus The air is ’twixt earth and heaven. When we want to go to Delphi, we ask the Boeotians1 for leave of passage; in the same way, when men sacrifice to the gods, unless the latter pay you tribute, you exercise the right of every nation towards strangers and don’t allow the smoke of the sacrifices to pass through your city and territory. f1 Boeotia separated Attica from Phocis. Epops By earth! by snares! by network![1] I never heard of anything more cleverly conceived; and, if the other birds approve, I am going to build the city along with you. f1 He swears by the powers that are to him dreadful. Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops f1 As already stated, according to the legend accepted by Aristophanes, it was Procne who was turned into the nightengale. Pisthetaerus Epops Chase off drowsy sleep, dear companion. Let the sacred hymn gush from thy divine throat in melodious strains; roll forth in soft cadence your refreshing melodies to bewail the fate of Itys,[1] which has been the cause of so many tears to us both. Your pure notes rise through the thick leaves of the yew-tree right up to the throne of Zeus, where Phoebus listens to you, Phoebus with his golden hair. And his ivory lyre responds to your plaintive accents; he gathers the choir of the gods and from their immortal lips rushes a sacred chant of blessed voices. (The flute is played behind the scene.) f1 The son of Tereus and Procne. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Epops (in the coppice) Epopoi poi popoi, epopoi, popoi, here, here, quick, quick, quick, my comrades in the air; all you who pillage the fertile lands of the husbandmen, the numberless tribes who gather and devour the barley seeds, the swift flying race who sing so sweetly. And you whose gentle twitter resounds through the fields with the little cry of tio, tio, tio, tio, tio, tio, tio, tio; and you who hop about the branches of the ivy in the gardens; the mountain birds, who feed on the wild olive berries or the arbutus, hurry to come at my call, trioto, trioto, totobrix; you also, who snap up the sharp-stinging gnats in the marshy vales, and you who dwell in the fine plain of Marathon, all damp with dew, and you, the francolin with speckled wings; you too, the halcyons, who flit over the swelling waves of the sea, come hither to hear the tidings; let all the tribes of long-necked birds assemble here; know that a clever old man has come to us, bringing an entirely new idea and proposing great reforms. Let all come to the debate here, here, here, here. Torotorotorotorotix, kikkobau, kikkobau, torotorotorotorolililix. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus PHOENICOPTERUS Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops f1 An African bird, that comes to the southern countries of Europe, to Greece, Italy, and Spain; it is even seen in Provence. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Epops f1 Aristophanes amusingly mixes up real birds with people and individuals, whom he represents in the form of birds; he is personifying the Medians here. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Epops f1 Philocles, a tragic poet, had written a tragedy on Tereus, which was simply a plagiarism of the play of the same name by Sophocles. Philocles is the son of Epops, because he got his inspiration from Sophocles’ Tereus, and at the same time is father to Epops, since he himself produced another Tereus. f2 This Hipponicus is probably the orator whose ears Alcibiades boxed to gain a bet; he was a descendant of Callias, who was famous for his hatred of Pisistratus. Pisthetaerus f1 This Callias, who must not be confounded with the foe of Pisistratus, had ruined himself. Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Is there another glutton besides Cleonymus? But why, if he is Cleonymus, has he not thrown away his crest?[1] But what is the meaning of all these crests? Have these birds come to contend for the double stadium prize?[2] f1 Cleonymus had cast away his shield; he was as great a glutton as he was a coward. f2 A race in which the track had to be circled twice. Epops f1 A people of Asia Minor; when pursued by the Ionians they took refuge in the mountains. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Epops Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 An Athenian barber. Euelpides f1 The owl was dedicated to Athene, and being respected at Athens, it had greatly multiplied. Hence the proverb, ‘taking owls to Athens,’ similar to our English ‘taking coals to Newcastle.’ Pisthetaerus Here is the magpie, the turtle-dove, the swallow, the horned owl, the buzzard, the pigeon, the falcon, the ring-dove, the cuckoo, the red-foot, the red-cap, the purple-cap, the kestrel, the diver, the ousel, the osprey, the woodpecker. Euelpides Oh! oh! what a lot of birds! what a quantity of blackbirds! how they scold, how they come rushing up! What a noise! what a noise! Can they be bearing us ill-will? Oh! there! there! they are opening their beaks and staring at us. Pisthetaerus CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops Something that concerns our common safety, and that is just as pleasant as it is to the purpose. Two men, who are subtle reasoners, have come here to seek me. CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Ah! ah! we are betrayed; ’tis sacrilege! Our friend, he who picked up corn-seeds in the same plains as ourselves, has violated our ancient laws; he has broken the oaths that bind all birds; he has laid a snare for me, he has handed us over to the attacks of that impious race which, throughout all time, has never ceased to war against us. As for this traitorous bird, we will decide his case later, but the two old men shall be punished forthwith; we are going to tear them to pieces. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus CHORUS Io! io! forward to the attack, throw yourselves upon the foe, spill his blood; take to your wings and surround them on all sides. Woe to them! let us get to work with our beaks, let us devour them. Nothing can save them from our wrath, neither the mountain forests, nor the clouds that float in the sky, nor the foaming deep. Come, peck, tear to ribbons. Where is the chief of the cohort? Let him engage the right wing. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 An allusion to the Feast of Pots; it was kept at Athens on the third day of the Anthesteria, when all sorts of vegetables were stewed together and offered for the dead to Bacchus and Athene. This Feast was peculiar to Athens. —Hence Pisthetaerus thinks that the owl will recognize they are Athenians by seeing the stew-pots, and as he is an Athenian bird, he will not attack them. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides f1 Nicias, the famous Athenian general. —The siege of Melos in 417 B.C., or two years previous to the production of ‘The Birds,’ had especially done him great credit. He was joint commander of the Sicilian expedition. CHORUS Epops Oh, most cruel of all animals, why tear these two men to pieces, why kill them? What have they done to you? They belong to the same tribe, to the same family as my wife.[1] f1 Procne, the daughter of Pandion, King of Athens. CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops The wise can often profit by the lessons of a foe, for caution is the mother of safety. ’Tis just such a thing as one will not learn from a friend and which an enemy compels you to know. To begin with, ’tis the foe and not the friend that taught cities to build high walls, to equip long vessels of war; and ’tis this knowledge that protects our children, our slaves and our wealth. CHORUS Pisthetaerus Epops CHORUS Pisthetaerus They are in a more peaceful mood; put down your stew-pot and your two dishes; spit in hand, doing duty for a spear, let us mount guard inside the camp close to the pot and watch in our arsenal closely; for we must not fly. Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 A space beyond the walls of Athens which contained the gardens of the Academy and the graves of citizens who had died for their country. f2 A town in Western Argolis, where the Athenians had been recently defeated. The somewhat similar work in Greek signifies ‘birds.’ CHORUS Return to your ranks and lay down your courage beside your wrath as the Hoplites do. Then let us ask these men who they are, whence they come, and with what intent. Here, Epops, answer me. Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Why, do they think to see some advantage that determines them to settle here? Are they hoping with our help to triumph over their foes or to be useful to their friends? Epops They speak of benefits so great it is impossible either to describe or conceive them; all shall be yours, all that we see here, there, above and below us; this they vouch for. CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops CHORUS Epops Here, you there, take all these weapons and hang them up inside close to the fire, near the figure of the god who presides there and under his protection;[1] as for you, address the birds, tell them why I have gathered them together. f1 Epops is addressing the two slaves, no doubt Xanthias and Manes, who are mentioned later on. Pisthetaerus Not I, by Apollo, unless they agree with me as the little ape of an armourer agreed with his wife, not to bite me, nor pull me by the parts, nor shove things up my… CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Herald Hearken, ye people! Hoplites, pick up your weapons and return to your firesides; do not fail to read the decrees of dismissal we have posted. CHORUS Man is a truly cunning creature, but nevertheless explain. Perhaps you are going to show me some good way to extend my power, some way that I have not had the wit to find out and which you have discovered. Speak! ’tis to your own interest as well as to mine, for if you secure me some advantage, I will surely share it with you. But what object can have induced you to come among us? Speak boldly, for I shall not break the truce, —until you have told us all. Pisthetaerus I am bursting with desire to speak; I have already mixed the dough of my address and nothing prevents me from kneading it…. Slave! bring the chaplet and water, which you must pour over my hands. Be quick![1] f1 It was customary, when speaking in public and also at feasts, to wear a chaplet; hence the question Euelpides puts. —The guests wore chaplets of flowers, herbs, and leaves, which had the property of being refreshing. Euelpides Pisthetaerus By Zeus, no! but I am hunting for fine, tasty words to break down the hardness of their hearts. —I grieve so much for you, who at one time were kings… CHORUS Pisthetaerus ...of all that exists, firstly of me and of this man, even of Zeus himself. Your race is older than Saturn, the Titans and the Earth. CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus ’Tis because you are ignorant and heedless, and have never read your Aesop. ’Tis he who tells us that the lark was born before all other creatures, indeed before the Earth; his father died of sickness, but the Earth did not exist then; he remained unburied for five days, when the bird in its dilemma decided, for want of a better place, to entomb its father in its own head. Euelpides f1 A deme of Attica. In Greek the word also means ‘heads,’ and hence the pun. Epops Euelpides Pisthetaerus It was not the gods, but the birds, who were formerly the masters and kings over men; of this I have a thousand proofs. First of all, I will point you to the cock, who governed the Persians before all other monarchs, before Darius and Megabyzus.[1] ’Tis in memory of his reign that he is called the Persian bird. f1 One of Darius’ best generals. After his expedition against the Scythians, this prince gave him the command of the army which he left in Europe. Megabyzus took Perinthos (afterwards called Heraclea) and conquered Thrace. Euelpides For this reason also, even to-day, he alone of all the birds wears his tiara straight on his head, like the Great King.[1] f1 All Persians wore the tiara, but always on one side; the Great King alone wore it straight on his head. Pisthetaerus He was so strong, so great, so feared, that even now, on account of his ancient power, everyone jumps out of bed as soon as ever he crows at daybreak. Blacksmiths, potters, tanners, shoemakers, bathmen, corn-dealers, lyre-makers and armourers, all put on their shoes and go to work before it is daylight. Euelpides I can tell you something about that. ’Twas the cock’s fault that I lost a splendid tunic of Phrygian wool. I was at a feast in town, given to celebrate the birth of a child; I had drunk pretty freely and had just fallen asleep, when a cock, I suppose in a greater hurry than the rest, began to crow. I thought it was dawn and set out for Alimos.[1] I had hardly got beyond the walls, when a footpad struck me in the back with his bludgeon; down I went and wanted to shout, but he had already made off with my mantle. f1 Noted as the birthplace of Thucydides, a deme of Attica of the tribe of Leontis. Demosthenes tells us it was thirty-five stadia from Athens. Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus f1 The appearance of the kite in Greece betokened the return of springtime; it was therefore worshipped as a symbol of that season. Euelpides By Zeus! ’tis what I did myself one day on seeing a kite; but at the moment I was on my knees, and leaning backwards1 with mouth agape, I bolted an obolus and was forced to carry my bag home empty.[2] f1 To look at the kite, who no doubt was flying high in the sky. f2 As already shown, the Athenians were addicted to carrying small coins in their mouths. —This obolus was for the purpose of buying flour to fill the bag he was carrying Pisthetaerus The cuckoo was king of Egypt and of the whole of Phoenicia. When he called out “cuckoo,” all the Phoenicians hurried to the fields to reap their wheat and their barley.[1] f1 In Phoenicia and Egypt the cuckoo makes its appearance about harvest-time. Euelpides Hence no doubt the proverb, “Cuckoo! cuckoo! go to the fields, ye circumcised.”[1] f1 This was an Egyptian proverb, meaning, ’When the cuckoo sings we go harvesting.’ Both the Phoenicians and the Egyptians practised circumcision. Pisthetaerus So powerful were the birds that the kings of Grecian cities, Agamemnon, Menelaus, for instance, carried a bird on the tip of their sceptres, who had his share of all presents.[1] f1 The staff, called a sceptre, generally terminated in a piece of carved work, representing a flower, a fruit, and most often a bird. Euelpides That I didn’t know and was much astonished when I saw Priam come upon the stage in the tragedies with a bird, which kept watching Lysicrates1 to see if he got any present. f1 A general accused of treachery. The bird watches Lysicrates, because, according to Pisthetaerus, he had a right to a share of the presents. Pisthetaerus But the strongest proof of all is, that Zeus, who now reigns, is represented as standing with an eagle on his head as a symbol of his royalty;[1] his daughter has an owl, and Phoebus, as his servant, has a hawk. f1 It is thus that Phidias represents his Olympian Zeus. Euelpides By Demeter, ’tis well spoken. But what are all these birds doing in heaven? Pisthetaerus When anyone sacrifices and, according to the rite, offers the entrails to the gods, these birds take their share before Zeus. Formerly men always swore by the birds and never by the gods; even now Lampon1 swears by the goose, when he wants to lie….Thus ’tis clear that you were great and sacred, but now you are looked upon as slaves, as fools, as Helots; stones are thrown at you as at raving madmen, even in holy places. A crowd of bird-catchers sets snares, traps, limed-twigs and nets of all sorts for you; you are caught, you are sold in heaps and the buyers finger you over to be certain you are fat. Again, if they would but serve you up simply roasted; but they rasp cheese into a mixture of oil, vinegar and laserwort, to which another sweet and greasy sauce is added, and the whole is poured scalding hot over your back, for all the world as if you were diseased meat. f1 One of the diviners sent to Sybaris (in Magna Graecia, S. Italy) with the Athenian colonists, who rebuilt the town under the new name of Thurium. CHORUS Man, your words have made my heart bleed; I have groaned over the treachery of our fathers, who knew not how to transmit to us the high rank they held from their forefathers. But ’tis a benevolent Genius, a happy Fate, that sends you to us; you shall be our deliverer and I place the destiny of my little ones and my own in your hands with every confidence. But hasten to tell me what must be done; we should not be worthy to live, if we did not seek to regain our royalty by every possible means. Pisthetaerus First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon, round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven. Epops f1 As if he were saying, “Oh, gods!” Like Lampon, he swears by the birds, instead of swearing by the gods. —The names of these birds are those of two of the Titans. Pisthetaerus Th[en], this being well done and completed, you demand back the empire from Zeus; if he will not agree, if he refuses and does not at once confess himself beaten, you declare a sacred war against him and forbid the gods henceforward to pass through your country with lust, as hitherto, for the purpose of fondling their Alcmenas, their Alopes, or their Semeles![1] if they try to pass through, you infibulate them with rings so that they can work no longer. You send another messenger to mankind, who will proclaim to them that the birds are kings, that for the future they must first of all sacrifice to them, and only afterwards to the gods; that it is fitting to appoint to each deity the bird that has most in common with it. For instance, are they sacrificing to Aphrodite, let them at the same time offer barley to the coot; are they immolating a sheep to Posidon, let them consecrate wheat in honour of the duck;[2] is a steer being offered to Heracles, let honey-cakes be dedicated to the gull;[3] is a goat being slain for King Zeus, there is a King-Bird, the wren,[4] to whom the sacrifice of a male gnat is due before Zeus himself even. f1 Alcmena, wife of Amphitryon, King of Thebes and mother of Heracles. —Semele, the daughter of Cadmus and Hermione and mother of Bacchus; both seduced by Zeus. —Alope, daughter of Cercyon, a robber, who reigned at Eleusis and was conquered by Perseus. Alope was honoured with Posidon’s caresses; by him she had a son named Hippothous, at first brought up by shepherds but who afterwards was restored to the throne of his grandfather by Theseus. f2 Because water is the duck’s domain, as it is that of Posidon. f3 Because the gull, like Heracles, is voracious. f4 The Germans still call it ‘Zaunkonig’ and the French ‘roitelet,’ both names thus containing the idea of ‘king.’ Euelpides Epops Pisthetaerus You talk rubbish! Hermes is a god and has wings and flies, and so do many other gods. First of all, Victory flies with golden wings, Eros is undoubtedly winged too, and Iris is compared by Homer to a timorous dove.[1] If men in their blindness do not recognize you as gods and continue to worship the dwellers in Olympus, then a cloud of sparrows greedy for corn must descend upon their fields and eat up all their seeds; we shall see then if Demeter will mete them out any wheat. f1 The scholiast draws our attention to the fact that Homer says this of Here and not of Iris (Iliad, V, 778); it is only another proof that the text of Homer has reached us in a corrupted form, or it may be that Aristophanes was liable, like other people, to occasional mistakes of quotation. Euelpides By Zeus, she’ll take good care she does not, and you will see her inventing a thousand excuses. Pisthetaerus The crows too will prove your divinity to them by pecking out the eyes of their flocks and of their draught-oxen; and then let Apollo cure them, since he is a physician and is paid for the purpose.[1] f1 In sacrifices. Euelpides Pisthetaerus If on the other hand they recognize that you are God, the principle of life, that you are Earth, Saturn, Posidon, they shall be loaded with benefits. Epops Pisthetaerus Firstly, the locusts shall not eat up their vine-blossoms; a legion of owls and kestrels will devour them. Moreover, the gnats and the gall-bugs shall no longer ravage the figs; a flock of thrushes shall swallow the whole host down to the very last. Epops Pisthetaerus When they consult the omens, you will point them to the richest mines, you will reveal the paying ventures to the diviner, and not another shipwreck will happen or sailor perish. Epops Pisthetaerus When the auguries are examined before starting on a voyage, some bird will not fail to say, “Don’t start! there will be a storm,” or else, “Go! you will make a most profitable venture.” Euelpides Pisthetaerus You will discover treasures to them, which were buried in former times, for you know them. Do not all men say, “None knows where my treasure lies, unless perchance it be some bird.”[1] f1 An Athenian proverb. Euelpides Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus Far better, are they not? And firstly, we shall not have to build them temples of hewn stone, closed with gates of gold; they will dwell amongst the bushes and in the thickets of green oak; the most venerated of birds will have no other temple than the foliage of the olive tree; we shall not go to Delphi or to Ammon to sacrifice;[1] but standing erect in the midst of arbutus and wild olives and holding forth our hands filled with wheat and barley, we shall pray them to admit us to a share of the blessings they enjoy and shall at once obtain them for a few grains of wheat. f1 A celebrated temple to Zeus in an oasis of Libya. CHORUS Old man, whom I detested, you are now to me the dearest of all; never shall I, if I can help it, fail to follow your advice. Inspirited by your words, I threaten my rivals the gods, and I swear that if you march in alliance with me against the gods and are faithful to our just, loyal and sacred bond, we shall soon have shattered their sceptre. ’Tis our part to undertake the toil, ’tis yours to advise. Epops f1 Nicias was commander, along with Demosthenes, and later on Alcibiades, of the Athenian forces before Syracuse, in the ill-fated Sicilian Expedition, 415-413 B.C. He was much blamed for dilatoriness and indecision. Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus Epops Pisthetaerus f1 Servants of Pisthetaerus and Euelpides. CHORUS Epops CHORUS Pisthetaerus Oh! I conjure you, accede to their wish; for this delightful bird will leave her rushes at the sound of your voice; for the sake of the gods, let her come here, so that we may contemplate the nightingale.[1] f1 It has already been mentioned that, according to the legend followed by Aristophanes, Procne had been changed into a nightingale and Philomela into a swallow. Epops Pisthetaerus f1 The actor, representing Procne, was dressed out as a courtesan, but wore a mask of a bird. Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 Young unmarried girls wore golden ornaments; the apparel of married women was much simpler. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Epops Pisthetaerus CHORUS Lovable golden bird, whom I cherish above all others, you, whom I associate with all my songs, nightingale, you have come, you have come, to show yourself to me and to charm me with your notes. Come, you, who play spring melodies upon the harmonious flute,[1] lead off our anapaests.[2] Weak mortals, chained to the earth, creatures of clay as frail as the foliage of the woods, you unfortunate race, whose life is but darkness, as unreal as a shadow, the illusion of a dream, hearken to us, who are immortal beings, ethereal, ever young and occupied with eternal thoughts, for we shall teach you about all celestial matters; you shall know thoroughly what is the nature of the birds, what the origin of the gods, of the rivers, of Erebus, and Chaos; thanks to us, even Prodicus3 will envy you your knowledge. At the beginning there was only Chaos, Night, dark Erebus, and deep Tartarus. Earth, the air and heaven had no existence. Firstly, black-winged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebus, and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in deep Tartarus with dark Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the light. That of the Immortals did not exist until Eros had brought together all the ingredients of the world, and from their marriage Heaven, Ocean, Earth and the imperishable race of blessed gods sprang into being. Thus our origin is very much older than that of the dwellers in Olympus. We are the offspring of Eros; there are a thousand proofs to show it. We have wings and we lend assistance to lovers. How many handsome youths, who had sworn to remain insensible, have not been vanquished by our power and have yielded themselves to their lovers when almost at the end of their youth, being led away by the gift of a quail, a waterfowl, a goose, or a cock.[4] And what important services do not the birds render to mortals! First of all, they mark the seasons for them, springtime, winter, and autumn. Does the screaming crane migrate to Libya, —it warns the husbandman to sow, the pilot to take his ease beside his tiller hung up in his dwelling,[5] and Orestes6 to weave a tunic, so that the rigorous cold may not drive him any more to strip other folk. When the kite reappears, he tells of the return of spring and of the period when the fleece of the sheep must be clipped. Is the swallow in sight? All hasten to sell their warm tunic and to buy some light clothing. We are your Ammon, Delphi, Dodona, your Phoebus Apollo.[7] Before undertaking anything, whether a business transaction, a marriage, or the purchase of food, you consult the birds by reading the omens, and you give this name of omen8 to all signs that tell of the future. With you a word is an omen, you call a sneeze an omen, a meeting an omen, an unknown sound an omen, a slave or an ass an omen.[9] Is it not clear that we are a prophetic Apollo to you? If you recognize us as gods, we shall be your divining Muses, through us you will know the winds and the seasons, summer, winter, and the temperate months. We shall not withdraw ourselves to the highest clouds like Zeus, but shall be among you and shall give to you and to your children and the children of your children, health and wealth, long life, peace, youth, laughter, songs and feasts; in short, you will all be so well off, that you will be weary and satiated with enjoyment. Oh, rustic Muse of such varied note, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, I sing with you in the groves and on the mountain tops, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx.[10] I poured forth sacred strains from my golden throat in honour of the god Pan,[11] tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, from the top of the thickly leaved ash, and my voice mingles with the mighty choirs who extol Cybele on the mountain tops,[12] tototototototototinx. ’Tis to our concerts that Phrynichus comes to pillage like a bee the ambrosia of his songs, the sweetness of which so charms the ear, tio, tio, tio, tio, tinx. If there be one of you spectators who wishes to spend the rest of his life quietly among the birds, let him come to us. All that is disgraceful and forbidden by law on earth is on the contrary honourable among us, the birds. For instance, among you ’tis a crime to beat your father, but with us ’tis an estimable deed; it’s considered fine to run straight at your father and hit him, saying, “Come, lift your spur if you want to fight.”[13] The runaway slave, whom you brand, is only a spotted francolin with us.[14] Are you Phrygian like Spintharus?[15] Among us you would be the Phrygian bird, the goldfinch, of the race of Philemon.[16] Are you a slave and a Carian like Execestides? Among us you can create yourself fore-fathers;[17] you can always find relations. Does the son of Pisias want to betray the gates of the city to the foe? Let him become a partridge, the fitting offspring of his father; among us there is no shame in escaping as cleverly as a partridge. So the swans on the banks of the Hebrus, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx, mingle their voices to serenade Apollo, tio, tio, tio, tio. tiotinx, flapping their wings the while, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx; their notes reach beyond the clouds of heaven; all the dwellers in the forest stand still with astonishment and delight; a calm rests upon the waters, and the Graces and the choirs in Olympus catch up the strain, tio, tio, tio, tio, tiotinx. There is nothing more useful nor more pleasant than to have wings. To begin with, just let us suppose a spectator to be dying with hunger and to be weary of the choruses of the tragic poets; if he were winged, he would fly off, go home to dine and come back with his stomach filled. Some Patroclides in urgent need would not have to soil his cloak, but could fly off, satisfy his requirements, and, having recovered his breath, return. If one of you, it matters not who, had adulterous relations and saw the husband of his mistress in the seats of the senators, he might stretch his wings, fly thither, and, having appeased his craving, resume his place. Is it not the most priceless gift of all, to be winged? Look at Diitrephes![18] His wings were only wicker-work ones, and yet he got himself chosen Phylarch and then Hipparch; from being nobody, he has risen to be famous; ’tis now the finest gilded cock of his tribe.[19] f1 The actor, representing Procne, was a flute-player. f2 The parabasis. f3 A sophist of the island of Ceos, a disciple of Protagoras, as celebrated for his knowledge as for his eloquence. The Athenians condemned him to death as a corrupter of youth in 396 B.C. f4 Lovers were wont to make each other presents of birds. The cock and the goose are mentioned, of course, in jest. f5 i.e. that it gave notice of the approach of winter, during which season the Ancients did not venture to sea. f6 A notorious robber. f7 Meaning, “We are your oracles.” —Dodona was an oracle in Epirus. —The temple of Zeus there was surrounded by a dense forest, all the trees of which were endowed with the gift of prophecy; both the sacred oaks and the pigeons that lived in them answered the questions of those who came to consult the oracle in pure Greek. f8 The Greek word for ‘omen’ is the same as that for ‘bird.’ f9 A satire on the passion of the Greeks for seeing an omen in everything. f10 An imitation of the nightingale’s song. f11 God of the groves and wilds. f12 The ‘Mother of the Gods’; roaming the mountains, she held dances, always attended by Pan and his accompanying rout of Fauns and Satyrs. f13 An allusion to cock-fighting; the birds are armed with brazen spurs. f14 An allusion to the spots on this bird, which resemble the scars left by a branding iron. f15 He was of Asiatic origin, but wished to pass for an Athenian. f16 Or Philamnon, King of Thrace; the scholiast remarks that the Phrygians and the Thracians had a common origin. f17 The Greek word here is also the name of a little bird. f18 A basket-maker who had become rich. —The Phylarchs were the headmen of the tribes. They presided at the private assemblies and were charged with the management of the treasury. —The Hipparchs, as the name implies, were the leaders of the cavalry; there were only two of these in the Athenian army. f19 He had become a senator. Pisthetaerus Halloa! What’s this? By Zeus! I never saw anything so funny in all my life.[1] f1 Pisthetaerus and Euelpides now both return with wings. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 Meaning, ’tis we who wanted to have these wings. —The verse from Aeschylus, quoted here, is taken from ‘The Myrmidons,’ a tragedy of which only a few fragments remain. Epops Pisthetaerus Euelpides Epops Pisthetaerus Euelpides f1 The Greek word signified the city of Sparta, and also a kind of broom used for weaving rough matting, which served for the beds of the very poor. Pisthetaerus Euelpides Pisthetaerus f1 A fanciful name constructed from [the word for] a cloud, and [the word for] a cuckoo; thus a city of clouds and cuckoos. —’Wolkenkukelheim’ is a clever approximation in German. Cloud-cuckoo-town, perhaps, is the best English equivalent. Epops Euelpides f1 He was a boaster nicknamed ‘smoke,’ because he promised a great deal and never kept his word. f2 Also mentioned in ‘The Wasps.’ Pisthetaerus f1 Because the war of the Titans against the gods was only a fiction of the poets. Euelpides f1 A sacred cloth, with which the statue of Athene in the Acropolis was draped. Pisthetaerus f1 Meaning, to be patron-goddess of the city. Athene had a temple of this name. Euelpides f1 An Athenian effeminate, frequently ridiculed by Aristophanes. Pisthetaerus f1 This was the name of the wall surrounding the Acropolis. Epops f1 i.e. the fighting cock. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Come! into the air with you to help the workers who are building the wall; carry up rubble, strip yourself to mix the mortar, take up the hod, tumble down the ladder, an you like, post sentinels, keep the fire smouldering beneath the ashes, go round the walls, bell in hand,[1] and go to sleep up there yourself; then d[i]spatch two heralds, one to the gods above, the other to mankind on earth and come back here. f1 To waken the sentinels, who might else have fallen asleep. —There are several merry contradictions in the various parts of this list of injunctions. Euelpides Pisthetaerus Go, friend, go where I send you, for without you my orders cannot be obeyed. For myself, I want to sacrifice to the new god, and I am going to summon the priest who must preside at the ceremony. Slaves! slaves! bring forward the basket and the lustral water. CHORUS I do as you do, and I wish as you wish, and I implore you to address powerful and solemn prayers to the gods, and in addition to immolate a sheep as a token of our gratitude. Let us sing the Pythian chant in honour of the god, and let Chaeris accompany our voices. Pisthetaerus (to the flute-player) Enough! but, by Heracles! what is this? Great gods! I have seen many prodigious things, but I never saw a muzzled raven.[1] f1 In allusion to the leather strap which flute-players wore to constrict the cheeks and add to the power of the breath. The performer here no doubt wore a raven’s mask. Epops Priest I begin, but where is he with the basket? Pray to the Vesta of the birds, to the kite, who presides over the hearth, and to all the god and goddess-birds who dwell in Olympus. CHORUS Priest Pisthetaerus f1 Hellanicus, the Mitylenian historian, tells that this surname of Artemis is derived from Colaenus, King of Athens before Cecrops and a descendant of Hermes. In obedience to an oracle he erected a temple to the goddess, invoking her as Artemis Colaenis (the Artemis of Colaenus). Priest CHORUS Oh! sovereign ostrich, Cybele, The mother of Cleocritus,[1] grant health and safety to the Nephelococcygians as well as to the dwellers in Chios… f1 This Cleocritus, says the scholiast, was long-necked and strutted like an ostrich. Pisthetaerus The dwellers in Chios! Ah! I am delighted they should be thus mentioned on all occasions.[1] f1 The Chians were the most faithful allies of Athens, and hence their name was always mentioned in prayers, decrees, etc. CHORUS …to the heroes, the birds, to the sons of heroes, to the porphyrion, the pelican, the spoon-bill, the redbreast, the grouse, the peacock, the horned-owl, the teal, the bittern, the heron, the stormy petrel, the fig-pecker, the titmouse… Pisthetaerus Stop! stop! you drive me crazy with your endless list. Why, wretch, to what sacred feast are you inviting the vultures and the sea-eagles? Don’t you see that a single kite could easily carry off the lot at once? Begone, you and your fillets and all; I shall know how to complete the sacrifice by myself. Priest It is imperative that I sing another sacred chant for the rite of the lustral water, and that I invoke the immortals, or at least one of them, provided always that you have some suitable food to offer him; from what I see here, in the shape of gifts, there is naught whatever but horn and hair. Pisthetaerus A poet Pisthetaerus POET Pisthetaerus POET Pisthetaerus POET f1 Verses sung by maidens. Pisthetaerus POET Pisthetaerus f1 This ceremony took place on the tenth day after birth, and may be styled the pagan baptism. POET “Just as the chargers fly with the speed of the wind, so does the voice of the Muses take its flight. Oh! thou noble founder of the town of Aetna,[1] thou, whose name recalls the holy sacrifices,[2] make us such gift as thy generous heart shall suggest.” f1 Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse. —This passage is borrowed from Pindar. f2 in Greek means ‘sacrifice.’ Pisthetaerus He will drive us silly if we do not get rid of him by some present. Here! you, who have a fur as well as your tunic, take it off and give it to this clever poet. Come, take this fur; you look to me to be shivering with cold. POET My Muse will gladly accept this gift; but engrave these verses of Pindar’s on your mind. Pisthetaerus POET Pisthetaerus POET f1 A parody of poetic pathos, not to say bathos. Pisthetaerus What are you chanting us about frosts? Thanks to the tunic, you no longer fear them. Ah! by Zeus! I could not have believed this cursed fellow could so soon have learnt the way to our city. Come, priest, take the lustral water and circle the altar. Priest A prophet F1 Which the priest was preparing to sacrifice. Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Read. “If you do as I command, divine youth, you shall be an eagle among the clouds; if not, you shall be neither turtle-dove, nor eagle, nor woodpecker.” Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus This oracle in no sort of way resembles the one Apollo dictated to me: “If an impostor comes without invitation to annoy you during the sacrifice and to demand a share of the victim, apply a stout stick to his ribs.” PROPHET Pisthetaerus f1 Noted Athenian diviner, who, when the power was still shared between Thucydides and Pericles, predicted that it would soon be centred in the hands of the latter; his ground for this prophecy was the sight of a ram with a single horn. f2 No doubt another Athenian diviner, and possibly the same person whom Aristophanes names in ‘The Knights’ and ‘The Wasps’ as being a thief. PROPHET Pisthetaerus PROPHET Pisthetaerus Meton[1] f1 A celebrated geometrician and astronomer. Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus Meton f1 A deme contiguous to Athens. It is as though he said, “Well known throughout all England and at Croydon. Pisthetaerus Meton Tools for measuring the air. In truth, the spaces in the air have precisely the form of a furnace. With this bent ruler I draw a line from top to bottom; from one of its points I describe a circle with the compass. Do you understand? Pisthetaerus Meton With the straight ruler I set to work to inscribe a square within this circle; in its centre will be the market-place, into which all the straight streets will lead, converging to this centre like a star, which, although only orbicular, sends forth its rays in a straight line from all sides. Pisthetaerus f1 Thales was no less famous as a geometrician than he was as a sage. Meton Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus Meton Pisthetaerus An inspector f1 Officers of Athens, whose duty was to protect strangers who came on political or other business, and see to their interests generally. Pisthetaerus f1 He addresses the inspector thus because of the royal and magnificent manners he assumes. INSPECTOR f1 Magistrates appointed to inspect the tributary towns. Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR f1 A much-despised citizen, already mentioned. He ironically supposes him invested with the powers of an Archon, which ordinarily were entrusted only to men of good repute. Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR f1 A Persian satrap. —An allusion to certain orators, who, bribed with Asiatic gold, had often defended the interests of the foe in the Public Assembly. Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR Pisthetaerus Are you not going to clear out with your urns? ’Tis not to be believed; they send us inspectors before we have so much as paid sacrifice to the gods. A dealer in decrees Pisthetaerus DEALER in decrees Pisthetaerus DEALER in decrees f1 A Macedonian people in the peninsula of Chalcidice. This name is chosen because of its similarity to the Greek word [for] ‘to groan.’ It is from another verb, meaning the same thing, that Pisthetaerus coins the name of Ototyxians, i.e. groaners, because he is about to beat the dealer. —The mother-country had the right to impose any law it chose upon its colonies. Pisthetaerus DEALER in decrees Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR (RETURNING) f1 Corresponding to our month of April. Pisthetaerus DEALER in decrees Pisthetaerus INSPECTOR Pisthetaerus f1 Which the inspector had brought with him for the purpose of inaugurating the assemblies of the people or some tribunal. INSPECTOR Pisthetaerus Priest f1 So that the sacrifices might no longer be interrupted. CHORUS Henceforth it is to me that mortals must address their sacrifices and their prayers. Nothing escapes my sight nor my might. My glance embraces the universe, I preserve the fruit in the flower by destroying the thousand kinds of voracious insects the soil produces, which attack the trees and feed on the germ when it has scarcely formed in the calyx; I destroy those who ravage the balmy terrace gardens like a deadly plague; all these gnawing crawling creatures perish beneath the lash of my wing. I hear it proclaimed everywhere: “A talent for him who shall kill Diagoras of Melos,[1] and a talent for him who destroys one of the dead tyrants.”[2] We likewise wish to make our proclamation: “A talent to him among you who shall kill Philocrates, the Struthian;[3] four, if he brings him to us alive. For this Philocrates skewers the finches together and sells them at the rate of an obolus for seven. He tortures the thrushes by blowing them out, so that they may look bigger, sticks their own feathers into the nostrils of blackbirds, and collects pigeons, which he shuts up and forces them, fastened in a net, to decoy others.” That is what we wish to proclaim. And if anyone is keeping birds shut up in his yard, let him hasten to let them loose; those who disobey shall be seized by the birds and we shall put them in chains, so that in their turn they may decoy other men. Happy indeed is the race of winged birds who need no cloak in winter! Neither do I fear the relentless rays of the fiery dog-days; when the divine grasshopper, intoxicated with the sunlight, when noon is burning the ground, is breaking out into shrill melody; my home is beneath the foliage in the flowery meadows. I winter in deep caverns, where I frolic with the mountain nymphs, while in spring I despoil the gardens of the Graces and gather the white, virgin berry on the myrtle bushes. I want now to speak to the judges about the prize they are going to award; if they are favourable to us, we will load them with benefits far greater than those Paris4 received. Firstly, the owls of Laurium,[5] which every judge desires above all things, shall never be wanting to you; you shall see them homing with you, building their nests in your money-bags and laying coins. Besides, you shall be housed like the gods, for we shall erect gables6 over your dwellings; if you hold some public post and want to do a little pilfering, we will give you the sharp claws of a hawk. Are you dining in town, we will provide you with crops.[7] But, if your award is against us, don’t fail to have metal covers fashioned for yourselves, like those they place over statues;[8] else, look out! for the day you wear a white tunic all the birds will soil it with their droppings. f1 A disciple of Democrites; he passed over from superstition to atheism. The injustice and perversity of mankind led him to deny the existence of the gods, to lay bare the mysteries and to break the idols. The Athenians had put a price on his head, so he left Greece and perished soon afterwards in a storm at sea. f2 By this jest Aristophanes means to imply that tyranny is dead, and that no one aspires to despotic power, though this silly accusation was constantly being raised by the demagogues and always favourably received by the populace. f3 A poulterer. —Strouthian, used in joke to designate him, as if from the name of his ‘deme,’ is derived from [the Greek for] ‘a sparrow.’ The birds’ foe is thus grotesquely furnished with an ornithological surname. f4 From Aphrodite (Venus), to whom he had awarded the apple, prize of beauty, in the contest of the “goddesses three.” f5 Laurium was an Athenian deme at the extremity of the Attic peninsula containing valuable silver mines, the revenues of which were largely employed in the maintenance of the fleet and payment of the crews. The “owls of Laurium,” of course, mean pieces of money; the Athenian coinage was stamped with a representation of an owl, the bird of Athene. f6 A pun, impossible to keep in English, on the two meanings of [the Greek] word which signifies both an eagle and the gable of a house or pediment of a temple. f7 That is, birds’ crops, into which they could stow away plenty of good things. f8 The Ancients appear to have placed metal discs over statues standing in the open air, to save them from injury from the weather, etc. Pisthetaerus Birds! the sacrifice is propitious. But I see no messenger coming from the wall to tell us what is happening. Ah! here comes one running himself out of breath as though he were running the Olympic stadium. MESSENGER Where, where is he? Where, where, where is he? Where, where, where is he? Where is Pisthetaerus, our leader? Pisthetaerus MESSENGER Pisthetaerus MESSENGER ’Tis a most beautiful, a most magnificent work of art. The wall is so broad that Proxenides, the Braggartian, and Theogenes could pass each other in their chariots, even if they were drawn by steeds as big as the Trojan horse. Pisthetaerus MESSENGER Pisthetaerus MESSENGER Birds—birds only; they had neither Egyptian brickmaker, nor stone-mason, nor carpenter; the birds did it all themselves; I could hardly believe my eyes. Thirty thousand cranes came from Libya with a supply of stones,[1] intended for the foundations. The water-rails chiselled them with their beaks. Ten thousand storks were busy making bricks; plovers and other water fowl carried water into the air. f1 So as not to be carried away by the wind when crossing the sea, cranes are popularly supposed to ballast themselves with stones, which they carry in their beaks. Pisthetaerus MESSENGER Pisthetaerus MESSENGER Oh! ’twas a truly clever invention; the geese used their feet like spades; they buried them in the pile of mortar and then emptied them into the hods. Pisthetaerus f1 Pisthetaerus modifies the Greek proverbial saying, “To what use cannot hands be put?” MESSENGER You should have seen how eagerly the ducks carried bricks. To complete the tale, the swallows came flying to the work, their beaks full of mortar and their trowel on their back, just the way little children are carried. Pisthetaerus Who would want paid servants after this? But tell me, who did the woodwork? MESSENGER Birds again, and clever carpenters too, the pelicans, for they squared up the gates with their beaks in such a fashion that one would have thought they were using axes; the noise was just like a dockyard. Now the whole wall is tight everywhere, securely bolted and well guarded; it is patrolled, bell in hand; the sentinels stand everywhere and beacons burn on the towers. But I must run off to clean myself; the rest is your business. CHORUS Well! what do you say to it? Are you not astonished at the wall being completed so quickly? Pisthetaerus By the gods, yes, and with good reason. ’Tis really not to be believed. But here comes another messenger from the wall to bring us some further news! What a fighting look he has! SECOND messenger Pisthetaerus SECOND messenger A horrible outrage has occurred; a god sent by Zeus has passed through our gates and has penetrated the realms of the air without the knowledge of the jays, who are on guard in the daytime. Pisthetaerus SECOND messenger Pisthetaerus SECOND messenger We have d[i]spatched thirty thousand hawks of the legion of Mounted Archers.[1] All the hook-clawed birds are moving against him, the kestrel, the buzzard, the vulture, the great-horned owl; they cleave the air, so that it resounds with the flapping of their wings; they are looking everywhere for the god, who cannot be far away; indeed, if I mistake not, he is coming from yonder side. f1 A corps of Athenian cavalry was so named. Pisthetaerus CHORUS War, a terrible war is breaking out between us and the gods! Come, let each one guard Air, the son of Erebus,[1] in which the clouds float. Take care no immortal enters it without your knowledge. Scan all sides with your glance. Hark! methinks I can hear the rustle of the swift wings of a god from heaven. f1 Chaos, Night, Tartarus, and Erebus alone existed in the beginning; Eros was born from Night and Erebus, and he wedded Chaos and begot Earth, Air, and Heaven; so runs the fable. Pisthetaerus Hi! you woman! where are you flying to? Halt, don’t stir! keep motionless! not a beat of your wing! —Who are you and from what country? You must say whence you come.[1] f1 Iris appears from the top of the stage and arrests her flight in mid-career. Iris Pisthetaerus f1 Ship, because of her wings, which resemble oars; cap, because she no doubt wore the head-dress (as a messenger of the gods) with which Hermes is generally depicted. Iris Pisthetaerus f1 The names of the two sacred galleys which carried Athenian officials on State business. Iris Pisthetaerus f1 A buzzard is named in order to raise a laugh, the Greek name also meaning, etymologically, provided with three testicles, vigorous in love. Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus You hear how she holds us in derision. Did you present yourself to the officers in command of the jays? You don’t answer. Have you a permit, bearing the seal of the storks? Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus By Zeus! I know nothing about that, not I. But they won’t pass this way. And you still dare to complain! Why, if you were treated according to your deserts, no Iris would ever have more justly suffered death. Iris Pisthetaerus You would have died nevertheless. —Oh! ’twould be truly intolerable! What! should the universe obey us and the gods alone continue their insolence and not understand that they must submit to the law of the strongest in their due turn? But tell me, where are you flying to? Iris I? The messenger of Zeus to mankind, I am going to tell them to sacrifice sheep and oxen on the altars and to fill their streets with the rich smoke of burning fat. Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus Iris f1 Iris’ reply is a parody of the tragic style. —’Lycimnius’ is, according to the scholiast, the title of a tragedy by Euripides, which is about a ship that is struck by lightning. Pisthetaerus Here! that’s enough tall talk. Just you listen and keep quiet! Do you take me for a Lydian or a Phrygian1 and think to frighten me with your big words? Know, that if Zeus worries me again, I shall go at the head of my eagles, who are armed with lightning, and reduce his dwelling and that of Amphion to cinders.[2] I shall send more than six hundred porphyrions clothed in leopards’ skins3 up to heaven against him; and formerly a single Porphyrion gave him enough to do. As for you, his messenger, if you annoy me, I shall begin by stretching your legs asunder, and so conduct myself, Iris though you be, that despite my age, you will be astonished. I will show you something that will make you three times over. f1 i.e. for a poltroon, like the slaves, most of whom came to Athens from these countries. f2 A parody of a passage in the lost tragedy of ‘Niobe’ of Aeschylus. f3 Because this bird has a spotted plumage. —Porphyrion is also the name of one of the Titans who tried to storm heave. Iris Pisthetaerus Iris Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus Herald Pisthetaerus Herald Pisthetaerus Herald Oh you, who have founded so illustrious a city in the air, you know not in what esteem men hold you and how many there are who burn with desire to dwell in it. Before your city was built, all men had a mania for Sparta; long hair and fasting were held in honour, men went dirty like Socrates and carried staves. Now all is changed. Firstly, as soon as ’tis dawn, they all spring out of bed together to go and seek their food, the same as you do; then they fly off towards the notices and finally devour the decrees. The bird-madness is so clear, that many actually bear the names of birds. There is a halting victualler, who styles himself the partridge; Menippus calls himself the swallow; Opuntius the one-eyed crow; Philocles the lark; Theogenes the fox-goose; Lycurgus the ibis; Chaerephon the bat; Syracosius the magpie; Midias the quail;[1] indeed he looks like a quail that has been hit hard over the head. Out of love for the birds they repeat all the songs which concern the swallow, the teal, the goose or the pigeon; in each verse you see wings, or at all events a few feathers. This is what is happening down there. Finally, there are more than ten thousand folk who are coming here from earth to ask you for feathers and hooked claws; so, mind you supply yourself with wings for the immigrants. f1 All these surnames bore some relation to the character or the build of the individual to whom the poet applies them. —Chaerephon, Socrates’ disciple, was of white and ashen hue. —Opuntius was one-eyed. —Syracosius was a braggart. —Midias had a passion for quail-fights, and, besides, resembled that bird physically. Pisthetaerus Ah! by Zeus, ’tis not the time for idling. Go as quick as possible and fill every hamper, every basket you can find with wings. Manes1 will bring them to me outside the walls, where I will welcome those who present themselves. f1 Pisthetaerus’ servant, already mentioned. CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Pisthetaerus CHORUS Begin by putting this heap of wings in order; divide them in three parts according to the birds from whom they came; the singing, the prophetic1 and the aquatic birds; then you must take care to distribute them to the men according to their character. f1 From the inspection of which auguries were taken, e.g. the eagles, the vultures, the crows. Pisthetaerus (to Manes) A parricide[1] f1 Or rather, a young man who contemplated parricide. f2 A parody of verses in Sophocles ‘Oenomaus.’ Pisthetaerus PARRICIDE Nothing is more charming than to fly; I burn with desire to live under the same laws as the birds; I am bird-mad and fly towards you, for I want to live with you and to obey your laws. Pisthetaerus PARRICIDE Pisthetaerus PARRICIDE Pisthetaerus But we have also an ancient law written in the code of the storks, which runs thus, “When the stork father has reared his young and has taught them to fly, the young must in their turn support the father.” PARRICIDE Pisthetaerus No, no, young friend, since you have come to us with such willingness, I am going to give you these black wings, as though you were an orphan bird; furthermore, some good advice, that I received myself in infancy. Don’t strike your father, but take these wings in one hand and these spurs in the other; imagine you have a cock’s crest on your head and go and mount guard and fight; live on your pay and respect your father’s life. You’re a gallant fellow! Very well, then! Fly to Thrace and fight.[1] f1 The Athenians were then besieging Amphipolis in the Thracian Chalcidice. PARRICIDE Pisthetaerus Cinesias[1] f1 There was a real Cinesias—a dythyrambic poet born at Thebes. Pisthetaerus Cinesias (singing) Pisthetaerus f1 The scholiast thinks that Cinesias, who was tall and slight of build, wore a kind of corset of lime-wood to support his waist— surely rather a far-fetched interpretation! Cinesias Pisthetaerus Cinesias Pisthetaerus Cinesias ’Tis on them the whole of our latter-day art depends. The most brilliant dithyrambs are those that flap their wings in void space and are clothed in mist and dense obscurity. To appreciate this, just listen. Pisthetaerus Cinesias By Hermes! but indeed you shall. “I shall travel through thine ethereal empire like a winged bird, who cleaveth space with his long neck…” Pisthetaerus f1 The Greek word used here was the word of command employed to stop the rowers. Cinesias “...as I soar over the seas, carried by the breath of the winds…” Pisthetaerus Cinesias “...now rushing along the tracks of Notus, now nearing Boreas across the infinite wastes of the ether.” (Pisthetaerus BEATS him.} Ah! old man, that’s a pretty and clever idea truly! Pisthetaerus F1 Cinesias makes a bound each time that Pisthetaerus strikes him. Cinesias f1 The tribes of Athens, or rather the rich citizens belonging to them, were wont on feast-days to give representations of dithyrambic choruses as well as of tragedies and comedies. Pisthetaerus f1 Another dithyrambic poet, a man of extreme leanness. Cinesias You are making game of me, ’tis clear; but know that I shall never leave you in peace if I do not have wings wherewith to traverse the air. An informer f1 A parody of a hemistich from ‘Alcaeus.’ —The informer is dissatisfied at only seeing birds of sombre plumage and poor appearance. He would have preferred to denounce the rich. Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus f1 The informer, says the scholiast, was clothed with a ragged cloak, the tatters of which hung down like wings, in fact, a cloak that could not protect him from the cold and must have made him long for the swallows’ return, i.e. the spring. INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus f1 A town in Achaia, where woollen cloaks were made. INFORMER f1 His trade was to accuse the rich citizens of the subject islands, and drag them before the Athenian court; he explains later the special advantages of this branch of the informer’s business. Pisthetaerus INFORMER …a hatcher of lawsuits. Hence I have great need of wings to prowl round the cities and drag them before justice. Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus Have you not often heard the father say to young men in the barbers’ shops, “It’s astonishing how Diitrephes’ advice has made my son fly to horse-riding.” —“Mine,” says another, “has flown towards tragic poetry on the wings of his imagination.” INFORMER Pisthetaerus Undoubtedly; words give wings to the mind and make a man soar to heaven. Thus I hope that my wise words will give you wings to fly to some less degrading trade. INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER I won’t belie my breeding; from generation to generation we have lived by informing. Quick, therefore, give me quickly some light, swift hawk or kestrel wings, so that I may summon the islanders, sustain the accusation here, and haste back there again on flying pinions. Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus INFORMER Pisthetaerus f1 That is, whips—Corcyra being famous for these articles. 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