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peace-第4部分

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  TRYGAEUS

    Do you at least; who long for peace; pull heartily。

  CHORUS

    But there are some who prevent us。

  HERMES

    Off to the Devil with you; Megarians! The goddess hates you。 She

recollects that you were the first to rub her the wrong way。

Athenians; you are not well placed for pulling。 There you are too busy

with law…suits; if you really want to free the goddess; get down a

little towards the sea。

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS

    Come; friends; none but husbandmen on the rope。

  HERMES

    Ah I that will do ever so much better。

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS

    He says the thing is going well。 Come; all of you; together and

with a will。

  TRYGAEUS

    It's the husbandmen who are doing all the work。

  CHORUS

    Come then; come; and all together!

  HERMES

    Hah! hah! at last there is some unanimity in the work。

  CHORUS

    Don't let us give up; let us redouble our efforts。

  HERMES

    There! now we have it!

  CHORUS

    Come then; all together! Heave away; heave! Heave away; heave!

Heave away; heave! Heave away; heave! Heave away; heave! All together!

(PEACE is drawn out of the pit。 With her come OPORA and THEORIA。)

  TRYGAEUS

    Oh! venerated goddess; who givest us our grapes; where am I to

find the ten…thousand…gallon words wherewith to greet thee? I have

none such at home。 Oh! hail to thee; Opora; and thee; Theoria! How

beautiful is thy face! How sweet thy breath! What gentle fragrance

comes from thy bosom; gentle as freedom from military duty; as the

most dainty perfumes!

  HERMES

    Is it then a smell like a soldier's knapsack?

  TRYGAEUS

    Oh! hateful soldier! your hideous satchel makes me sick! it stinks

like the belching of onions; whereas this lovable deity has the

odour of sweet fruits; of festivals; of the Dionysia; of the harmony

of flutes; of the tragic poets; of the verses of Sophocles; of the

phrases of Euripides。。。。

  HERMES

    That's a foul calumny; you wretch! She detests that framer of

subtleties and quibbles。

  TRYGAEUS (ignoring this)

    。。。。of ivy; of straining…bags for wine; of bleating ewes; of

provision…laden women hastening to the kitchen; of the tipsy servant

wench; of the upturned wine…jar; and of a whole heap of other good

things。

  HERMES

    Then look how the reconciled towns chat pleasantly together; how

they laugh。。。。

  TRYGAEUS

    And yet they are all cruelly mishandled; their wounds are bleeding

still。

  HERMES

    But let us also scan the mien of the spectators; we shall thus

find out the trade of each。

  TRYGAEUS

    Good god!

  HERMES

    Look at that poor crest…maker; tearing at his hair。。。。

  TRYGAEUS

    。。。。and at that pike…maker; who has just farted in yon

sword…cutler's face。

  HERMES

    And do you see with what pleasure this sickle…maker。。。。

  TRYGAEUS

    。。。。is thumbing his nose at the spear…maker?

  HERMES

    Now tell the husbandmen to be off。

  TRYGAEUS

    Listen; good folk! Let the husbandmen take their farming tools and

return to their fields as quickly as possible; but without either

sword; spear or javelin。 All is as quiet as if Peace had been reigning

for a century。 Come; let everyone go and till the earth; singing the

Paean。

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS (to PEACE)

    Oh; thou; whom men of standing desired and who art good to

husbandmen; I have gazed upon thee with delight; and now I go to greet

my vines; to caress after so long an absence the fig trees I planted

in my youth。

  TRYGAEUS

    Friends; let us first adore the goddess; who has delivered us from

crests and Gorgons; then let us hurry to our farms; having first

bought a nice little piece of salt fish to eat in the fields。

  HERMES

    By Posidon! what a fine crew they make and dense as the crust of a

cake; they are as nimble as guests on their way to a feast。

  TRYGAEUS

    See; how their iron spades glitter and how beautifully their

three…pronged mattocks glisten in the sun! How regularly they align

the plants! I also burn to go into the country and to turn over the

earth I have so long neglected。…Friends; do you remember the happy

life that Peace afforded us formerly; can you recall the splendid

baskets of figs; both fresh and dried; the myrtles; the sweet wine;

the violets blooming near the spring; and the olives; for which we

have wept so much? Worship; adore the goddess for restoring you so

many blessings。

  CHORUS (singing)

    Hail! hail! thou beloved divinity! thy return overwhelms us with

joy。 When far from thee; my ardent wish to see my fields again made me

pine with regret。 From thee came all blessings。 Oh! much desired

Peace! thou art the sole support of those who spend their lives

tilling the earth。 Under thy rule we had a thousand delicious

enjoyments at our beck; thou wert the husbandman's wheaten cake and

his safeguard。 So that our vineyards; our young fig…tree woods and all

our plantations hail thee with delight and smile at thy coming。

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS

    But where was she then; I wonder; all the long time she spent away

from us? Hermes; thou benevolent god; tell us!

  HERMES

    Wise husbandmen; hearken to my words; if you want to know why

she was lost to you。 The start of our misfortunes was the exile of

Phidias; Pericles feared he might share his in…luck; he mistrusted

your peevish nature and; to prevent all danger to himself; he threw

out that little spark; the Megarian decree; set the city aflame; and

blew up the conflagration with a hurricane of war; so that the smoke

drew tears from all Greeks both here and over there。 At the very

outset of this fire our vines were a…crackle; our casks knocked

together; it was beyond the power of any man to stop the disaster; and

Peace disappeared。

  TRYGAEUS

    That; by Apollo is what no one ever told me; I could not think

what connection there could be between Phidias and Peace。

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS

    Nor I; until now。 This accounts for her beauty; if she is

related to him。 There are so many things that escape us。

  HERMES

    Then; when the towns subject to you saw that you were angered

one against the other and were showing each other your teeth like

dogs; they hatched a thousand plots to pay you no more dues and gained

over the chief citizens of Sparta at the price of gold。 They; being as

shamelessly greedy as they were faithless in diplomacy; chased off

Peace with ignominy to let loose War。 Though this was profitable to

them; it was the ruin of the husbandmen; who were innocent of all

blame; for; in revenge; your galleys went out to devour their figs。

  TRYGAEUS

    And with justice too; did they not break down my black fig tree;

which I had planted and dunged with my own hands?

  LEADER OF THE CHORUS

    Yes; by Zeus! yes; that was well done; the wretches broke a

chest for me with stones; which held six medimni of corn。

  HERMES

    Then the rural labourers flocked into the city and let

themselves be bought over like the others。 Not having even a

grape…stone to munch and longing after their figs; they looked towards

the demagogues。 These well knew that the poor were driven to extremity

and lacked even bread; but they nevertheless drove away the Goddess;

each time she reappeared in answer to the wish of the country; with

their loud shrieks that were as sharp as pitchforks; furthermore; they

attacked the well…filled purses of the richest among our allies on the

pretence that they belonged to Brasidas' party。 And then you would

tear the poor accused wretch to pieces with your teeth; for the

city; all pale with hunger and cowed with terror; gladly snapped up

any calumny that was thrown it to devour。 So the strangers; seeing

what terrible blows the informers dealt; sealed their lips with

gold。 They grew rich; while you; alas! you could only see that

Greece was going to ruin。 It was the tanner who was the author of

all this woe。

  TRYGAEUS

    Enough said; Hermes leave that man in Hades; whither he has

gone; be no longer belongs to us; but rather to you。 That he was a

cheat; a braggart; a calumniator when alive; why; nothing could be

truer; but anything you might say now would be an insult to one of

your own folk。

               (To PEACE) Oh! venerated Goddess! why art thou silent?

  HERMES

    And how could she speak to the spectators? She is too angry at all

that they have made her suffer。

  TRYGAEUS

    At least let her speak a little to you; Hermes。

  HERMES

    Tell me; my dear; what are your feelings with regard to them?

Come; you relentless foe of all bucklers; speak; I am listening to

you。 (PEACE whispers into HERMES' ear。) Is that your grievance against

them? Yes; yes; I understand。 Hearken; you folk; this is her

complaint。 She says; that after the affair of Pylos she came to you

unbidden to bring you a basket full of truces and that you thrice

repulsed her by your votes in the assembly。

  TRYGAEUS

    Yes; we did wrong; but forgive us; for our mind was then

entirely absorbed in leather。

  HERMES

    Listen again to what she has just asked me。 Who was her greatest

foe here? and furthermore; had she a friend who exerted himself to put

an end to the fighting?

  TRYGAEUS

    Her most devoted friend was Cleonymus; it is undisputed。

  HERMES

    How then did Cleonymus behave in fights?

  TRYGAEUS

    Oh! the bravest of warriors! Only he was not born of the father he

claims; he showed it quick enough in the army by throwing away his

weapons。

  HERMES

    There is yet another question she has just put to me。 Who rules

now in the rostrum?

  TRYGAEUS

    It's Hyperbolus who now holds empire on the Pnyx。 (To PEACE)

What now? you turn away your head!

  HERMES

    She is vexed; that the people should give themselves a wretch of

that kind for their chief。

  TRYGAEUS

    Oh! we shall not employ him again; but the people; seeing

the
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