Birds

Perseus Greek · Perseus Greek · 902 sections

297a
Why, there is the francolin.
298
There is the poachard.
298a
Here is the kingfisher.
299
To Epops. What's that bird behind the kingfisher?
299b
That's the barber.
300
What? a bird a barber?
300b
Why, Sporgilus is one.
301
Here comes the owl.
301b
And who is it brings an owl to Athens?
302
Here is the magpie, the turtle-dove, the swallow, the horned-owl, the buzzard, the pigeon, the falcon, the ring-dove, the cuckoo, the red-foot, the red-cap, the purple-cap, the kestrel, the diver, the ousel, the osprey, the woodpecker . . .
305
Oh! what a lot of birds! Oh! what a lot of blackbirds! How they scold, how they come rushing up! What a noise! what a noise! Can they be bearing us ill-will? Oh! there! there! they are opening their beaks and staring at us.
308b
Why, so they are.
310
Popopopopopo. Where is he who called me? Where am I to find him?
312
I have been waiting for you a long while! I never fail in my word to my friends.
313
Tititititititi. What good news
315
have you for me?
316
Something that concerns our common safety, and that is just as pleasant as it is to the point. Two men, who are subtle reasoners, have come here to seek me.
318
Where? How? What are you saying?
320
I say, two old men have come from the abode of humans to propose a vast and splendid scheme to us.
322
Oh! it's a horrible, unheard-of crime! What are you saying?
323b
Never let my words scare you.
323c
What have you done to me?
324
I have welcomed two men, who wish to live with us.
325
And you have dared to do that!
325b
Yes, and I am delighted at having done so.
326
And are they already with us?
326b
Just as much as I am.
1.327
Ah! ah! we are betrayed; 'tis sacrilege! Our friend,
1.330
he who picked up corn-seeds in the same plains as ourselves, has violated our ancient laws; he has broken the oaths that bind all birds; he has laid a snare for me, he has handed us over to the attacks of that impious race which, throughout all time,
1.335
has never ceased to war against us.
336
As for this traitorous bird, we will decide his case later, but the two old men shall be punished forthwith; we are going to tear them to pieces.
338b
It's all over with us.
339
You are the sole cause of all our trouble.
340
Why did you bring me from down yonder?
340b
To have you with me.
341
Say rather to have me melt into tears.
341b
Go on! you are talking nonsense. How will you weep with your eyes pecked out?
343
Io! io! forward to the attack, throw yourselves upon the foe,
345
spill his blood; take to your wings and surround them on all sides. Woe to them! let us get to work with our beaks, let us devour them.
350
Nothing can save them from our wrath, neither the mountain forests, nor the clouds that float in the sky, nor the foaming deep.
352
Come, peck, tear to ribbons. Where is the chief of the cohort? Let him engage the right wing.
354
This is the fatal moment. Where shall I fly to, unfortunate wretch that I am?
354b
Wait! Stay here!
355
That they may tear me to pieces?
355b
And how do you think to escape them?
356b
I don't know at all.
356c
Come, I will tell you. We must stop and fight them. Let us arm ourselves with these stew-pots.
358
Why with the stew-pots?
358b
The owl will not attack us then.
359
But do you see all those hooked claws?
359b
Take the spit
360
and pierce the foe on your side.
360b
And how about my eyes?
361
Protect them with this dish or this vinegar-pot.
362
Oh! what cleverness! what inventive genius! You are a great general, even greater than Nicias, where stratagem is concerned.
364
Forward, forward, charge with your beaks! Come, no delay.
365
Tear, pluck, strike, flay them, and first of all smash the stew-pot.
366
Oh, most cruel of all animals, why tear these two men to pieces, why kill them? What have they done to you? They belong to the same tribe, to the same family as my wife.
369
Are wolves to be spared? Are they not our most mortal foes?
370
So let us punish them.
371
If they are your foes by nature, they are your friends in heart, and they come here to give you useful advice.
373
Advice or a useful word from their lips, from them, the enemies of my forebears?
375
The wise can often profit by the lessons of a foe, for caution is the mother of safety. It is just such a thing as one will not learn from a friend and which an enemy compels you to know. To begin with, it's the foe and not the friend that taught cities to build high walls, to equip long vessels of war;
380
and it's this knowledge that protects our children, our slaves and our wealth.
381
Well then, I agree, let us first hear them, for that is best; one can even learn something in an enemy's school.
383
Their wrath seems to cool. Draw back a little.
384
It's only justice, and you will thank me later.
385
Never have we opposed your advice up to now.
386
They are in a more peaceful mood; put down your stew-pot and your two dishes; spit in hand, doing duty for a spear, let us mount guard inside the camp
390
close to the pot and watch in our arsenal closely; for we must not fly.
393
You are right. But where shall we be buried, if we die?
395
In the Ceramicus; for, to get a public funeral, we shall tell the Strategi that we fell at Orneae, fighting the country's foes.
400
Return to your ranks and lay down your courage beside your wrath as the hoplites do. Then let us ask these men who they are, whence they come,
405
and with what intent. Here, Epops, answer me.
407
Are you calling me? What do you want of me?
408
Who are they? From what country?
409
Strangers, who have come from Greece, the land of the wise.
410
And what fate has led them hither to the land of the birds?
412b
Their love for you and their wish to share your kind of life; to dwell and
415
remain with you always.
416
Indeed, and what are their plans?
417
They are wonderful, incredible, unheard of.
418
Why, do they think to see some advantage that determines them to settle here? Are they hoping with our help
420
to triumph over their foes or to be useful to their friends?
422
They speak of benefits so great it is impossible either to describe or conceive them; all shall be yours,
425
all that we see here, there, above and below us; this they vouch for.
427
Are they mad?
428
They are the sanest people in the world.
429
Clever men?
430
The slyest of foxes, cleverness its very self, men of the world, cunning, the cream of knowing folk.
432
Tell them to speak and speak quickly; why, as I listen to you, I am beside myself with delight.
435
Here, you there, take all these weapons and hang them up inside close to the fire, near the figure of the god who presides there and under his protection; To Pisthetaerus. as for you, address the birds, tell them why I have gathered them together.
439b
Not I, by Apollo,
440
unless they agree with me as the little ape of an armorer agreed with his wife, not to bite me, nor pull me by the balls, nor shove things into my . . .
442b
Do you mean this?
443b
No, I mean my eyes.
444
Agreed.
444b
Swear it.
445
I swear it and, if I keep my promise, let judges and spectators give me the victory unanimously.
446b
It is a bargain.

Perseus Greek. CTS URN tlg0019.tlg006.perseus-eng2. Via the Perseus Digital Library / Open Greek and Latin TEI corpora. Licence: Available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source.