Get you in front directly.
XANTHIAS

And now I see the most ferocious monster.
DIONYSUS

O, what's it like?
XANTHIAS

Like everything by turns.
Now it's a bull: now it's a mule: and now

The loveliest girl.
DIONYSUS

O, where? I'll go and meet her.
XANTHIAS

It's ceased to be a girl: it's a dog now.
DIONYSUS

It is Empusa!
XANTHIAS

Well, its face is all
Ablaze with fire.

DIONYSUS
Has it a copper leg?

XANTHIAS
A copper leg? yes, one; and one of cow dung.

DIONYSUS
O, whither shall I flee?

XANTHIAS
O, whither I?

DIONYSUS
My priest, protect me, and we'll sup together.

XANTHIAS
King Heracles, we're done for.

DIONYSUS
O, forbear, Good fellow, call me anything but that.

XANTHIAS
Well then, Dionysus.

DIONYSUS
O, that's worse again,

XANTHIAS (to the SPECTRE)
Aye, go thy way. O master,

here, come here.
DIONYSUS

O, what's up now?
XANTHIAS

Take courage; all's serene.
And, like Hegelochus, we now may say

"Out of the storm there comes a new wether."
Empusa's gone.

DIONYSUS
Swear it.

XANTHIAS
By Zeus she is.

DIONYSUS
Swear it again.

XANTHIAS
By Zeus.

DIONYSUS
Again.

XANTHIAS
By Zeus.

O dear, O dear, how pale I grew to see her,
But he, from fright has yellowed me all over.

DIONYSUS
Ah me, whence fall these evils on my head? on

Who is the god to blame for my destruction?
Air, Zeus's chamber, or the Foot of Time?

(A flute is played behind the scenes.)
XANTHIAS

What's the matter?
DIONYSUS

The breath of flutes.
XANTHIAS

Aye, and a whiff of torches
Breathed o'er me too; a very mystic whiff.

DIONYSUS
Then crouch we down, and mark what's going on.

CHORUS (in the distance)
O lacchus! O lacchus! O Iacchus!

XANTHIAS
I have it, master: 'tis those blessed Mystics,

Of whom he told us, sporting hereabouts.
They sing the Iacchus which Diagoras made.

DIONYSUS
I think so too: we had better both keep quiet

And so find out exactly what it is.
Enter CHORUS, who had chanted the songs of the FROGS, as initiates.

CHORUS
O Iacchus! power excelling,

here in stately temples dwelling.
O Iacchus! O lacchus!

Come to tread this verdant level,
Come to dance in mystic revel,

Come whilst round thy forehead hurtles
Many a wreath of fruitful myrtles,

Come with wild and saucy paces
Mingling in our joyous dance,

Pure and holy, which embraces
all the charms of all the Graces,

When the mystic choirs advance.
XANTHIAS

Holy and sacred queen, Demeter's daughter,
O, what a jolly whiff of pork breathed o'er me!

DIONYSUS
Hist! and perchance you'll get some tripe yourself.

CHORUS
Come, arise, from sleep awaking,

come the fiery torches shaking,
O Iacchus! O Iacchus!

Morning Star that shinest nightly.
Lo, the mead is blazing brightly,

Age forgets its years and sadness,
Aged knees curvet for gladness,

Lift thy flashing torches o'er us,
Marshal all thy blameless train,

Lead, O lead the way before us;
lead the lovely youthful Chorus

To the marshy flowery plain.
All evil thoughts and profane be still:

far hence, far hence from our choirs depart,
Who knows not well what the Mystics tell,

or is not holy and pure of heart;
Who ne'er has the noble revelry learned,

or danced the dance of the Muses high;
or shared in the Bacchic rites which old

bull-eating Cratinus's words supply;
Who vulgarcoarse buffoonery loves,

though all untimely the they make;
Or lives not easy and kind with all,

or kindling factionforbears to slake,
But fans the fire, from a base desire

some pitiful gain for himself to reap;
Or takes, in office, his gifts and bribes,

while the city is tossed on the stormy deep;
Who fort or fleet to the foe betrays;

or, a vile Thorycion, ships away
Forbidden stores from Aegina's shores,

to Epidaurus across the Bay
Transmitting oar-pads and sails and tar,

that curst collector of five per cents;
The knave who tries to procure supplies

for the use of the enemy's armaments;
The Cyclian singer who dares befoul

the Lady Hecate's wayside shrine;
The public speaker who once lampooned

in our Bacchic feasts would, with heart malign,
Keep nibbling away the Comedians' pay;-

to these I utter my warning cry,
I charge them once, I charge them twice,

I charge them thrice, that they draw not nigh
To the sacred dance of the Mystic choir.

But ye, my comrades, awake the song,
The night-long revels of joy and mirth

which ever of right to our feast belong.
Advance, true hearts, advance!

On to the gladsome bowers,
On to the sward, with flowers

Embosomed bright!
March on with jest, and jeer, and dance,

Full well ye've supped to-night.
March, chanting loud your lays,

Your hearts and voices raising,
The Saviour goddess praising

Who vows she'll still
Our city save to endless days,

Whate'er Thorycion's will.
Break off the measure, and change the time;

and now with chanting and hymns adorn
Demeter, goddessmighty and high,

the harvest-queen, the giver of corn.
O Lady, over our rites presiding,

Preserve and succour thy choral throng,
And grant us all, in thy help confiding,

To dance and revel the whole day long;
And much in earnest, and much in jest,

Worthy thy feast, may we speak therein.
And when we have bantered and laughed our best,

The victor's wreath be it ours to win.
Call we now the youthful god,

call him hither without delay,
Him who travels amongst his chorus,

dancing along on the Sacred Way.
O, come with the joy of thy festival song,

O, come to the goddess, O, mix with our throng
Untired, though the journey be never so long.

O Lord of the frolic and dance,
lacchus, beside me advance!

For fun, and for cheapness, our dress thou hast rent,
Through thee we may dance to the top of our bent,

Reviling, and jeering, and none will resent.
O Lord of the frolic and dance,

lacchus, beside me advance!
A sweet pretty girl I observed in the show,

Her robe had been torn in the scuffle, and lo,
There peeped through the tatters a bosom of snow.

O Lord of the frolic and dance,
lacchus, beside me advance!

DIONYSUS
Wouldn't I like to follow on, and try

A little sport and dancing?
XANTHIAS

Wouldn't I?
CHORUS

Shall we all a merry joke

• copper [´kɔpə] n.铜 a.铜制的 (初中英语单词)
• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
• fright [frait] n.惊吓；恐怖；怪人 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)
• wreath [ri:θ] n.花圈；花环；圈状物 (初中英语单词)
• sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
• youthful [´ju:θfəl] a.年轻的；青年的 (初中英语单词)
• coarse [kɔ:s] a.粗(糙)的；粗鲁的 (初中英语单词)
• procure [prə´kjuə] v.获得；完(达)成；实现 (初中英语单词)
• singer [´siŋə] n.歌手，演唱者 (初中英语单词)
• speaker [´spi:kə] n.演讲人；代言人 (初中英语单词)
• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
• measure [´meʒə] n.量度；范围 vt.测量 (初中英语单词)
• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
• crouch [krautʃ] vi.卷缩；蹲伏 (高中英语单词)
• stately [´steitli] a.庄严的，雄伟的 (高中英语单词)
• whilst [wailst] conj.当...时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)
• fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)
• joyous [´dʒɔiəs] a.充满快乐的 (高中英语单词)
• pitiful [´pitifəl] a.可怜的；慈悲的 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
• festival [´festivəl] n.节日；庆祝；欢庆 (高中英语单词)
• frolic [´frɔlik] n.&v.嬉戏 a.嬉戏的 (高中英语单词)
• forbear [fɔ:´beə, fə-] v.容忍；克制 n.祖先 (英语四级单词)
• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• flowery [´flauəri] a.多花的 (英语四级单词)
• profane [prə´fein] a.亵渎的 vt.玷污 (英语四级单词)
• vulgar [´vʌlgə] a.粗俗的；大众的 (英语四级单词)
• faction [´fækʃən] n.宗派；派系纠纷；内讧 (英语四级单词)
• collector [kə´lektə] n.收款(税)员；收藏家 (英语四级单词)
• warning [´wɔ:niŋ] n.警告；前兆 a.预告的 (英语四级单词)
• thrice [θrais] ad.三倍地；三次 (英语四级单词)
• saviour [´seiviə] n.救星；救助者 (英语四级单词)
• ferocious [fə´rəuʃəs] a.凶猛的；残忍的 (英语六级单词)
• mystic [´mistik] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (英语六级单词)
• blameless [´bleimlis] a.无可责难的 (英语六级单词)
• untimely [ʌn´taimli] a.&ad.不合时宜的(地) (英语六级单词)
• wayside [´weisaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语六级单词)