Enter CHARON.

CHARON
Yoh, up! lay her to.

XANTHIAS
Whatever's that?

DIONYSUS
Why, that's the lake, by Zeus,

Whereof he spake, and yon's the ferry-boat.
XANTHIAS

Poseidon, yes, and that old fellow's Charon.
DIONYSUS

Charon! O welcome, Charon! welcome, Charon!
CHARON

Who's for the Rest from every pain and ill?
Who's for the Lethe's plain? the Donkey-shearings?

Who's for Cerberia? Taenarum? or the Ravens?
DIONYSUS

I.
CHARON

Hurry in.
DIONYSUS

But where are you going really?
In truth to the Ravens?

CHARON
Aye, for your behoof. Step in.

DIONYSUS (to XANTHIAS)
Now, lad.

CHARON
A slave? I take no slave,

Unless he has fought for his bodyrights at sea.
XANTHIAS

I couldn't go. I'd got the eye-disease.
CHARON

Then fetch a circuit round about the lake.
XANTHIAS

Where must I wait?
CHARON

Beside the Withering stone, Hard by the Rest.
DIONYSUS

You understand?
XANTHIAS

Too well.
O, what ill omen crossed me as I started! Exit.

CHARON (to DIONYSUS)
Sit to the oar. (calling) Who else for the boat? Be quick.

(to DIONYSUS) Hi! what are you doing?
DIONYSUS

What am I doing? Sitting
On to the oar. You told me to, yourself

CHARON
Now sit you there, you little Potgut.

DIONYSUS
Now stretch your arms full length before you.

CHARON
Come, don't keep fooling; plant your feet, Pull with a will.

DIONYSUS
Why, how am I to pull?

I'm not an oarsman, seaman, Salaminian. I can't.
CHARON

You can. Just dip your oar in once,
You'll hear the loveliest timing songs.

DIONYSUS
What from?

CHARON
Frog-swans, most wonderful.

DIONYSUS
Then give the word.

CHARON
Heave ahoy! heave ahoy I

FROGS (off stage)
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax,

Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax!
We children of the fountain and the lake

Let us wake
Our full choir-shout, as the flutes are ringing out,

Our symphony of clear-voiced song.
The song we used to love in the Marshland up above,

In praise of Dionysus to produce,
Of Nysaean Dionysus, son of Zeus,

When the revel-tipsy throng, all crapulous and gay,
To our precinct reeled along on the holy Pitcher day,

Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS

O, dear! O, dear! now I declare
I've got a bump upon my rump,

FROGS
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

DIONYSUS
But you, perchance, don't care.

FROGS
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

DIONYSUS
Hang you, and your ko-axing tool

There's nothing but ko-ax with you.
FROGS

That is right, Mr. Busybody, right!
For the Muses of the lyre love us well;

And hornfoot Pan who plays
on the pipe his jocund lays;

And Apollo, Harper bright,
in our Chorus takes delight;

For the strong reed's sake
which I grow within my lake

To be girdled in his lyre's deep shell.
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

DIONYSUS
My hands are blistered very sore;

My stern below is sweltering so,
'Twill soon, I know, upturn and roar

Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
O tuneful race, O pray give o'er,

O sing no more.
FROGS

Ah, no! ah, no!
Loud and louder our chant must flow.

Sing if ever ye sang of yore,
When in sunny and glorious days

Through the rushes and marsh-flags springing
On we swept, in the joy of singing

Myriad-diving roundelays.
Or when fleeing the storm, we went

Down to the depths, and our choral song
Wildly raised to a loud and long

Bubble-bursting accompaniment.
FROGS and DIONYSUS

Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS

This timing song I take from you.
FROGS

That's a dreadful thing to do.
DIONYSUS

Much more dreadful, if I row
Till I burst myself, I trow.

FROGS and DIONYSUS
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

DIONYSUS
Go, hang yourselves; for what care I?

FROGS
All the same we'll shout and cry,

Stretching all our throats with song,
Shouting, crying, all day long,

FROGS and DIONYSUS
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

DIONYSUS
In this you'll never, never win.

FROGS
This you shall not beat us in.

DIONYSUS
No, nor ye prevail o'er me.

Never! never! I'll my song,
Shout, if need be, all day Yong,

Until I've learned to master your ko-ax.
Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.

I thought I'd put a stop to your ko-ax.
CHARON

Stop! Easy! Take the oar and push her to.
Now pay your fare and go.

DIONYSUS
Here' tis: two obols.

Xanthias! where's Xanthias? Is it Xanthias there?
XANTHIAS (off stage)

Hoi, hoi!
DIONYSUS

Come hither.
XANTHIAS (Entering)

Glad to meet you, master.
DIONYSUS

What have you there?
XANTHIAS

Nothing but filth and darkness.
DIONYSUS

But tell me, did you see the parricides
And perjured folk he mentioned?

XANTHIAS
Didn't you?

DIONYSUS
Poseidon, yes. Why look! (pointing to the audience)

I see them now.
What's the next step?

XANTHIAS
We'd best be moving on.

This is the spot where Heracles declared
Those savage monsters dwell.

DIONYSUS
O hang the fellow.

That's all his bluff: he thought to scare me off,
The jealous dog, knowing my plucky ways.

There's no such swaggerer lives as Heracles.
Why, I'd like nothing better than to achieve

Some bold adventure, worthy of our trip.
XANTHIAS

I know you would. Hallo! I hear a noise.
DIONYSUS

Where? what?
XANTHIAS

Behind us, there.
DIONYSUS

Get you behind.
XANTHIAS

No, it's in front.
DIONYSUS

• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• circuit [´sə:kit] n.环行 v.(绕....)环行 (初中英语单词)
• fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)
• pitcher [´pitʃə] n.大水罐；投掷者 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• prevail [pri´veil] vi.胜(过)；流行；普遍 (初中英语单词)
• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
• throng [θrɔŋ] n.群众 v.拥挤；群集 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• symphony [´simfəni] n.交响乐(曲) (英语四级单词)
• precinct [´pri:siŋkt] n.(教堂等的)围地 (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• seaman [´si:mən] n.海员，水手 (英语六级单词)
• jocund [´dʒɔkənd] a.欢乐的，愉快的 (英语六级单词)