FROGS We children of the fountain and the lake, Let us wake Our full choir-shout, as the flutes are ringing out, Our symphony of clear-voiced song. The song we used to love in the Marshland up above, In praise of Dionysus to produce, Of Nysaean Dionysus, son of Zeus, When the revel-tipsy throng, all crapulous and gay, To our precinct reeled along on the holy Pitcher day. Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS O, dear! O, dear! now I declare I’ve got a bump upon my rump,
FROGS Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS But you, perchance, don’t care.
FROGS Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS Hang you, and your ko-axing too! There’s nothing but ko-ax with you.
FROGS That is right, Mr. Busybody, right! For the Muses of the lyre love us well; And hornfoot Pan who plays on the pipe his jocund lays; And Apollo, Harper bright, in our Chorus takes delight; For the strong reed’s sake which I grow within my lake To be girdled in his lyre’s deep shell. Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS My hands are blistered very sore; My stern below is sweltering so,
DIONYSUS ’Twill soon, I know, upturn and roar Brekekekex, ko-ax, Ko-ax. O tuneful race, O pray give o’er, O sing no more.
FROGS Ah, no! ah, no! Loud and louder our chant must flow. Sing if ever ye sang of yore,’ When in sunny and glorious days Through the rushes and marsh-flags springing On we swept, in the joy of singing Myriad-diving roundelays. Or when fleeing the storm, we went Down to the depths, and our choral song Wildly raised to a loud and long Bubble-bursting accompaniment.
FROGS AND DIONYSUS Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS This timing song I take from you.
FROGS That’s a dreadful thing to do.
DIONYSUS Much more dreadful, if I row Till I burst myself, I trow.
FROGS AND DIONYSUS Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS Go, hang yourselves; for what care I?
FROGS All the same we’ll shout and cry, Stretching all our throats with song, Shouting, crying, all day long,
FROGS AND DIONYSUS Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax.
DIONYSUS In this you’ll never, never win.
FROGS This you shall not beat us in.
DIONYSUS No, nor ye prevail o’er me. Never! never! I’ll my song Shout, if need be, all day long, Until I’ve learned to master your ko-ax. Brekekekex, ko-ax, ko-ax. I thought I’d put a stop to your ko-ax.
CHARON Stop! Easy! Take the oar and push her to. Now pay your fare and go.
DIONYSUS Here ’tis: two obols. Xanthias! where’s Xanthias Is it Xanthias there?
XANTHIAS Hoi, hoi!
DIONYSUS Come hither.
XANTHIAS Glad to meet you, master.
DIONYSUS What have you there?
XANTHIAS Nothing: but filth and darkness.
DIONYSUS But tell me, did you see the parricides And perjured folk he mentioned?
XANTHIAS Didn’t you?
DIONYSUS Poseidon, yes. Why look! (Pointing to the audience) I see them now. What’s the next step?
XANTHIAS We’d best be moving on. This is the spot where Heracles declared Those savage monsters dwell.
DIONYSUS O hang the fellow. That’s all his bluff: he thought to scare me off, The jealous dog, knowing my plucky ways.
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