Peace | Page 6

subject for
Euripides, who would put you into a tragedy.[1]
f[1] In allusion to Euripides' fondness for introducing lame heroes in
his plays.

TRYGAEUS I'll see to it. Good-bye! (TO THE ATHENIANS.) You,
for love of whom I brave these dangers, do ye neither let wind nor go to
stool for the space of three days, for, if, while cleaving the air, my steed
should scent anything, he would fling me head foremost from the
summit of my hopes. Now come, my Pegasus, get a-going with
up-pricked ears and make your golden bridle resound gaily. Eh! what
are you doing? What are you up to? Do you turn your nose towards the
cesspools? Come, pluck up a spirit; rush upwards from the earth,
stretch out your speedy wings and make straight for the palace of Zeus;
for once give up foraging in your daily food.--Hi! you down there, what
are you after now? Oh! my god! 'tis a man emptying his belly in the
Piraeus, close to the house where the bad girls are. But is it my death
you seek then, my death? Will you not bury that right away and pile a
great heap of earth upon it and plant wild thyme therein and pour
perfumes on it? If I were to fall from up here and misfortune happened
to me, the town of Chios[1] would owe a fine of five talents for my
death, all along of your cursed rump. Alas! how frightened I am! oh! I
have no heart for jests. Ah! machinist, take great care of me. There is
already a wind whirling round my navel; take great care or, from sheer
fright, I shall form food for my beetle.... But I think I am no longer far
from the gods; aye, that is the dwelling of Zeus, I perceive. Hullo! Hi!
where is the doorkeeper? Will no one open?
f[1] An allusion to the proverbial nickname applied to the Chians [in
Greek]--'crapping Chian.' There is a further joke, of course, in
connection with the hundred and one frivolous pretexts which the
Athenians invented for exacting contributions from the maritime allies.
(THE SCENE CHANGES AND HEAVEN IS PRESENTED.)
HERMES Meseems I can sniff a man. (HE PERCEIVES TRYGAEUS
ASTRIDE HIS BEETLE.) Why, what plague is this?
TRYGAEUS A horse-beetle.
HERMES Oh! impudent, shameless rascal! oh! scoundrel! triple
scoundrel! the greatest scoundrel in the world! how did you come here?
Oh! scoundrel of all scoundrels! your name? Reply.
TRYGAEUS Triple scoundrel.
HERMES Your country?
TRYGAEUS Triple scoundrel.
HERMES Your father?

TRYGAEUS My father? Triple scoundrel.
HERMES By the Earth, you shall die, unless you tell me your name.
TRYGAEUS I am Trygaeus of the Athmonian deme, a good
vine-dresser, little addicted to quibbling and not at all an informer.
HERMES Why do you come?
TRYGAEUS I come to bring you this meat.
HERMES Ah! my good friend, did you have a good journey?
TRYGAEUS Glutton, be off! I no longer seem a triple scoundrel to you.
Come, call Zeus.
HERMES Ah! ah! you are a long way yet from reaching the gods, for
they moved yesterday.
TRYGAEUS To what part of the earth?
HERMES Eh! of the earth, did you say?
TRYGAEUS In short, where are they then?
HERMES Very far, very far, right at the furthest end of the dome of
heaven.
TRYGAEUS But why have they left you all alone here?
HERMES I am watching what remains of the furniture, the little pots
and pans, the bits of chairs and tables, and odd wine-jars.
TRYGAEUS And why have the gods moved away?
HERMES Because of their wrath against the Greeks. They have located
War in the house they occupied themselves and have given him full
power to do with you exactly as he pleases; then they went as high up
as ever they could, so as to see no more of your fights and to hear no
more of your prayers.
TRYGAEUS What reason have they for treating us so?
HERMES Because they have afforded you an opportunity for peace
more than once, but you have always preferred war. If the Laconians
got the very slightest advantage, they would exclaim, "By the Twin
Brethren! the Athenians shall smart for this." If, on the contrary, the
latter triumphed and the Laconians came with peace proposals, you
would say, "By Demeter, they want to deceive us. No, by Zeus, we will
not hear a word; they will always be coming as long as we hold
Pylos."[1]
f[1] Masters of Pylos and Sphacteria, the Athenians had brought home
the three hundred prisoners taken in the latter place in 425 B.C.; the
Spartans had several times sent envoys to offer peace and to demand

back both Pylos and the prisoners, but the Athenian pride had caused
these proposals to be long