PROMETHEUS Where’s Peisthetaerus?
PEISTHETAERUS Why, whatever is here? What’s this enwrapment?
PROMETHEUS See you any God Following behind me there?
PEISTHETAERUS Not I, by Zeus. But who are you?
PROMETHEUS And what’s the time of day?
PEISTHETAERUS The time of day? A little after noon. (Shouting.) But WHO ARE YOU?
PROMETHEUS Ox-loosing time, or later?
PEISTHETAERUS Disgusting idiot!
PROMETHEUS What’s Zeus doing now? The clouds collecting or the clouds dispersing?
PEISTHETAERUS Out on you, stupid!
PROMETHEUS Now then, unwrap.
PEISTHETAERUS My dear Prometheus!
PROMETHEUS Hush! don’t shout like that.
PEISTHETAERUS Why what’s up now?
PROMETHEUS Don’t speak my name so loudly. ’Twould be my ruin, if Zeus see me here. But now I’ll tell you all that’s going on Up in the sky, if you’ll just take the umbrella, And hold it over, that no God may see me.
PEISTHETAERUS Ha! Ha! The crafty thought! Prometheus-like all over.
PEISTHETAERUS Get under then; make haste: and speak out freely.
PROMETHEUS Then listen.
PEISTHETAERUS Speak: I’m listening, never fear.
PROMETHEUS All’s up with Zeus!
PEISTHETAERUS Good gracious me! since when?
PROMETHEUS Since first you built your city in the air. For never from that hour does mortal bring Burnt-offerings to the Gods, or savoury steam Ascend to heaven from flesh of victims slain. So now we fast a Thesmophorian fast, No altars burning; and the Barbarous Gods Half-starved, and gibbering like Illyrians, vow That they’ll come marching down on Zeus, unless He gets the marts reopened, and the bits Of savoury inwards introduced once more.
PEISTHETAERUS What, are there really other Gods, Barbarians, Up above you?
PROMETHEUS Barbarians? Yes; thence comes The ancestral God of Execestides.
PEISTHETAERUS And what’s the name of these Barbarian Gods?
PROMETHEUS The name? Triballians.
PEISTHETAERUS Aye, I understand. ’Tis from that quarter Tribulation comes.
PROMETHEUS Exactly so. And now I tell you this; Envoys will soon be here to treat for peace, Sent down by Zeus and those Triballians there. But make no peace, mind that, unless king Zeus Restores the sceptre to the Birds again, And gives yourself Miss Sovereignty to wife.
PEISTHETAERUS And who’s Miss Sovereignty?
PROMETHEUS The loveliest girl. ’Tis she who keeps the thunderbolts of Zeus, And all his stores,—good counsels, happy laws, Sound common sense, dockyards, abusive speech, All his three-obols, and the man who pays them.
PEISTHETAERUS Then she keeps EVERYTHING!
PROMETHEUS Of course she does. Win her from Zeus, and you’d have EVERYTHING. I hastened here that I might tell you this, You know I am always well-disposed to men.
PEISTHETAERUS Aye, but for you we could not fry our fish.
PROMETHEUS And I hate every God, you know that, don’t you?
PEISTHETAERUS Yes, hatred of the Gods; you always felt it.
PROMETHEUS A regular Timon! but ’tis time to go; Let’s have the umbrella; then, if Zeus perceives me, He’ll think I’m following the Basket-bearer.
PEISTHETAERUS Here, take the chair, and act the Chair-girl too.
CHORUS Next we saw a sight appalling, Socrates, unwashed, was calling Spirits from the lake below, (’Twas on that enchanted ground Where the Shadow-feet are found). There Peisander came to know If the spirit cowards lack Socrates could conjure back; Then a camel-lamb he slew, Like Odysseus, but withdrew,
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