380 BC

PLUTUS
by Aristophanes

anonymous translator
CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY

CHREMYLUS
CARIO, Servant of Chremylus

PLUTUS, God of Riches
BLEPSIDEMUS, friend of Chremylus

POVERTY
WIFE OF CHREMYLUS

A JUST MAN
AN INFORMER

AN OLD WOMAN
A YOUTH

HERMES
A PRIEST OF ZEUS

CHORUS OF RUSTICS
PLUTUS

PLUTUS
(SCENE:-The Orchestra represents a public square in Athens.

In the background is the house of CHREMYLUS. A ragged old
blind man enters, followed by CHREMYLUS and his slave CARIO.)

CARIO
What an unhappy fate, great gods, to be the slave of a fool! A

servant may give the best of advice, but if his master does not follow
it, the pool slave must inevitably have his share in the disaster; for

fortune does not allow him to dispose of his own body, it belongs to
his master who has bought it. Alas! 'tis the way of the world. But the

god, Apollo (in tragic style), whose oracles the Pythian priestess
on her golden tripod makes known to us, deserves my censure, for

surely he is a physician and a cunning diviner; and yet my master is
leaving his temple infected with mere madness and insists on following

a blind man. Is this not opposed to all good sense? It is for us,
who see clearly, to guide those who don't; whereas he clings to the

trail of a blind fellow and compels me to do the same without
answering my questions with ever a word. (To CHREMYLUS) Aye, master,

unless you tell me why we are following this unknown fellow, I will
not be silent, but I will worry and torment you, for you cannot beat

me because of my sacred chaplet of laurel.
CHREMYLUS

No, but if you worry me I will take off your chaplets, and then
you will only get a sounder thrashing.

CARIO
That's an old song! I am going to leave you no peace till you have

told me who this man is; and if I ask it, it's entirely because of
my interest in you.

CHREMYLUS
Well, be it so. I will reveal it to you as being the most faithful

and the most rascally of all my servants. I honoured the gods and
did what was right, and yet I was none the less poor and unfortunate.

CARIO
I know it but too well.

CHREMYLUS
Others amassed wealth-the sacrilegious, the demagogues, the

informers, indeed every sort of rascal.
CARIO

I believe you.
CHREMYLUS

Therefore I came to consult the oracle of the god, not on my own
account, for my unfortunate life is nearing its end, but for my only

son; I wanted to ask Apollo if it was necessary for him to become a
thorough knave and renounce his virtuous principles, since that seemed

to me to be the only way to succeed in life.
CARIO (with ironic gravity)

And with what responding tones did the sacred tripod resound?
CHREMYLUS

You shall know. The god ordered me in plain terms to follow the
first man I should meet upon leaving the temple and to persuade him to

accompany me home.
CARIO

And who was the first one you met?
CHREMYLUS

This blind man.
CARIO

And you are stupid enough not to understand the meaning of such an
answer! Why, the god was advising you thereby, and that in the

clearest possible way, to bring up your son according to the fashion
of your country.

CHREMYLUS
What makes you think that?

CARIO
Is it not evident to the blind, that nowadays to do nothing that

is right is the best way to get on?
CHREMYLUS

No, that is not the meaning of the oracle; there must be another
that is nobler. If this blind man would tell us who he is and why

and with what object he has led us here, we should no doubt understand
what our oracle really does mean.

CARIO (to PLUTUS)
Come, tell us at once who you are, or I shall give effect to my

threat. (He menaces him.) And quick too, be quick, I say.
PLUTUS

I'll thrash you.
CARIO (to CHREMYLUS)

Do you understand who he says he is?
CHREMYLUS

It's to you and not to me that he replies thus: your mode of
questioning him was ill-advised. (To PLUTUS) Come, friend, if you

care to oblige an honest man, answer me.
PLUTUS

I'll knock you down.
CARIO (sarcastically)

Ah! what a pleasant fellow and what a delightfulprophecy the
god has given you!

CHREMYLUS (to PLUTUS)
By Demeter, you'll have no reason to laugh presently.

CARIO
If you don't speak, you wretch, I will surely do you an ill turn.

PLUTUS
Friends, take yourselves off and leave me.

CHREMYLUS
That we very certainly shan't.

CARIO
This, master, is the best thing to do. I'll undertake to secure

him the most frightful death; I will lead him to the verge of a
precipice and then leave him there, so that he'll break his neck

when he pitches over.
CHREMYLUS

Well then, seize him right away.
(CARIO does so.)

PLUTUS
Oh, no! Have mercy!

CHREMYLUS
Will thou speak then?

PLUTUS
But if you learn who I am, I know well that you will ill-use me

and will let me go again.
CHREMYLUS

I call the gods to witness that you have naught to fear if you
will only speak.

PLUTUS
Well then, first unhand me.

CHREMYLUS
There! we set you free.

PLUTUS
Listen then, since I must reveal what I had intended to keep a

secret. I am Plutus.
CARIO

Oh! you wretched rascal! You Plutus all the while, and you never
said so!

CHREMYLUS
You, Plutus, and in this piteous guise! Oh, Phoebus Apollo! oh, ye

gods of heaven and hell! Oh, Zeus! is it really and truly as you say?
PLUTUS

Yes.
CHREMYLUS

Plutus' very own self?
PLUTUS

His own very self and none other.
CHREMYLUS

But tell me, how come you're so squalid?
PLUTUS

I have just left Patrocles' house, who has not had a bath since
his birth.

CHREMYLUS
But your infirmity; how did that happen? Tell me.

PLUTUS
Zeus inflicted it on me, because of his jealousy of-mankind.

When I was young, I threatened him that I would only go to the just,
the wise, the men of ordered life; to prevent my distinguishing these,

he struck me with blindness' so much does he envy the good!
CHREMYLUS

And yet, it's only the upright and just who honour him.
PLUTUS

Quite true.
CHREMYLUS

Therefore, if ever you recovered your sight, you would shun the
wicked?

PLUTUS
Undoubtedly.

CHREMYLUS
You would visit the good?

PLUTUS
Assuredly. It is a very long time since I saw them.

CARIO (to the audience)
That's not astonishing. I, who see clearly, don't see a single

one.
PLUTUS

Now let me leave you, for I have told you everything.
CHREMYLUS

No, certainly not! we shall fasten ourselves on to you faster than
ever.

PLUTUS
Did I not tell you, you were going to plague me?

CHREMYLUS
Oh! I adjure you, believe what I say and don't leave me; for you

will seek in vain for a more honest man than myself.
CARIO

There is only one man more worthy; and that is I.
PLUTUS

All talk like this, but as soon as they secure my favours and grow
rich, their wickedness knows no bounds.

CHREMYLUS
And yet all men are not wicked.

PLUTUS
All. There's no exception.

CARIO
You shall pay for that opinion.

CHREMYLUS
Listen to what happiness there is in store for you, if you but

• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
• background [´bækgraund] n.背景；经历；幕后 (初中英语单词)
• unhappy [ʌn´hæpi] a.不幸的；不快乐的 (初中英语单词)
• disaster [di´zɑ:stə] n.灾难，不幸 (初中英语单词)
• dispose [di´spəuz] v.处置；安排；布置 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• physician [fi´ziʃən] n.(内科)医生 (初中英语单词)
• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)
• whereas [weər´æz] conj.鉴于；因此；而 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• consult [kən´sʌlt] v.商量；磋商；请教 (初中英语单词)
• unfortunate [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunit] a.不幸的，运气差的 (初中英语单词)
• persuade [pə´sweid] v.(被)说服；使相信 (初中英语单词)
• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)
• thereby [´ðeəbai] ad.因此，由此 (初中英语单词)
• evident [´evidənt] a.明显的，明白的 (初中英语单词)
• oblige [ə´blaidʒ] vt.责成；迫使；使感激 (初中英语单词)
• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)
• undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)
• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• fasten [´fɑ:sən] v.扎牢；闩住；钉牢 (初中英语单词)
• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
• orchestra [´ɔ:kistrə] n.管弦乐队 (高中英语单词)
• ragged [´rægid] a.衣服破烂的 (高中英语单词)
• tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
• madness [´mædnis] n.疯狂；狂热 (高中英语单词)
• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)
• oracle [´ɔrəkl] n.预言(者)；圣理名言 (高中英语单词)
• thrash [θræʃ] v.打(谷)；(用棍)痛打 (高中英语单词)
• prophecy [´prɔfisi] n.预言(能力) (高中英语单词)
• frightful [´fraitfəl] a.可怕的；不愉快的 (高中英语单词)
• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)
• jealousy [´dʒeləsi] n.妒忌；猜忌 (高中英语单词)
• upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)
• astonishing [əs´tɔniʃiŋ] a.令人惊讶的 (高中英语单词)
• plague [pleig] n.瘟疫 vt.使...染疫 (高中英语单词)
• inevitably [in´evitəbli] ad.不可避免地；必然地 (英语四级单词)
• censure [´senʃə] vt.&n.责备；非难 (英语四级单词)
• renounce [ri´nauns] v.拒绝 n.放弃权力 (英语四级单词)
• virtuous [´və:tjuəs] a.道德的；善良的 (英语四级单词)
• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)
• phoebus [´fi:bəs] n.太阳神 (英语六级单词)
• infirmity [in´fə:miti] n.虚弱；意志薄弱 (英语六级单词)