The Frogs Part 13

Sendeth the Sphinx, the unchancy, the chieftainess blood-hound.

O phlattothrattophlattothrat!

Launcheth fierce with brand and hand the avengers the terrible eagle.

O phlattothrattophlattothrat!

So for the swift-winged hounds of the air he provided a booty.

O phlattothrattophlattothrat!

The throng down-bearing on Aias.

O phlattothrattophlattothrat!

DIO. Whence comes that phlattothrat? From Marathon, or Where picked you up these cable-twister's strains?

AESCH. From n.o.blest source for n.o.blest ends I brought them, Unwilling in the Muses' holy field The self-same flowers as Phrynichus to cull.

But he from all things rotten draws his lays, From Carian flutings, catches of Meletus, Dance-music, dirges. You shall hear directly.

Bring me the lyre. Yet wherefore need a lyre For songs like these? Where's she that bangs and jangles Her castanets? Euripides's Muse, Present yourself: fit G.o.ddess for fit verse.

DIO. The Muse herself can't be a wanton? No!

AESCH. Halcyons, who by the ever-rippling Waves of the sea are babbling, Dewing your plumes with the drops that fall From wings in the salt spray dabbling.

Spiders, ever with twir-r-r-r-r-rling fingers Weaving the warp and the woof, Little, brittle, network, fretwork, Under the coigns of the roof.

The minstrel shuttle's care.

Where in the front of the dark-prowed s.h.i.+ps Yarely the flute-loving dolphin skips.

Races here and oracles there.

And the joy of the young vines smiling, And the tendril of grapes, care-beguiling.

O embrace me, my child, O embrace me. (To Dio.) You see this foot?

DIO. I do.

AESCH. And this?

DIO. And that one too.

AESCH. (To Eur.) You, such stuff who compile, Dare my songs to upbraid; You, whose songs in the style Of Gyrene's embraces are made.

So much for them: but still I'd like to show The way in which your monodies are framed.

O darkly-light mysterious Night, What may this Vision mean, Sent from the world unseen With baleful omens rife; A thing of lifeless life, A child of sable night, A ghastly curdling sight, In black funereal veils, With murder, murder in its eyes, And great enormous nails?

Light ye the lanterns, my maidens, and dipping your jugs in the stream, Draw me the dew of the water, and heat it to boiling and steam, So will I wash me away the ill effects of my dream.

"G.o.d of the sea!

My dream's come true.

Ho, lodgers, ho, This portent view.

Glyce has vanished, carrying off my c.o.c.k, My c.o.c.k that crew!

O Mania, help! O reads of the rock Pursue! pursue!

For I poor girl, was working within, Holding my distaff heavy and full, Twir-r-r-r-r-rling my hand as the threads I spin, Weaving an excellent bobbin of wool: Thinking 'To-morrow I'll go to the fair, In the dusk of the morn, and be selling it there.'

But he to the blue upflew, upflew, On the lightliest tips of his wings outspread; To me he bequeathed but woe, but woe, And tears, sad tears, from my eyes o'erflow, Which I, the bereaved, must shed, must shed.

O children of Ida, sons of Crete, Grasping your bows to the rescue come; Twinkle about on your restless feet, Stand in a circle around her home.

O Artemis, thou maid divine, Dictynna, huntress, fair to see, O bring that keen-nosed pack of thine, And hunt through all the house with me.

O Hecate, with flameful brands, O Zeus's daughter, arm thine hands, Those swiftliest hands, both right and left; Thy rays on Glyce's cottage throw That I serenely there may go And search by moonlight for the theft."

DIO. Enough of both your odes.

AESCH. Enough for me. Now would I bring the fellow to the scales. That, that alone, shall test our poetry now, And prove whose words are weightiest, his or mine.

DIO. Then both come hither, since I needs must weigh The art poetic like a pound of cheese.

CHOR.

O the labour these wits go through!

O the wild, extravagant, new, Wonderful things they are going to do!

Who but they would ever have thought of it?

Why, if a man had happened to meet me Out in the street, and intelligence brought of it, I should have thought he was trying to cheat me; Thought that his story was false and deceiving.

That were a tale I could never believe in.

DIO. Each of you stand beside his scale.

AESCH. and EUR. We're here.

DIO. And grasp it firmly whilst ye speak your lines, And don't let go until I cry "Cuckoo."

AESCH. EUR. Ready!

DIO. Now speak your lines into the scale.

EUR. O that the Argo had not winged her way- AESCH. River Spercheius, cattle-grazing haunts- DIO. Cuckoo! let go. O look, by far the lowest His scale sinks down.

EUR. Why, how came that about?

DIO. He threw a river in, like some wool-seller Wetting his wool, to make it weight the more.

But you threw in a light and winged word.

EUR. Come, let him match another verse with mine.

DIO. Each to his scale.

AESCH. EUR. We're ready.

DIO. Speak your lines.

EUR. Persuasion's only shrine is eloquent speech.

AESCH. Death loves not gifts, alone amongst the G.o.ds

DIO. Let go, let go. Down goes his scale again. He threw in Death, the heaviest ill of all.

EUR. And I Persuasion, the most lovely word.

DIO. A vain and empty sound, devoid of sense.

Think of some heavier-weighted line of yours, To drag your scale down: something strong and big.

EUR. Where have I got one? Where? Let's see.

DIO. I'll tell you. "Achilles threw two singles and a four."

Come, speak your lines: this is your last set-to.

EUR. In his right hand he grasped an iron-clamped mace.

AESCH. Chariot on chariot, corpse on corpse was hurled.

DIO. There now! again he has done you.

EUR. Done me? How?