How, varlet?

TUMULT
They had lent it to their allies in Thrace, who have lost it for

them.
TRYGAEUS

Long life to you, Thracians! My hopes revive, pluck up courage,
mortals!

WAR
Take all this stuff; I am going in to make a pestle for myself.

(He goes in, followed by TUMULT.)
TRYGAEUS (coming out of his hiding-place)

Now is the time to sing as Datis did, as he masturbated at high
noon, "Oh pleasure! oh enjoyment! oh delights!" Now, oh Greeks! is the

moment when freed of quarrels and fighting, we should rescue sweet
Peace and draw her out of this pit, before some other pestle

prevents us. Come, labourers, merchants, workman的复数">workmen, artisans, strangers,
whether you be domiciled or not, islanders, come here, Greeks of all

countries, come hurrying here with picks and levers and ropes! This is
the moment to drain a cup in honour of the Good Genius.

(The CHORUS enters; it consists of labourers and farmers from
various Greek states.)

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
Come hither all! quick, to the rescue! All peoples of Greece,

now is the time or never, for you to help each other. You see
yourselves freed from battles and all their horrors of bloodshed.

The day hateful to Lamachus has come. (To TRYGAEUS) Come then, what
must be done? Give your orders, direct us, for or swear to work this

day without ceasing, until with the help of our levers and our engines
we have drawn back into light the greatest of all goddesses, her to

whom the olive is so dear.
TRYGAEUS

Silence! if War should hear your shouts of joy he would bound
forth from his retreat in fury.

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
Such a decree overwhelms us with joy; how different to the

edict, which bade us muster with provisions for three days.
TRYGAEUS

Let us beware lest the cursed Cerberus prevent us even from the
nethermost bell from delivering the goddess by his furious howling,

just as he did when on earth.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Once we have hold of her, none in the world will be able to take
her from us. Huzza! huzza!

TRYGAEUS
You will work my death if you don't subdue your shouts. War will

come running out and trample everything beneath his feet.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Well then! Let him confound, let him trample, let him overturn
everything! We cannot help giving vent to our joy.

TRYGAEUS
Oh! cruel fate! My friends! in the name of the gods, what

possesses you? Your dancing will wreck the success of a fine
undertaking.

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
It's not I who want to dance; it's my legs that bound with

delight.
TRYGAEUS

Enough, please, cease your gambols.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

There! That's all.
TRYGAEUS

You say so, and nevertheless you go on.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Yet one more figure and it's done.
TRYGAEUS

Well, just this one; then you must dance no more.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

No, no more dancing, if we can help you.
TRYGAEUS

But look, you are not stopping even now.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

By Zeus, I am only throwing up my right leg, that's all.
TRYGAEUS

Come, I grant you that, but pray, annoy me no further.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Ah! the left leg too will have its fling; well, that's its
right. I am so happy, so delighted at not having to carry my buckler

any more. I fart for joy and I laugh more than if I had cast my old
age, as a serpent does its skin.

TRYGAEUS
No, it's not time for joy yet, for you are not sure of success.

But when you have got the goddess, then rejoice, shout and laugh;
thenceforward you will be able to sail or stay at home, to make love

or sleep, to attend festivals and processions, to play at cottabos,
live like true Sybarites and to shout, Io, io!

CHORUS (singing)
Ah! God grant we may see the blessed day. I have suffered so much;

have so oft slept with Phormio on hard beds. You will no longer find
me a bitter and angry judge....

TRYGAEUS (singing)
Nor, naturally, hard in your ways, as heretofore.

CHORUS (singing)
....but turned indulgent and grown younger by twenty years through

happiness. We have been killing ourselves long enough, tiring
ourselves out with going to the Lyceum and returning laden with

spear and buckler.-But what can we do to please you? Come, speak;
for 'tis a good Fate that has named you our leader.

TRYGAEUS
How shall we set about removing these stones?

HERMES (who has just returned)
Rash reprobate, what do you propose doing?

TRYGAEUS
Nothing bad, as Cillicon said.

HERMES
You are undone, you wretch.

TRYGAEUS
Yes, if the lot had to decide my life, for Hermes would know how

to turn the chance.
HERMES

You are lost, you are dead.
TRYGAEUS

On what day?
HERMES

This instant.
TRYGAEUS

But I have not provided myself with flour and cheese yet to
start for death.

HERMES
You are kneaded and ground already, I tell you.

TRYGAEUS
Hah! I have not yet tasted that gentle pleasure.

HERMES
Don't you know that Zeus has decreed death for him who is caught

exhuming Peace?
TRYGAEUS

What! must I really and truly die?
HERMES

You must.
TRYGAEUS

Well then, lend me three drachmae to buy a young pig; I wish to
have myself initiated before I die.

HERMES
Oh! Zeus, the Thunderer!

TRYGAEUS
I adjure you in the name of the gods, master, don't report us!

HERMES
I may not, I cannot keep silent.

TRYGAEUS
In the name of the meats which I brought you so good-naturedly.

HERMES
Why, wretched man, Zeus will annihilate me, if I do not shout

out at the top of my voice, to inform him what you are plotting.
TRYGAEUS

Oh, no! don't shout, I beg you, dear little Hermes.... And what
are you doing, comrades? You stand there as though you were stocks and

stones. Wretched men, speak, entreat him at once; otherwise he will be
shouting.

CHORUS (singing)
Oh! mighty Hermes! do not do it; no, do not do it! If ever you

have eaten some young pig, sacrificed by us on your altars, with
pleasure, may this offering not be without value in your sight to-day.

TRYGAEUS (singing)
Do you not hear them wheedling you, mighty god?

CHORUS (singing)
Be not pitiless toward our prayers; permit us to deliver the

goddess. Oh! the most human, the most generous of the gods, be
favourable toward us, if it be true that you detest the haughty crests

and proud brows of Pisander; we shall never cease, oh master, offering
you sacred victims and solemn prayers.

TRYGAEUS
Have mercy, mercy, yourself be touched by their words; never was

your worship so dear to them as to-day. (Aside) Really they are the
greatest thieves that ever were. (To HERMES) And I shall reveal to you

a great and terrible plot that is being hatched against the gods.
HERMES

Hah! speak and perchance I shall let myself be softened.
TRYGAEUS

Know then, that the Moon and that infamous Sun are plotting
against you, and want to deliver Greece into the hands of the

barbarians.
HERMES

What for?
TRYGAEUS

Because it is to you that we sacrifice, whereas the barbarians
worship them; hence they would like to see you destroyed, that they

alone might receive the offerings.
HERMES

Is it then for this reason that these untrustworthy charioteers
have for so long been defrauding us, one of them robbing us of

daylight and the other nibbling away at the other's disk?
TRYGAES

Yes, certainly. So therefore, Hermes, my friend, help us with your
whole heart to find and deliver the captive and we will celebrate

the great Panathenaea in your honour as well as all the festivals of
the other gods; for Hermes shall be the Mysteries. the Dipolia, the

Adonia; everywhere the towns, freed from their miseries, will
sacrifice to Hermes the Liberator; you will be loaded with benefits of

every kind, and to start with, I offer you this cup for libations as
your first present.

HERMES
Ah! how golden cups do influence me! Come, friends. get to work.

To the pit quickly, pick in hand, and drag away the stones.
LEADER OF THE CHORUS

We go, but you, cleverest of all the gods, supervise our
labours; tell us, good workman as you are, what we must do; we shall

obey your orders with alacrity.
(They begin to lift the stones.)

TRYGAEUS
Quick, reach me your cup, and let us preface our work by

addressing prayers to the gods.
HERMES

• rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• retreat [ri´tri:t] v.&n.退却；撤退；放弃 (初中英语单词)
• decree [di´kri:] n.法令；公告；天命 (初中英语单词)
• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
• furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)
• rejoice [ri´dʒɔis] v.(使)高兴；欢庆 (初中英语单词)
• cheese [tʃi:z] n.干酪，乳酪 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• otherwise [´ʌðəwaiz] ad.另外 conj.否则 (初中英语单词)
• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
• worship [´wə:ʃip] n.&v.崇拜；敬仰 (初中英语单词)
• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)
• whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)
• allies [´ælaiz, ə´laiz] n.协约国 (高中英语单词)
• revive [ri´vaiv] v.(使)苏醒；(使)振奋 (高中英语单词)
• beware [bi´weə] v.(用于祈使句)谨防 (高中英语单词)
• subdue [səb´dju:] vt.征服；克制；减弱 (高中英语单词)
• trample [´træmpəl] v.&n.践踏；蹂躏；踩坏 (高中英语单词)
• confound [kən´faund] v.混淆；使惊惶 (高中英语单词)
• serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)
• haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)
• workman [´wə:kmən] n.工人；工作人员 (高中英语单词)
• preface [´prefis] n.序 v.开始；导致 (高中英语单词)
• workmen [´wə:kmen] n.workman的复数 (英语四级单词)
• hateful [´heitfəl] a.可恨的，可憎的 (英语四级单词)
• muster [´mʌstə] n.集合 v.集合；征召 (英语四级单词)
• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• annihilate [ə´naiəleit] vt.歼灭；消灭 (英语四级单词)
• entreat [in´tri:t] vt.恳求，恳请 (英语四级单词)
• detest [di´test] vt.痛恨，憎恶 (英语四级单词)
• thieves [θi:vz] thief的复数 (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• undone [,ʌn´dʌn] a.未完成的，没有做的 (英语六级单词)
• pitiless [´pitiləs] a.无怜悯心的；无情的 (英语六级单词)
• infamous [´infəməs] a.声名狼藉的 (英语六级单词)
• supervise [´su:pəvaiz, ´sju:-] v.管理，监督 (英语六级单词)