Alas! alas! how I am tortured by spasm and rigid convulsion! Oh! I

am racked on the wheel!
LYSISTRATA

Who is this that dares to pass our lines?
CINESIAS

It is I.
LYSISTRATA

What, a man?
CINESIAS

Very much so!
LYSISTRATA

Get out.
CINESIAS

But who are you that thus repulses me?
LYSISTRATA

The sentinel of the day.
CINESIAS

For the gods' sake, call Myrrhine.
LYSISTRATA

Call Myrrhine, you say? And who are you?
CINESIAS

I am her husband, Cinesias, son of Paeon.
LYSISTRATA

Ah! good day, my dear friend. Your name is not unknown amongst us.
Your wife has it forever on her lips; and she never touches an egg

or an apple without saying: "This is for Cinesias."
CINESIAS

Really and truly?
LYSISTRATA

Yes, indeed, by Aphrodite! And if we fall to talking of men, quick
your wife declares: "Oh! all the rest, they're good for nothing

compared with Cinesias."
CINESIAS

Oh! please, please go and call her to me!
LYSISTRATA

And what will you give me for my trouble?
CINESIAS

Anything I've got, if you like. (Pointing to the evidence of
his condition) I will give you what I have here!

LYSISTRATA
Well, well, I will tell her to come.

(She enters the Acropolis.)
CINESIAS

Quick, oh! be quick! Life has no more charms for me since she left
my house. I am sad, sad, when I go indoors; it all seems so empty;

my victuals have lost their savour. And all because of this erection
that I can't get rid of!

MYRRHINE (to LYSISTRATA, over her shoulder)
I love him, oh! I love him; but he won't let himself be loved. No!

I shall not come.
CINESIAS

Myrrhine, my little darling Myrrhine, what are you saying? Come
down to me quick.

MYRRHINE
No indeed, not I.

CINESIAS
I call you, Myrrhine, Myrrhine; won't you please come?

MYRRHINE
Why should you call me? You do not want me.

CINESIAS
Not want you! Why, here I stand, stiff with desire!

oMYRRHINE
Good-bye.

(She turns, as if to go.)
CINESIAS

Oh! Myrrhine, Myrrhine, in our child's name, hear me; at any
rate hear the child! Little lad, call your mother.

CHILD
Mamma, mamma, mamma!

CINESIAS
There, listen! Don't you pity the poor child? It's six days now

you've never washed and never fed the child.
MYRRHINE

Poor darling, your father takes mighty little care of you!
CINESIAS

Come down, dearest, come down for the child's sake.
MYRRHINE

Ah! what a thing it is to be a mother! Well, well, we must come
down, I suppose.

CINESIAS (as MYRRHINE approaches)
Why, how much younger and prettier she looks! And how she looks at

me so lovingly! Her cruelty and scorn only redouble my passion.
MYRRHINE (ignoring him; to the child)

You are as sweet as your father is provoking! Let me kiss you,
my treasure, mother's darling!

CINESIAS
Ah! what a bad thing it is to let yourself be led away by other

women! Why give me such pain and suffering, and yourself into the
bargain?

MYRRHINE (as he is about to embrace her)
Hands off, sir!

CINESIAS
Everything is going to rack and ruin in the house.

MYRRHINE
I don't care.

CINESIAS
But your web that's all being pecked to pieces by the cocks and

hens, don't you care for that?
MYRRHINE

Precious little.
CINESIAS

And Aphrodite, whose mysteries you have not celebrated for so
long? Oh! won't you please come back home?

MYRRHINE
No, least, not till a sound treaty puts an end to the war.

CINESIAS
Well, if you wish it so much, why, we'll make it, your treaty.

MYRRHINE
Well and good! When that's done, I will come home. Till then, I am

bound by an oath.
CINESIAS

At any rate, lie with me for a little while.
MYRRHINE

No, no, no! (she hesitates) but just the same I can't say I
don't love you.

CINESIAS
You love me? Then why refuse to lie with me, my little girl, my

sweet Myrrhine?
MYRRHINE (pretending to be shocked)

You must be joking! What, before the child!
CINESIAS (to the slave)

Manes, carry the lad home. There, you see, the child is gone;
there's nothing to hinder us; won't you lie down now?

MYRRHINE
But, miserable man, where, where?

CINESIAS
In the cave of Pan; nothing could be better.

MYRRHINE
But how shall I purify myself before going back into the citadel?

CINESIAS
Nothing easier! you can wash at the Clepsydra.

MYRRHINE
But my oath? Do you want me to perjure myself?

CINESIAS
I'll take all responsibility; don't worry.

MYRRHINE
Well, I'll be off, then, and find a bed for us.

CINESIAS
There's no point in that; surely we can lie on the ground.

MYRRHINE
No, no! even though you are bad, I don't like your lying on the

bare earth.
(She goes back into the Acropolis.)

CINESIAS (enraptured)
Ah! how the dear girl loves me!

MYRRHINE (coming back with a cot)
Come, get to bed quick; I am going to undress. But, oh dear, we

must get a mattress.
CINESIAS

A mattress? Oh! no, never mind about that!
MYRRHINE

No, by Artemis! lie on the bare sacking? never! That would be
squalid.

CINESIAS
Kiss me!

MYRRHINE
Wait a minute!

(She leaves him again.)
CINESIAS

Good god, hurry up
MYRRHINE (coming back with a mattress)

Here is a mattress. Lie down, I am just going to undress. But
you've got no pillow.

CINESIAS
I don't want one either!

MYRRHINE
But I do.

(She leaves him again.)
CINESIAS

Oh god, oh god, she treats my tool just like Heracles!
MYRRHINE (coming back with a pillow)

There, lift your head, dear! (Wondering what else to tantalize
him with; to herself) Is that all, I wonder?

CINESIAS (misunderstanding)
Surely. there's nothing else. Come, my treasure.

MYRRHINE
I am just unfastening my girdle. But remember what you promised me

about making peace; mind you keep your word.
CINESIAS

Yes, yes, upon my life I will.
MYRRHINE

Why, you have no blanket!
CINESIAS

My god, what difference does that make? What I want is to make
love!

MYRRHINE (going out again)
Never fear-directly, directly! I'll be back in no time.

CINESIAS
The woman will kill me with her blankets!

MYRRHINE (coming back with a blanket)
Now, get yourself up.

CINESIAS (pointing)
I've got this up!

MYRRHINE
Wouldn't you like me to scent you?

CINESIAS
No, by Apollo, no, please don't!

MYRRHINE
Yes, by Aphrodite, but I will, whether you like it or not.

(She goes out again.)
CINESIAS

• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)
• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)
• embrace [im´breis] vt.&n.拥抱；采纳；信奉 (初中英语单词)
• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• miserable [´mizərəbəl] a.悲惨的；可怜的 (初中英语单词)
• responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• sentinel [´sentinəl] n.哨兵；看守人 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• indoors [,in´dɔ:z] ad.在屋里 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)
• hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)
• mattress [´mætris] n.床垫 (高中英语单词)
• girdle [´gə:dl] n.腰带 vt.用带束(缠) (高中英语单词)
• savour [´seivə] n.味道；风味 v.尝到 (英语四级单词)
• undress [ʌn´dres] v.(给)脱衣 (英语四级单词)
• purify [´pjuərifai] vt.净化；精炼；提纯 (英语六级单词)