SAUSAGE-SELLER
He says he will seize upon your bath-tubs.

DEMOS
Then I shall not bathe to-day.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
No, as he has stolen our baths. But here is an oracle about the

fleet, to which I beg your best attention.
DEMOS

Read on! I am listening; let us first see how we are to pay our
sailors.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
"Son of Aegeus, beware of the tricks of the dog-fox, he bites from

the rear and rushes off at full speed; he is nothing but cunning and
perfidy." Do you know what the oracle intends to say?

DEMOS
The dog-fox is Philostratus.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
No, no, it's Cleon; he is incessantly asking you for light vessels

to go and collect the tributes, and Apollo advises you not to grant
them.

DEMOS
What connection is there between a galley and dog-fox?

SAUSAGE-SELLER
What connection? Why, it's quite plain-a galley travels as fast as

a dog.
DEMOS

Why, then, does the oracle not say dog instead of dog-fox?
SAUSAGE-SELLER

Because he compares the soldiers to young foxes, who, like them,
eat the grapes in the fields.

DEMOS
Good! Well then! how am I to pay the wages of my young foxes?

SAUSAGE-SELLER
I will undertake that, and in three days too! But listen to this

further oracle, by which Apollo puts you on your guard against the
snares of the greedy fist.

DEMOS
Of what greedy fist?

SAUSAGE-SELLER
The god in this oracle very clearly points to the hand of Cleon,

who incessantly holds his out, saying, "Fill it."
CLEON

That's a lie! Phoebus means the hand of Diopithes. But here I have
a wingedoracle, which promises you shall become an eagle and rule

over all the earth.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

I have one, which says that you shall be King of the Earth and
of the Red Sea too, and that you shall minister" target="_blank" title="vt.管理；支配；执行">administer justice in Ecbatana,

eating fine rich stews the while.
CLEON

I have seen Athen& in a dream, pouring out full vials of riches
and health over the people.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
I too have seen the goddess, descending from the Acropolis with an

owl perched upon her helmet; on your head she was pouring out
ambrosia, on that of Cleon garlic pickle.

DEMOS
Truly Glanis is the wisest of men. I shall yield myself to you;

guide me in my old age and educate me anew.
CLEON

Ah! I adjure you! not yet; wait a little; I will promise to
distribute barley every day.

DEMOS
Ah! I will not hear another word about barley; you have cheated me

too often already, both you and Theophanes.
CLEON

Well then! you shall have flour-cakes all piping hot.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

I will give you cakes too, and nice cooked fish; all you'll have
to do is eat.

DEMOS
Very well, mind you keep your promises. To whichever of you

shall treat me best I hand over the reins of state.
CLEON

I will be first.
(He rushes into the house.)

SAUSAGE-SELLER
No, no, I will.

(He runs off.)
CHORUS (singing)

Demos, you are our all-powerful sovereign lord; all tremble before
you, yet you are led by the nose. You love to be flattered and fooled;

you listen to the orators with gaping mouth and your mind is led
astray.

DEMOS (singing)
It's rather you who have no brains, if you think me so foolish

as all that; it is with a purpose that I play this idiot's role, for I
love to drink the livelong day, and so it pleases me to keep a thief

for my minister. When he has thoroughly gorged himself, then I
overthrow and crush him.

CHORUS (singing)
What profound wisdom! If it be really so, why! all is for the

best. Your ministers, then, are your victims, whom you nourish and
feed up expressly in the Pnyx, so that, the day your dinner is

ready, you may immolate the fattest and eat him.
DEMOS (singing)

Look, see how I play with them, while all the time they think
themselves such adepts at cheating me. I have my eye on them when they

thieve, but I do not appear to be seeing them; then I thrust a
judgment down their throat as it were a feather, and force them to

vomit up all they have robbed from me.
(Cleon comes out of the house with a bench and a large basket; at

the same moment the SAUSAGE-SELLER arrives with another basket;
the two are placed beside one another.)

CLEON
Get out of here!

SAUSAGE-SELLER
Get out yourself!

CLEON
Demos, all is ready these three hours; I await your orders and I

burn with desire to load you with benefits.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

And I ten, twelve, a thousand hours, a long, long while, an
infinitely long, long, long while.

DEMOS
As for me, it's thirty thousand hours that I have been

impatient; very, long, infinitely long, long, long that I have
cursed you-

SAUSAGE-SELLER
Do you know what you had best do?

DEMOS
I will, if you tell me.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
Declare the lists open and we will contendabreast to

determine-who shall treat you the best.
DEMOS

Splended! Draw back in line!
CLEON

I am ready.
DEMOS

Off you go!
SAUSAGE-SELLER (to CLEON)

I shall not let you get to the tape.
DEMOS

What fervent lovers! If I am not to-day the happiest of men, it
will be because I am the most disgusted.

CLEON (putting down the bench for DEMOS)
Look! I am the first to bring you a seat.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
And I a table.

(He places his sausage-tray in front of DEMOS.)
CLEON

Wait, here is a cake kneaded of Pylos barley.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

Here are crusts, which the ivory hand of the goddess has hallowed.
DEMOS

Oh! Mighty Athene! How large are your fingers!
CLEON

This is pea-soup, as exquisite as it is fine; Pallas the
victorious goddess at Pylos is the one who crushed the peas herself.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
Oh, Demos! the goddess watches over you; she is stretching forth

over your head.... a stew-pan full of broth.
DEMOS

And should we still be dwelling in this city without this
protecting stew-pan?

CLEON
Here are some fish, given to you by her who is the terror of our

foes.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

The daughter of the mightiest of the gods sends you this meat
cooked in its own gravy, along with this dish of tripe and some

paunch.
DEMOS

That's to thank me for the peplus I offered to her; good.
CLEON

The goddess with the terrible plume invites you to eat this long
cake; you will row the harder on it.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
Take this also.

DEMOS
And what shall I do with this tripe?

SAUSAGE-SELLER
She sends it you to belly out your galleys, for she is always

showing her kindly anxiety for our fleet. Now drink this drink
composed of three parts of water to two of wine.

DEMOS
Ah! what delicious wine, and how well it stands the water.

SAUSAGE-SELLER
The goddess who came from the head of Zeus mixed this liquor

with her own hands.
CLEON

Hold, here is a piece of good rich cake.
SAUSAGE-SELLER

But I offer you an entire cake.
CLEON

But you cannot offer him stewed hare as I do.
SAUSAGE-SELLER (aside)

Ah! great gods! stewed hare! where shall I find it? Oh! brain of
mine, devise some trick!

CLEON (showing him the hare)
Do you see this, you rogue?

SAUSAGE-SELLER (pretending to look afar)
A fig for that! Here are some people coming to seek me. They are

envoys, bearing sacks bulging with money.
CLEON

(Hearing money mentioned CLEON turns his head, and the
SAUSAGE-SELLER seizes the opportunity to snatch away the stewed hare.)

Where, where, I say?
SAUSAGE-SELLER

Bah! What's that to you? Will you not even now let the strangers

• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
• apollo [ə´pɔləu] n.阿波罗 (初中英语单词)
• connection [kə´nekʃən] n.联系；关系；联运 (初中英语单词)
• undertake [,ʌndə´teik] vt.从事；承担；担保 (初中英语单词)
• greedy [´gri:di] a.贪婪的；馋的 (初中英语单词)
• winged [´wiŋd] a.有翼的 (初中英语单词)
• goddess [´gɔdis] n.女神 (初中英语单词)
• helmet [´helmit] n.钢盔 (初中英语单词)
• educate [´edjukeit] vt.教育；培养；训练 (初中英语单词)
• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)
• minister [´ministə] n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (初中英语单词)
• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)
• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)
• feather [´feðə] n.羽毛 (初中英语单词)
• dwelling [´dweliŋ] n.住所；寓所 (初中英语单词)
• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)
• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)
• snatch [snætʃ] v.&n.抢，夺取，抓住 (初中英语单词)
• oracle [´ɔrəkl] n.预言(者)；圣理名言 (高中英语单词)
• beware [bi´weə] v.(用于祈使句)谨防 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• administer [əd´ministə] vt.管理；支配；执行 (高中英语单词)
• barley [´bɑ:li] n.大麦 (高中英语单词)
• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)
• nourish [´nʌriʃ] vt.养育；施肥于 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• contend [kən´tend] v.竞争；斗争；争论 (高中英语单词)
• abreast [ə´brest] ad.并排，并肩 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• exquisite [ik´skwizit] a.精巧的；敏锐的 (高中英语单词)
• devise [di´vaiz] vt.设计，发明 (高中英语单词)
• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)
• galley [´gæli] n.单层甲板大帆船 (英语四级单词)
• infinitely [´infinitli] ad.无限地；无穷地 (英语四级单词)
• incessantly [in´sesntli] ad.不断地，不停地 (英语六级单词)
• phoebus [´fi:bəs] n.太阳神 (英语六级单词)
• garlic [´gɑ:lik] n.蒜，大蒜 (英语六级单词)
• whichever [witʃ´evə] a.&pron.无论哪个(些) (英语六级单词)
• expressly [ik´spresli] ad.明白地；特意地 (英语六级单词)
• fervent [´fə:vənt] a.强烈的；热情的 (英语六级单词)