You shall take with you
whichever
of the twain you declare the
victor; thus you will not have come in vain.
victor; thus you will not have come in vain.
Aristophanes
By Zeus, no, not yet!
I have plenty of other prologues.
"Oeneus in the fields one day[512] . . . "
AESCHYLUS. . . . lost his little bottle.
EURIPIDES. Let me first finish the opening verse: "Oeneus in the fields
one day, having made an abundant harvest and sacrificed the first-fruits
to the gods . . . "
AESCHYLUS. . . . lost his little bottle.
DIONYSUS. During the sacrifice? And who was the thief?
EURIPIDES. Allow him to try with this one: "Zeus, as even Truth has
said[513] . . . "
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_). You have lost again; he is going to say, "lost
his little bottle," for that bottle sticks to your prologues like a
ringworm. But, in the name of the gods, turn now to his choruses.
EURIPIDES. I will prove that he knows nothing of lyric poetry, and that
he repeats himself incessantly.
CHORUS. What's he going to say now? I am itching to know what criticisms
he is going to make on the poet, whose sublime songs so far outclass
those of his contemporaries. I cannot imagine with what he is going to
reproach the king of the Dionysia, and I tremble for the aggressor.
EURIPIDES. Oh! those wonderful songs! But watch carefully, for I am going
to condense them all into a single one.
DIONYSUS. And I am going to take pebbles to count the fragments.
EURIPIDES. "Oh, Achilles, King of Phthiotis, hearken to the shout of the
conquering foe and haste to sustain the assault. We dwellers in the
marshes do honour to Hermes, the author of our race. Haste to sustain the
assault. "
DIONYSUS. There, Aeschylus, you have already two assaults against you.
EURIPIDES. "Oh, son of Atreus, the most illustrious of the Greeks, thou,
who rulest so many nations, hearken to me. Haste to the assault. "
DIONYSUS. A third assault. Beware, Aeschylus.
EURIPIDES. "Keep silent, for the inspired priestesses are opening the
temple of Artemis. Haste to sustain the assault. I have the right to
proclaim that our warriors are leaving under propitious auspices. Haste
to sustain the assault. "[514]
DIONYSUS. Great gods, what a number of assaults! my kidneys are quite
swollen with fatigue; I shall have to go to the bath after all these
assaults.
EURIPIDES. Not before you have heard this other song arranged for the
music of the cithara.
DIONYSUS. Come then, continue; but, prithee, no more "assaults. "
EURIPIDES. "What! the two powerful monarchs, who reign over the Grecian
youth, phlattothrattophlattothrat, are sending the Sphinx, that terrible
harbinger of death, phlattothrattophlattothrat. With his avenging arm
bearing a spear, phlattothrattophlattothrat, the impetuous bird delivers
those who lean to the side of Ajax, phlattothrattophlattothrat, to the
dogs who roam in the clouds, phlattothrattophlattothrat. "[515]
DIONYSUS (_to Aeschylus_). What is this 'phlattothrat'? Does it come from
Marathon or have you picked it out of some labourer's chanty?
AESCHYLUS. I took what was good and improved it still more, so that I
might not be accused of gathering the same flowers as Phrynichus in the
meadow of the Muse. But this man borrows from everybody, from the
suggestions of prostitutes, from the sons of Melitus,[516] from the
Carian flute-music, from wailing women, from dancing-girls. I am going to
prove it, so let a lyre be brought. But what need of a lyre in his case?
Where is the girl with the castanets? Come, thou Muse of Euripides; 'tis
quite thy business to accompany songs of this sort.
DIONYSUS. This Muse has surely done fellation in her day, like a Lesbian
wanton. [517]
AESCHYLUS. "Ye halcyons, who twitter over the ever-flowing billows of the
sea, the damp dew of the waves glistens on your wings; and you spiders,
who we-we-we-we-we-weave the long woofs of your webs in the corners of
our houses with your nimble feet like the noisy shuttle, there where the
dolphin by bounding in the billows, under the influence of the flute,
predicts a favourable voyage; thou glorious ornaments of the vine, the
slender tendrils that support the grape. Child, throw thine arms about my
neck. "[518] Do you note the harmonious rhythm?
DIONYSUS. Yes.
AESCHYLUS. Do you note it?
DIONYSUS. Yes, undoubtedly.
AESCHYLUS. And does the author of such rubbish dare to criticize my
songs? he, who imitates the twelve postures of Cyrene in his poetry? [519]
There you have his lyric melodies, but I still want to give you a sample
of his monologues. "Oh! dark shadows of the night! what horrible dream
are you sending me from the depths of your sombre abysses! Oh! dream,
thou bondsman of Pluto, thou inanimate soul, child of the dark night,
thou dread phantom in long black garments, how bloodthirsty, bloodthirsty
is thy glance! how sharp are thy claws! Handmaidens, kindle the lamp,
draw up the dew of the rivers in your vases and make the water hot; I
wish to purify myself of this dream sent me by the gods. Oh! king of the
ocean, that's right, that's right! Oh! my comrades, behold this wonder.
Glyce has robbed me of my cock and has fled. Oh, Nymphs of the mountains!
oh! Mania! seize her! How unhappy I am! I was full busy with my work, I
was sp-sp-sp-sp-spinning the flax that was on my spindle, I was rounding
off the clew that I was to go and sell in the market at dawn; and he flew
off, flew off, cleaving the air with his swift wings; he left to me
nothing but pain, pain! What tears, tears, poured, poured from my
unfortunate eyes! Oh! Cretans, children of Ida, take your bows; help me,
haste hither, surround the house. And thou, divine huntress, beautiful
Artemis, come with thy hounds and search through the house. And thou
also, daughter of Zeus, seize the torches in thy ready hands and go
before me to Glyce's home, for I propose to go there and rummage
everywhere. "[520]
DIONYSUS. That's enough of choruses.
AESCHYLUS. Yes, faith, enough indeed! I wish now to see my verses weighed
in the scales; 'tis the only way to end this poetic struggle.
DIONYSUS. Well then, come, I am going to sell the poet's genius the same
way cheese is sold in the market.
CHORUS. Truly clever men are possessed of an inventive mind. Here again
is a new idea that is marvellous and strange, and which another would not
have thought of; as for myself I would not have believed anyone who had
told me of it, I would have treated him as a driveller.
DIONYSUS. Come, hither to the scales.
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. Here we are.
DIONYSUS. Let each one hold one of the scales, recite a verse, and not
let go until I have cried, "Cuckoo! "
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. We understand.
DIONYSUS. Well then, recite and keep your hands on the scales.
EURIPIDES. "Would it had pleased the gods that the vessel Argo had never
unfurled the wings of her sails! "[521]
AESCHYLUS. "Oh! river Sperchius! oh! meadows, where the oxen graze! "[522]
DIONYSUS. Cuckoo! let go! Oh! the verse of Aeschylus sinks far the lower
of the two.
EURIPIDES. And why?
DIONYSUS. Because, like the wool-merchants, who moisten their wares, he
has thrown a river into his verse and has made it quite wet, whereas
yours was winged and flew away.
EURIPIDES. Come, another verse! You recite, Aeschylus, and you, weigh.
DIONYSUS. Hold the scales again.
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. Ready.
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_). You begin.
EURIPIDES. "Eloquence is Persuasion's only sanctuary. "[523]
AESCHYLUS. "Death is the only god whom gifts cannot bribe. "[524]
DIONYSUS. Let go! let go! Here again our friend Aeschylus' verse drags
down the scale; 'tis because he has thrown in Death, the weightiest of
all ills.
EURIPIDES. And I Persuasion; my verse is excellent.
DIONYSUS. Persuasion has both little weight and little sense. But hunt
again for a big weighty verse and solid withal, that it may assure you
the victory.
EURIPIDES. But where am I to find one--where?
DIONYSUS. I'll tell you one: "Achilles has thrown two and four. "[525]
Come, recite! 'tis the last trial.
EURIPIDES. "With his arm he seized a mace, studded with iron. "[526]
AESCHYLUS. "Chariot upon chariot and corpse upon corpse. "[527]
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_) There you're foiled again.
EURIPIDES. Why?
DIONYSUS. There are two chariots and two corpses in the verse; why, 'tis
a weight a hundred Egyptians could not lift. [528]
AESCHYLUS. 'Tis no longer verse against verse that I wish to weigh, but
let him clamber into the scale himself, he, his children, his wife,
Cephisophon[529] and all his works; against all these I will place but
two of my verses on the other side.
DIONYSUS. I will _not_ be their umpire, for they are dear to me and I
will not have a foe in either of them; meseems the one is mighty clever,
while the other simply delights me.
PLUTO. Then you are foiled in the object of your voyage.
DIONYSUS. And if I do decide?
PLUTO.
You shall take with you whichever of the twain you declare the
victor; thus you will not have come in vain.
DIONYSUS. That's all right! Well then, listen; I have come down to find a
poet.
EURIPIDES. And with what intent?
DIONYSUS. So that the city, when once it has escaped the imminent dangers
of the war, may have tragedies produced. I have resolved to take back
whichever of the two is prepared to give good advice to the citizens. So
first of all, what think you of Alcibiades? For the city is in most
difficult labour over this question.
EURIPIDES. And what does it think about it?
DIONYSUS. What does it think? It regrets him, hates him, and yet wishes
to have him, all at the same time. But tell me your opinion, both of you.
EURIPIDES. I hate the citizen who is slow to serve his country, quick to
involve it in the greatest troubles, ever alert to his own interests, and
a bungler where those of the State are at stake.
DIONYSUS. That's good, by Posidon! And you, what is your opinion?
AESCHYLUS. A lion's whelp should not be reared within the city. No doubt
that's best; but if the lion has been reared, one must submit to his
ways.
DIONYSUS. Zeus, the Deliverer! this puzzles me greatly. The one is
clever, the other clear and precise. Now each of you tell me your idea of
the best way to save the State.
EURIPIDES. If Cinesias were fitted to Cleocritus as a pair of wings, and
the wind were to carry the two of them across the waves of the sea . . .
DIONYSUS. 'Twould be funny. But what is he driving at?
EURIPIDES. . . . they could throw vinegar into the eyes of the foe in the
event of a sea-fight. But I know something else I want to tell you.
DIONYSUS. Go on.
EURIPIDES. When we put trust in what we mistrust and mistrust what we
trust. . . .
DIONYSUS. What? I don't understand. Tell us something less profound, but
clearer.
EURIPIDES. If we were to mistrust the citizens, whom we trust, and to
employ those whom we to-day neglect, we should be saved. Nothing succeeds
with us; very well then, let's do the opposite thing, and our deliverance
will be assured.
DIONYSUS. Very well spoken. You are the most ingenious of men, a true
Palamedes! [530] Is this fine idea your own or is it Cephisophon's?
EURIPIDES. My very own,--bar the vinegar, which is Cephisophon's.
DIONYSUS (_to Aeschylus_). And you, what have you to say?
AESCHYLUS. Tell me first who the commonwealth employs. Are they the just?
DIONYSUS. Oh! she holds _them_ in abhorrence.
AESCHYLUS. What, are then the wicked those she loves?
DIONYSUS. Not at all, but she employs them against her will.
AESCHYLUS. Then what deliverance can there be for a city that will
neither have cape nor cloak? [531]
DIONYSUS. Discover, I adjure you, discover a way to save her from
shipwreck.
AESCHYLUS. I will tell you the way on earth, but I won't here.
DIONYSUS. No, send her this blessing from here.
AESCHYLUS. They will be saved when they have learnt that the land of the
foe is theirs and their own land belongs to the foe; that their vessels
are their true wealth, the only one upon which they can rely. [532]
DIONYSUS. That's true, but the dicasts devour everything. [533]
PLUTO (_to Dionysus_). Now decide.
DIONYSUS. 'Tis for you to decide, but I choose him whom my heart prefers.
EURIPIDES. You called the gods to witness that you would bear me through;
remember your oath and choose your friends.
DIONYSUS. Yes, "my tongue has sworn. "[534] . . . But I choose Aeschylus.
EURIPIDES. What have you done, you wretch?
DIONYSUS. I? I have decided that Aeschylus is the victor. What then?
EURIPIDES. And you dare to look me in the face after such a shameful
deed?
DIONYSUS. "Why shameful, if the spectators do not think so? "[535]
EURIPIDES. Cruel wretch, will you leave me pitilessly among the dead?
DIONYSUS. "Who knows if living be not dying,[536] if breathing be not
feasting, if sleep be not a fleece? "[537]
PLUTO. Enter my halls. Come, Dionysus.
DIONYSUS. What shall we do there?
PLUTO. I want to entertain my guests before they leave.
DIONYSUS. Well said, by Zeus; 'tis the very thing to please me best.
CHORUS. Blessed the man who has perfected wisdom! Everything is happiness
for him. Behold Aeschylus; thanks to the talent, to the cleverness he has
shown, he returns to his country; and his fellow-citizens, his relations,
his friends will all hail his return with joy. Let us beware of jabbering
with Socrates and of disdaining the sublime notes of the tragic Muse. To
pass an idle life reeling off grandiloquent speeches and foolish
quibbles, is the part of a madman.
PLUTO. Farewell, Aeschylus! Go back to earth and may your noble precepts
both save our city[538] and cure the mad; there are such, a many of them!
Carry this rope from me to Cleophon, this one to Myrmex and Nichomachus,
the public receivers, and this other one to Archenomous. [539] Bid them
come here at once and without delay; if not, by Apollo, I will brand them
with the hot iron. [540] I will make one bundle of them and
Adimantus,[541] the son of Leucolophus,[542] and despatch the lot into
hell with all possible speed.
AESCHYLUS. I will do your bidding, and do you make Sophocles occupy my
seat. Let him take and keep it for me, against I should ever return here.
In fact I award him the second place among the tragic poets. As for this
impostor, watch that he never usurps my throne, even should he be placed
there in spite of himself.
PLUTO (_to the Chorus of the Initiate_). Escort him with your sacred
torches, singing to him as you go his own hymns and choruses.
CHORUS. Ye deities of the nether world, grant a pleasant journey to the
poet who is leaving us to return to the light of day; grant likewise wise
and healthy thoughts to our city. Put an end to the fearful calamities
that overwhelm us, to the awful clatter of arms. As for Cleophon and the
likes of him, let them go, an it please them, and fight in their own
land. [543]
* * * * *
FINIS OF "THE FROGS"
* * * * *
Footnotes:
[382] These were comic poets contemporary with Aristophanes. Phrynichus,
the best known, gained the second prize with his 'Muses' when the present
comedy was put upon the stage. Amipsias had gained the first prize over
our author's first edition of 'The Clouds' and again over his 'Birds. '
Aristophanes is ridiculing vulgar and coarse jests, which, however, he
does not always avoid himself.
[383] Instead of the expected "son of Zeus," he calls himself the "son of
a wine-jar. "
[384] At the sea-fight at Arginusae the slaves who had distinguished
themselves by their bravery were presented with their freedom. This
battle had taken place only a few months before the production of 'The
Frogs. ' Had Xanthias been one of these slaves he could then have treated
his master as he says, for he would have been his equal.
[385] The door of the Temple of Heracles, situated in the deme of Melite,
close to Athens. This temple contained a very remarkable statue of the
god, the work of Eleas, the master of Phidias.
[386] A fabulous monster, half man and half horse.
[387] So also, in 'The Thesmophoriazusae,' Agathon is described as
wearing a saffron robe, which was a mark of effeminacy.
[388] A woman's foot-gear.
[389] He speaks of him as though he were a vessel. Clisthenes, who was
scoffed at for his ugliness, was completely beardless, which fact gave
him the look of a eunuch. He was accused of prostituting himself.
[390] Heracles cannot believe it. Dionysus had no repute for bravery. His
cowardice is one of the subjects for jesting which we shall most often
come upon in 'The Frogs. '
[391] A tragedy by Euripides, produced some years earlier, some fragments
of which are quoted by Aristophanes in his 'Thesmophoriazusae. '
[392] An actor of immense stature.
[393] The gluttony of Heracles was a byword. See 'The Birds. '
[394] Euripides, weary, it is said, of the ridicule and envy with which
he was assailed in Athens, had retired in his old age to the court of
Archelaus, King of Macedonia, where he had met with the utmost
hospitality. We are assured that he perished through being torn to pieces
by dogs, which set upon him in a lonely spot. His death occurred in 407
B. C. , the year before the production of 'The Frogs. '
[395] This is a hemistich, the Scholiast says, from Euripides.
[396] The son of Sophocles. Once, during his father's lifetime, he gained
the prize for tragedy, but it was suspected that the piece itself was
largely the work of Sophocles himself. It is for this reason that
Dionysus wishes to try him when he is dependent on his own resources, now
that his father is dead. The death of the latter was quite recent at the
time of the production of 'The Frogs,' and the fact lent all the greater
interest to this piece.
[397] Agathon was a contemporary of Euripides, and is mentioned in terms
of praise by Aristotle for his delineation of the character of Achilles,
presumably in his tragedy of 'Telephus. ' From the fragments which remain
of this author it appears that his style was replete with ornament,
particularly antithesis.
[398] Son of Caminus, an inferior poet, often made the butt of
Aristophanes' jeers.
[399] A poet apparently, unknown.
[400] Expressions used by Euripides in different tragedies.
[401] Parody of a verse in Euripides' 'Andromeda,' a lost play.
[402] Heracles, being such a glutton, must be a past master in matters of
cookery, but this does not justify him in posing as a dramatic critic.
[403] Xanthias, bent double beneath his load, gets more and more out of
patience with his master's endless talk with Heracles.
[404] The mortar in which hemlock was pounded.
[405] An allusion to the effect of hemlock.
[406] A quarter of Athens where the Lampadephoria was held in honour of
Athene, Hephaestus, and Prometheus, because the first had given the
mortals oil, the second had invented the lamp, and the third had stolen
fire from heaven. The principal part of this festival consisted in the
_lampadedromia_, or torch-race. This name was given to a race in which
the competitors for the prize ran with a torch in their hand; it was
essential that the goal should be reached with the torch still alight.
The signal for starting was given by throwing a torch from the top of the
tower mentioned a few verses later on.
[407] Theseus had descended into Hades with Pirithous to fetch away
Persephone. Aristophanes doubtless wishes to say that in consequence of
this descent Pluto established a toll across Acheron, in order to render
access to his kingdom less easy, and so that the poor and the greedy, who
could not or would not pay, might be kept out.
[408] Morsimus was a minor poet, who is also mentioned with disdain in
'The Knights,' and is there called the son of Philocles. Aristophanes
jestingly likens anyone who helps to disseminate his verses to the worst
of criminals.
[409] The Pyrrhic dance was a lively and quick-step dance. Cinesias was
not a dancer, but a dithyrambic poet, who declaimed with much
gesticulation and movement that one might almost think he was performing
this dance.
[410] Those initiated into the Mysteries of Demeter, who, according to
the belief of the ancients, enjoyed a kind of beatitude after death.
[411] Xanthias, his strength exhausted and his patience gone, prepares to
lay down his load. Asses were used for the conveyance from Athens to
Eleusis of everything that was necessary for the celebration of the
Mysteries.
"Oeneus in the fields one day[512] . . . "
AESCHYLUS. . . . lost his little bottle.
EURIPIDES. Let me first finish the opening verse: "Oeneus in the fields
one day, having made an abundant harvest and sacrificed the first-fruits
to the gods . . . "
AESCHYLUS. . . . lost his little bottle.
DIONYSUS. During the sacrifice? And who was the thief?
EURIPIDES. Allow him to try with this one: "Zeus, as even Truth has
said[513] . . . "
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_). You have lost again; he is going to say, "lost
his little bottle," for that bottle sticks to your prologues like a
ringworm. But, in the name of the gods, turn now to his choruses.
EURIPIDES. I will prove that he knows nothing of lyric poetry, and that
he repeats himself incessantly.
CHORUS. What's he going to say now? I am itching to know what criticisms
he is going to make on the poet, whose sublime songs so far outclass
those of his contemporaries. I cannot imagine with what he is going to
reproach the king of the Dionysia, and I tremble for the aggressor.
EURIPIDES. Oh! those wonderful songs! But watch carefully, for I am going
to condense them all into a single one.
DIONYSUS. And I am going to take pebbles to count the fragments.
EURIPIDES. "Oh, Achilles, King of Phthiotis, hearken to the shout of the
conquering foe and haste to sustain the assault. We dwellers in the
marshes do honour to Hermes, the author of our race. Haste to sustain the
assault. "
DIONYSUS. There, Aeschylus, you have already two assaults against you.
EURIPIDES. "Oh, son of Atreus, the most illustrious of the Greeks, thou,
who rulest so many nations, hearken to me. Haste to the assault. "
DIONYSUS. A third assault. Beware, Aeschylus.
EURIPIDES. "Keep silent, for the inspired priestesses are opening the
temple of Artemis. Haste to sustain the assault. I have the right to
proclaim that our warriors are leaving under propitious auspices. Haste
to sustain the assault. "[514]
DIONYSUS. Great gods, what a number of assaults! my kidneys are quite
swollen with fatigue; I shall have to go to the bath after all these
assaults.
EURIPIDES. Not before you have heard this other song arranged for the
music of the cithara.
DIONYSUS. Come then, continue; but, prithee, no more "assaults. "
EURIPIDES. "What! the two powerful monarchs, who reign over the Grecian
youth, phlattothrattophlattothrat, are sending the Sphinx, that terrible
harbinger of death, phlattothrattophlattothrat. With his avenging arm
bearing a spear, phlattothrattophlattothrat, the impetuous bird delivers
those who lean to the side of Ajax, phlattothrattophlattothrat, to the
dogs who roam in the clouds, phlattothrattophlattothrat. "[515]
DIONYSUS (_to Aeschylus_). What is this 'phlattothrat'? Does it come from
Marathon or have you picked it out of some labourer's chanty?
AESCHYLUS. I took what was good and improved it still more, so that I
might not be accused of gathering the same flowers as Phrynichus in the
meadow of the Muse. But this man borrows from everybody, from the
suggestions of prostitutes, from the sons of Melitus,[516] from the
Carian flute-music, from wailing women, from dancing-girls. I am going to
prove it, so let a lyre be brought. But what need of a lyre in his case?
Where is the girl with the castanets? Come, thou Muse of Euripides; 'tis
quite thy business to accompany songs of this sort.
DIONYSUS. This Muse has surely done fellation in her day, like a Lesbian
wanton. [517]
AESCHYLUS. "Ye halcyons, who twitter over the ever-flowing billows of the
sea, the damp dew of the waves glistens on your wings; and you spiders,
who we-we-we-we-we-weave the long woofs of your webs in the corners of
our houses with your nimble feet like the noisy shuttle, there where the
dolphin by bounding in the billows, under the influence of the flute,
predicts a favourable voyage; thou glorious ornaments of the vine, the
slender tendrils that support the grape. Child, throw thine arms about my
neck. "[518] Do you note the harmonious rhythm?
DIONYSUS. Yes.
AESCHYLUS. Do you note it?
DIONYSUS. Yes, undoubtedly.
AESCHYLUS. And does the author of such rubbish dare to criticize my
songs? he, who imitates the twelve postures of Cyrene in his poetry? [519]
There you have his lyric melodies, but I still want to give you a sample
of his monologues. "Oh! dark shadows of the night! what horrible dream
are you sending me from the depths of your sombre abysses! Oh! dream,
thou bondsman of Pluto, thou inanimate soul, child of the dark night,
thou dread phantom in long black garments, how bloodthirsty, bloodthirsty
is thy glance! how sharp are thy claws! Handmaidens, kindle the lamp,
draw up the dew of the rivers in your vases and make the water hot; I
wish to purify myself of this dream sent me by the gods. Oh! king of the
ocean, that's right, that's right! Oh! my comrades, behold this wonder.
Glyce has robbed me of my cock and has fled. Oh, Nymphs of the mountains!
oh! Mania! seize her! How unhappy I am! I was full busy with my work, I
was sp-sp-sp-sp-spinning the flax that was on my spindle, I was rounding
off the clew that I was to go and sell in the market at dawn; and he flew
off, flew off, cleaving the air with his swift wings; he left to me
nothing but pain, pain! What tears, tears, poured, poured from my
unfortunate eyes! Oh! Cretans, children of Ida, take your bows; help me,
haste hither, surround the house. And thou, divine huntress, beautiful
Artemis, come with thy hounds and search through the house. And thou
also, daughter of Zeus, seize the torches in thy ready hands and go
before me to Glyce's home, for I propose to go there and rummage
everywhere. "[520]
DIONYSUS. That's enough of choruses.
AESCHYLUS. Yes, faith, enough indeed! I wish now to see my verses weighed
in the scales; 'tis the only way to end this poetic struggle.
DIONYSUS. Well then, come, I am going to sell the poet's genius the same
way cheese is sold in the market.
CHORUS. Truly clever men are possessed of an inventive mind. Here again
is a new idea that is marvellous and strange, and which another would not
have thought of; as for myself I would not have believed anyone who had
told me of it, I would have treated him as a driveller.
DIONYSUS. Come, hither to the scales.
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. Here we are.
DIONYSUS. Let each one hold one of the scales, recite a verse, and not
let go until I have cried, "Cuckoo! "
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. We understand.
DIONYSUS. Well then, recite and keep your hands on the scales.
EURIPIDES. "Would it had pleased the gods that the vessel Argo had never
unfurled the wings of her sails! "[521]
AESCHYLUS. "Oh! river Sperchius! oh! meadows, where the oxen graze! "[522]
DIONYSUS. Cuckoo! let go! Oh! the verse of Aeschylus sinks far the lower
of the two.
EURIPIDES. And why?
DIONYSUS. Because, like the wool-merchants, who moisten their wares, he
has thrown a river into his verse and has made it quite wet, whereas
yours was winged and flew away.
EURIPIDES. Come, another verse! You recite, Aeschylus, and you, weigh.
DIONYSUS. Hold the scales again.
AESCHYLUS AND EURIPIDES. Ready.
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_). You begin.
EURIPIDES. "Eloquence is Persuasion's only sanctuary. "[523]
AESCHYLUS. "Death is the only god whom gifts cannot bribe. "[524]
DIONYSUS. Let go! let go! Here again our friend Aeschylus' verse drags
down the scale; 'tis because he has thrown in Death, the weightiest of
all ills.
EURIPIDES. And I Persuasion; my verse is excellent.
DIONYSUS. Persuasion has both little weight and little sense. But hunt
again for a big weighty verse and solid withal, that it may assure you
the victory.
EURIPIDES. But where am I to find one--where?
DIONYSUS. I'll tell you one: "Achilles has thrown two and four. "[525]
Come, recite! 'tis the last trial.
EURIPIDES. "With his arm he seized a mace, studded with iron. "[526]
AESCHYLUS. "Chariot upon chariot and corpse upon corpse. "[527]
DIONYSUS (_to Euripides_) There you're foiled again.
EURIPIDES. Why?
DIONYSUS. There are two chariots and two corpses in the verse; why, 'tis
a weight a hundred Egyptians could not lift. [528]
AESCHYLUS. 'Tis no longer verse against verse that I wish to weigh, but
let him clamber into the scale himself, he, his children, his wife,
Cephisophon[529] and all his works; against all these I will place but
two of my verses on the other side.
DIONYSUS. I will _not_ be their umpire, for they are dear to me and I
will not have a foe in either of them; meseems the one is mighty clever,
while the other simply delights me.
PLUTO. Then you are foiled in the object of your voyage.
DIONYSUS. And if I do decide?
PLUTO.
You shall take with you whichever of the twain you declare the
victor; thus you will not have come in vain.
DIONYSUS. That's all right! Well then, listen; I have come down to find a
poet.
EURIPIDES. And with what intent?
DIONYSUS. So that the city, when once it has escaped the imminent dangers
of the war, may have tragedies produced. I have resolved to take back
whichever of the two is prepared to give good advice to the citizens. So
first of all, what think you of Alcibiades? For the city is in most
difficult labour over this question.
EURIPIDES. And what does it think about it?
DIONYSUS. What does it think? It regrets him, hates him, and yet wishes
to have him, all at the same time. But tell me your opinion, both of you.
EURIPIDES. I hate the citizen who is slow to serve his country, quick to
involve it in the greatest troubles, ever alert to his own interests, and
a bungler where those of the State are at stake.
DIONYSUS. That's good, by Posidon! And you, what is your opinion?
AESCHYLUS. A lion's whelp should not be reared within the city. No doubt
that's best; but if the lion has been reared, one must submit to his
ways.
DIONYSUS. Zeus, the Deliverer! this puzzles me greatly. The one is
clever, the other clear and precise. Now each of you tell me your idea of
the best way to save the State.
EURIPIDES. If Cinesias were fitted to Cleocritus as a pair of wings, and
the wind were to carry the two of them across the waves of the sea . . .
DIONYSUS. 'Twould be funny. But what is he driving at?
EURIPIDES. . . . they could throw vinegar into the eyes of the foe in the
event of a sea-fight. But I know something else I want to tell you.
DIONYSUS. Go on.
EURIPIDES. When we put trust in what we mistrust and mistrust what we
trust. . . .
DIONYSUS. What? I don't understand. Tell us something less profound, but
clearer.
EURIPIDES. If we were to mistrust the citizens, whom we trust, and to
employ those whom we to-day neglect, we should be saved. Nothing succeeds
with us; very well then, let's do the opposite thing, and our deliverance
will be assured.
DIONYSUS. Very well spoken. You are the most ingenious of men, a true
Palamedes! [530] Is this fine idea your own or is it Cephisophon's?
EURIPIDES. My very own,--bar the vinegar, which is Cephisophon's.
DIONYSUS (_to Aeschylus_). And you, what have you to say?
AESCHYLUS. Tell me first who the commonwealth employs. Are they the just?
DIONYSUS. Oh! she holds _them_ in abhorrence.
AESCHYLUS. What, are then the wicked those she loves?
DIONYSUS. Not at all, but she employs them against her will.
AESCHYLUS. Then what deliverance can there be for a city that will
neither have cape nor cloak? [531]
DIONYSUS. Discover, I adjure you, discover a way to save her from
shipwreck.
AESCHYLUS. I will tell you the way on earth, but I won't here.
DIONYSUS. No, send her this blessing from here.
AESCHYLUS. They will be saved when they have learnt that the land of the
foe is theirs and their own land belongs to the foe; that their vessels
are their true wealth, the only one upon which they can rely. [532]
DIONYSUS. That's true, but the dicasts devour everything. [533]
PLUTO (_to Dionysus_). Now decide.
DIONYSUS. 'Tis for you to decide, but I choose him whom my heart prefers.
EURIPIDES. You called the gods to witness that you would bear me through;
remember your oath and choose your friends.
DIONYSUS. Yes, "my tongue has sworn. "[534] . . . But I choose Aeschylus.
EURIPIDES. What have you done, you wretch?
DIONYSUS. I? I have decided that Aeschylus is the victor. What then?
EURIPIDES. And you dare to look me in the face after such a shameful
deed?
DIONYSUS. "Why shameful, if the spectators do not think so? "[535]
EURIPIDES. Cruel wretch, will you leave me pitilessly among the dead?
DIONYSUS. "Who knows if living be not dying,[536] if breathing be not
feasting, if sleep be not a fleece? "[537]
PLUTO. Enter my halls. Come, Dionysus.
DIONYSUS. What shall we do there?
PLUTO. I want to entertain my guests before they leave.
DIONYSUS. Well said, by Zeus; 'tis the very thing to please me best.
CHORUS. Blessed the man who has perfected wisdom! Everything is happiness
for him. Behold Aeschylus; thanks to the talent, to the cleverness he has
shown, he returns to his country; and his fellow-citizens, his relations,
his friends will all hail his return with joy. Let us beware of jabbering
with Socrates and of disdaining the sublime notes of the tragic Muse. To
pass an idle life reeling off grandiloquent speeches and foolish
quibbles, is the part of a madman.
PLUTO. Farewell, Aeschylus! Go back to earth and may your noble precepts
both save our city[538] and cure the mad; there are such, a many of them!
Carry this rope from me to Cleophon, this one to Myrmex and Nichomachus,
the public receivers, and this other one to Archenomous. [539] Bid them
come here at once and without delay; if not, by Apollo, I will brand them
with the hot iron. [540] I will make one bundle of them and
Adimantus,[541] the son of Leucolophus,[542] and despatch the lot into
hell with all possible speed.
AESCHYLUS. I will do your bidding, and do you make Sophocles occupy my
seat. Let him take and keep it for me, against I should ever return here.
In fact I award him the second place among the tragic poets. As for this
impostor, watch that he never usurps my throne, even should he be placed
there in spite of himself.
PLUTO (_to the Chorus of the Initiate_). Escort him with your sacred
torches, singing to him as you go his own hymns and choruses.
CHORUS. Ye deities of the nether world, grant a pleasant journey to the
poet who is leaving us to return to the light of day; grant likewise wise
and healthy thoughts to our city. Put an end to the fearful calamities
that overwhelm us, to the awful clatter of arms. As for Cleophon and the
likes of him, let them go, an it please them, and fight in their own
land. [543]
* * * * *
FINIS OF "THE FROGS"
* * * * *
Footnotes:
[382] These were comic poets contemporary with Aristophanes. Phrynichus,
the best known, gained the second prize with his 'Muses' when the present
comedy was put upon the stage. Amipsias had gained the first prize over
our author's first edition of 'The Clouds' and again over his 'Birds. '
Aristophanes is ridiculing vulgar and coarse jests, which, however, he
does not always avoid himself.
[383] Instead of the expected "son of Zeus," he calls himself the "son of
a wine-jar. "
[384] At the sea-fight at Arginusae the slaves who had distinguished
themselves by their bravery were presented with their freedom. This
battle had taken place only a few months before the production of 'The
Frogs. ' Had Xanthias been one of these slaves he could then have treated
his master as he says, for he would have been his equal.
[385] The door of the Temple of Heracles, situated in the deme of Melite,
close to Athens. This temple contained a very remarkable statue of the
god, the work of Eleas, the master of Phidias.
[386] A fabulous monster, half man and half horse.
[387] So also, in 'The Thesmophoriazusae,' Agathon is described as
wearing a saffron robe, which was a mark of effeminacy.
[388] A woman's foot-gear.
[389] He speaks of him as though he were a vessel. Clisthenes, who was
scoffed at for his ugliness, was completely beardless, which fact gave
him the look of a eunuch. He was accused of prostituting himself.
[390] Heracles cannot believe it. Dionysus had no repute for bravery. His
cowardice is one of the subjects for jesting which we shall most often
come upon in 'The Frogs. '
[391] A tragedy by Euripides, produced some years earlier, some fragments
of which are quoted by Aristophanes in his 'Thesmophoriazusae. '
[392] An actor of immense stature.
[393] The gluttony of Heracles was a byword. See 'The Birds. '
[394] Euripides, weary, it is said, of the ridicule and envy with which
he was assailed in Athens, had retired in his old age to the court of
Archelaus, King of Macedonia, where he had met with the utmost
hospitality. We are assured that he perished through being torn to pieces
by dogs, which set upon him in a lonely spot. His death occurred in 407
B. C. , the year before the production of 'The Frogs. '
[395] This is a hemistich, the Scholiast says, from Euripides.
[396] The son of Sophocles. Once, during his father's lifetime, he gained
the prize for tragedy, but it was suspected that the piece itself was
largely the work of Sophocles himself. It is for this reason that
Dionysus wishes to try him when he is dependent on his own resources, now
that his father is dead. The death of the latter was quite recent at the
time of the production of 'The Frogs,' and the fact lent all the greater
interest to this piece.
[397] Agathon was a contemporary of Euripides, and is mentioned in terms
of praise by Aristotle for his delineation of the character of Achilles,
presumably in his tragedy of 'Telephus. ' From the fragments which remain
of this author it appears that his style was replete with ornament,
particularly antithesis.
[398] Son of Caminus, an inferior poet, often made the butt of
Aristophanes' jeers.
[399] A poet apparently, unknown.
[400] Expressions used by Euripides in different tragedies.
[401] Parody of a verse in Euripides' 'Andromeda,' a lost play.
[402] Heracles, being such a glutton, must be a past master in matters of
cookery, but this does not justify him in posing as a dramatic critic.
[403] Xanthias, bent double beneath his load, gets more and more out of
patience with his master's endless talk with Heracles.
[404] The mortar in which hemlock was pounded.
[405] An allusion to the effect of hemlock.
[406] A quarter of Athens where the Lampadephoria was held in honour of
Athene, Hephaestus, and Prometheus, because the first had given the
mortals oil, the second had invented the lamp, and the third had stolen
fire from heaven. The principal part of this festival consisted in the
_lampadedromia_, or torch-race. This name was given to a race in which
the competitors for the prize ran with a torch in their hand; it was
essential that the goal should be reached with the torch still alight.
The signal for starting was given by throwing a torch from the top of the
tower mentioned a few verses later on.
[407] Theseus had descended into Hades with Pirithous to fetch away
Persephone. Aristophanes doubtless wishes to say that in consequence of
this descent Pluto established a toll across Acheron, in order to render
access to his kingdom less easy, and so that the poor and the greedy, who
could not or would not pay, might be kept out.
[408] Morsimus was a minor poet, who is also mentioned with disdain in
'The Knights,' and is there called the son of Philocles. Aristophanes
jestingly likens anyone who helps to disseminate his verses to the worst
of criminals.
[409] The Pyrrhic dance was a lively and quick-step dance. Cinesias was
not a dancer, but a dithyrambic poet, who declaimed with much
gesticulation and movement that one might almost think he was performing
this dance.
[410] Those initiated into the Mysteries of Demeter, who, according to
the belief of the ancients, enjoyed a kind of beatitude after death.
[411] Xanthias, his strength exhausted and his patience gone, prepares to
lay down his load. Asses were used for the conveyance from Athens to
Eleusis of everything that was necessary for the celebration of the
Mysteries.
