"Who is the old woman who reviles you, stranger lady?
MNESILOCHUS
"'Tis Theonoe, the daughter of Proteus."
SECOND WOMAN
I! Why, my name's Critylle, the daughter of Antitheus, of the deme of Gargettus; as for you, you are a rogue.
MNESILOCHUS
"Your entreaties are vain. Never shall I wed your brother; never shall I betray the faith I owe my husband, Menelaus, who is fighting before Troy."EURIPIDES
"What are you saying? Turn your face towards me."MNESILOCHUS
"I dare not; my cheeks show the marks of the insults I have been forced to suffer."EURIPIDES
"Oh! great gods! I cannot speak, for very emotion.... Ah! what do I see? Who are you?"MNESILOCHUS
"And you, what is your name? for my surprise is as great as yours."EURIPIDES
"Are you Grecian or born in this country?"MNESILOCHUS
"I am Grecian. But now your name, what is it?"EURIPIDES
"Oh how you resemble Helen!
MNESILOCHUS
"And you Menelaus, if I can judge by these pot-herbs."EURIPIDES
"You are not mistaken, 'tis none other than that unfortunate mortal who stands before you."MNESILOCHUS
"Ah! how you have delayed coming to your wife's arms! Press me to your heart, throw your arms about me, for I wish to cover you with kisses. Carry me away, carry me away, quick, quick, far, very far from here."SECOND WOMAN
By the goddesses, woe to him who would carry you away! I should thrash him with my torch.
EURIPIDES
"Do you propose to prevent me from taking my wife, the daughter of Tyndareus, to Sparta?"SECOND WOMAN
You seem to me to be a cunning rascal too; you are in collusion with this man, and it wasn't for nothing that you kept babbling about Egypt. But the hour for punishment has come; here is the Magistrate with his Scythian.
EURIPIDES
This is getting awkward. Let me hide myself.
MNESILOCHUS
And what is to become of me, poor unfortunate man that I am?
EURIPIDES
Don't worry. I shall never abandon you, as long as I draw breath and one of my numberless artifices remains untried.
MNESILOCHUS
The fish has not bitten this time.
(A MAGISTRATE enters, accompanied by a Scythian policeman.)MAGISTRATE
Is this the rascal Clisthenes told us about? Why are you trying to make yourself so small? Officer, arrest him, fasten him to the post, then take up your position there and keep guard over him. Let none approach him. A sound lash with your whip for him who attempts to break the order.
SECOND WOMAN
Excellent, for just now a rogue almost took him from me.
MNESILOCHUS
Magistrate, in the name of that hand which you know so well how to bend when money is placed in it, grant me a slight favour before Idie.
MAGISTRATE
What favour?
MNESILOCHUS
Order the archer to strip me before lashing me to the post; the crows, when they make their meal on the poor old man, would laugh too much at this robe and head-dress, MAGISTRATEIt is in that gear that you must be exposed by order of the Senate, so that your crime may be patent to the passers-by.
(He departs.)
MNESILOCHUS (as the SCYTHIAN seizes him)
Oh! cursed robe, the cause of all my misfortune! My last hope is thus destroyed!
LEADER OF THE CHORUS
Let us now devote ourselves to the sports which the women are accustomed to celebrate here, when time has again brought round the mighty Mysteries of the great goddesses, the sacred days which Pauson himself honours by fasting and would wish feast to succeed feast, that he might keep them all holy. Spring forward with a light step, whirling in mazy circles; let your hands interlace, let the eager and rapid dancers sway to the music and glance on every side as they move.
CHORUS (singing)
Let the chorus sing likewise and praise the Olympian gods in their pious transport. It's wrong to suppose that, because I am a woman and in this temple, I am going to speak ill of men; but since we want something fresh, we are going through the rhythmic steps of the round dance for the first time.
Start off while you sing to the god of the lyre and to the chaste goddess armed with the bow. Hail I thou god who flingest thy darts so far, grant us the victory! The homage of our song is also due to Here, the goddess of marriage, who interests herself in every chorus and guards the approach to the nuptial couch. I also pray Hermes, the god of the shepherds, and Pan and the beloved Graces to bestow a benevolent smile upon our songs.
Let us lead off anew, let us double our zeal during our solemn days, and especially let us observe a close fast; let us form fresh measures that keep good time, and may our songs resound to the very heavens. Do thou, oh divine Bacchus, who art crowned with ivy, direct our chorus; 'tis to thee that both my hymns and my dances are dedicated; oh, Evius, oh, Bromius, oh, thou son of Semeld, oh, Bacchus, who delightest to mingle with the dear choruses of the nymphs upon the mountains, and who repeatest, while dancing with them, the sacred hymn, Euios, Euios, Euoi! Echo, the nymph of Cithaeron, returns thy words, which resound beneath the dark vaults of the thick foliage and in the midst of the rocks of the forest; the ivy enlaces thy brow with its tendrils charged with flowers.
SCYTHIAN (he speaks with a heavy foreign accent)You shall stay here in the open air to wail.
MNESILOCHUS
Archer, I adjure you.
SCYTHIAN
You're wasting your breath.
MNESILOCHUS
Loosen the wedge a little.
SCYTHIAN
Aye, certainly.
MNESILOCHUS
Oh by the gods! why, you are driving it in tighter.
SCYTHIAN
Is that enough?
MNESILOCHUS
Oh! Oh! Ow! Ow! May the plague take you!
SCYTHIAN
Silence! you cursed old wretch! I am going to get a mat to lie upon, so as to watch you close at hand at my ease.
MNESILOCHUS
Ah! what exquisite pleasures Euripides is securing for me! But, oh, ye gods! oh, Zeus the Deliverer, all is not yet lost! I don't believe him the man to break his word; I just caught sight of him appearing in the form of Perseus, and he told me with a mysterious sign to turn myself into Andromeda. And in truth am I not really bound? It's certain, then, that be is coming to my rescue; for otherwise he would not have steered his flight this way.
(As Andromeda, singing)
