CHORUS And best of my friends, and our nation intends to do whatsoe’er thou advisest. A spirit so lofty and rare Thy words have within me excited, That I lift up my soul, and I swear That if Thou wilt with Me be united In bonds that are holy and true And honest and just and sincere, If our hearts are attuned to one song, We will march on the Gods without fear; The sceptre—my sceptre, my due,— They shall not be handling it long! So all that by muscle and strength can be done, we Birds will assuredly do; But whatever by prudence and skill must be won, we leave altogether to you.
HOOPOE Aye and, by Zeus, the time is over now For drowsy nods and Nicias-hesitations. We must be up and doing! And do you, Or e’er we start, visit this nest of mine, My bits of things, my little sticks and straws; And tell me what your names are.
PEISTHETAERUS That’s soon done. My name is Peisthetaerus.
HOOPOE And your friend’s?
PEISTHETAERUS Euelpides of Crio.
HOOPOE Well ye are both
PEISTHETAERUS Heartily welcome.
PEISTHETAERUS Thank you.
HOOPOE Come ye in.
PEISTHETAERUS Aye come we in; you, please, precede us.
HOOPOE Come.
PEISTHETAERUS But—dear! what was it? step you back a moment. O yes,—but tell us, how can he and I Consort with you, we wingless and you winged?
HOOPOE Why, very well.
PEISTHETAERUS Nay but in Aesop’s fables There’s something, mind you, told about the fox How ill it fared, consorting with an eagle.
HOOPOE O never fear; for there’s a little root Which when ye have eaten, ye will both be winged.
PEISTHETAERUS That being so, we’ll enter. -Xanthias there, And Manodorus, bring along the traps.
CHORUS O stay, and O stay!
HOOPOE Why what ails you to-day?
CHORUS Take the gentlemen in, and regale them, we say; But O for the nightingale peerless in song, who chants in the choir of the Muses her lay;
CHORUS Sweetest and best, fetch her out of the nest, and leave her awhile with the Chorus to play.
PEISTHETAERUS O do, by Zeus, grant them this one request; Fetch out the little warbler from the reeds.
EUELPIDES Yes, fetch her out by all the Gods, that so We too may gaze upon the nightingale.
HOOPOE Well if you wish it, so we’ll have it. Procne, Come hither, dear, and let the strangers see you.
PEISTHETAERUS Zeus, what a darling lovely little bird! How fair, and tender!
EUELPIDES O the little love, Wouldn’t I like to be her mate this instant!
PEISTHETAERUS And O the gold she is wearing, like a girl.
EUELPIDES Upon my word, I’ve half a mind to kiss her!
PEISTHETAERUS Kiss her, you fool! Her beak’s a pair of spits.
EUELPIDES But I would treat her like an egg, and strip The egg-shell from her poll, and kiss her so.
HOOPOE Come, go we in.
PEISTHETAERUS Lead on, and luck go with us.
CHORUS O darling! O tawny-throat! Love, whom I love the best, Dearer than all the rest, Playmate and partner in All my soft lays, Thou art come! Thou art come! Thou hast dawned on my gaze, I have heard thy sweet note, Nightingále! Nightingále! Thou from thy flute Softly-sounding canst bring Music to suit With our songs of the Spring: Begin then I pray Our own anapaestic address to essay.
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