Birds

Perseus Greek · Perseus Greek · 902 sections

661
Oh! I conjure you, accede to their wish; for this delightful bird will leave her rushes at the sound of your voice;
663
for the sake of the gods, let her come here, so that we may contemplate the nightingale.
665
Let it be as you desire. Come forth, Procne, show yourself to these strangers.
667
Oh! great Zeus! what a beautiful little bird! what a dainty form! what brilliant plumage!
668b
Do you know how dearly I should like to get between her thighs?
670
She is dazzling all over with gold, like a young girl.
671
Oh! how I should like to kiss her!
672
Why, wretched man, she has two little sharp points on her beak!
673
I would treat her like an egg, the shell of which we remove before eating it; I would take off her mask and then kiss her pretty face.
675
Let us go in.
675b
Lead the way, and may success attend us. Epops goes into the thicket, followed by Pisthetaerus and Euelpides.
676
Lovable golden bird, whom I cherish above all others, you, whom I associate with all my songs, nightingale,
680
you have come, you have come, to show yourself to me and to charm me with your notes. Come, you, who play spring melodies upon the harmonious flute, lead off our anapests.
685
Weak mortals, chained to the earth, creatures of clay as frail as the foliage of the woods, you unfortunate race, whose life is but darkness, as unreal as a shadow, the illusion of a dream, hearken to us, who are immortal beings, ethereal, ever young and occupied with eternal thoughts, for we shall teach you about all celestial matters;
690
you shall know thoroughly what is the nature of the birds, what the origin of the gods, of the rivers, of Erebus, and Chaos; thanks to us, even Prodicus will envy you your knowledge.
693
At the beginning there was only Chaos, Night, dark Erebus, and deep Tartarus. Earth, the air and heaven had no existence.
695
Firstly, blackwinged Night laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebus, and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated in deep Tartarus with dark Chaos, winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race, which was the first to see the light.
700
That of the Immortals did not exist until Eros had brought together all the ingredients of the world, and from their marriage Heaven, Ocean, Earth and the imperishable race of blessed gods sprang into being. Thus our origin is very much older than that of the dwellers in Olympus. We are the offspring of Eros; there are a thousand proofs to show it. We have wings and we lend assistance to lovers.
705
How many handsome youths, who had sworn to remain insensible, have opened their thighs because of our power and have yielded themselves to their lovers when almost at the end of their youth, being led away by the gift of a quail, a waterfowl, a goose, or a cock.
708
And what important services do not the birds render to mortals! First of all, they mark the seasons for them, springtime, winter, and autumn.
710
Does the screaming crane migrate to Libya, —it warns the husbandman to sow, the pilot to take his ease beside his tiller hung up in his dwelling, and Orestes to weave a tunic, so that the rigorous cold may not drive him any more to strip other folk. When the kite reappears, he tells of the return of spring and of the period when the fleece of the sheep must be clipped. Is the swallow in sight?
715
All hasten to sell their warm tunic and to buy some light clothing. We are your Ammon, Delphi, Dodona, your Phoebus Apollo. Before undertaking anything, whether a business transaction, a marriage, or the purchase of food, you consult the birds by reading the omens, and you give this name of omen to all signs that tell of the future.
720
With you a word is an omen, you call a sneeze an omen, a meeting an omen, an unknown sound an omen, a slave or an ass an omen. Is it not clear that we are a prophetic Apollo to you?
723
If you recognize us as gods, we shall be your divining Muses, through us you will know the winds and the seasons, summer,
725
winter, and the temperate months. We shall not withdraw ourselves to the highest clouds like Zeus, but shall be among you and shall give to you
730
and to your children and the children of your children, health and wealth, long life, peace, youth, laughter, songs and feasts; in short, you will all be so well off,
735
that you will be weary and cloyed with enjoyment.
1.737
Oh, rustic Muse of such varied note, tiotiotiotiotiotinx, I sing with you
1.740
in the groves and on the mountain tops, tiotiotiotinx. I poured forth sacred strains from my golden throat
1.745
in honor of the god Pan, tiotiotiotinx, from the top of the thickly leaved ash, and my voice mingles with the mighty choirs who extol Cybele on the mountain tops, totototototototototinx. 'Tis to our concerts that Phrynichus comes to pillage like a bee the ambrosia of his songs,
1.750
the sweetness of which so charms the ear, tiotiotiotinx.
752
If there is one of you spectators who wishes to spend the rest of his life quietly among the birds, let him come to us.
755
All that is disgraceful and forbidden by law on earth is on the contrary honorable among us, the birds. For instance, among you it's a crime to beat your father, but with us it's an estimable deed; it's considered fine to run straight at your father and hit him, saying, Come, lift your spur if you want to fight.
760
The runaway slave, whom you brand, is only a spotted francolin with us. Are you Phrygian like Spintharus? Among us you would be the Phrygian bird, the goldfinch, of the race of Philemon. Are you a slave and a Carian like Execestides?
765
Among us you can create yourself forefathers; you can always find relations. Does the son of Pisias want to betray the gates of the city to the foe? Let him become a partridge, the fitting offspring of his father; among us there is no shame in escaping as cleverly as a partridge.
769
So the swans on the banks of the Hebrus,
770
tiotiotiotiotiotinx, mingle their voices to serenade Apollo, tiotiotiotinx, flapping their wings the while,
775
tiotiotiotinx; their notes reach beyond the clouds of heaven; they startle the various tribes of the beasts; a windless sky calms the waves, totototototototototinx;
780
all Olympus resounds, and astonishment seizes its rulers; the Olympian graces and Muses cry aloud the strain, tiotiotiotinx.
785
There is nothing more useful nor more pleasant than to have wings. To begin with, just let us suppose a spectator to be dying with hunger and to be weary of the choruses of the tragic poets; if he were winged, he would fly off, go home to dine and come back with his stomach filled.
790
Some Patroclides, needing to take a crap, would not have to spill it out on his cloak, but could fly off, satisfy his requirements, let a few farts and, having recovered his breath, return. If one of you, it matters not who, had adulterous relations and saw the husband of his mistress in the seats of the senators,
795
he might stretch his wings, fly to her, and, having laid her, resume his place. Is it not the most priceless gift of all, to be winged? Look at Diitrephes! His wings were only wicker-work ones, and yet he got himself chosen Phylarch and then Hipparch; from being nobody,
800
he has risen to be famous; he's now the finest gilded cock of his tribe.
1.851
I do as you do, and I wish as you wish, and I implore you to address powerful and solemn prayers to the gods, and in addition
1.855
to immolate a sheep as a token of our gratitude. Let us sing the Pythian chant in honor of the god, and let Chaeris accompany our voices.
1.859
Enough! but, by Heracles! what is this?
1.860
Great gods! I have seen many prodigious things, but I never saw a muzzled raven. The Priest arrives. Priest! it's high time! Sacrifice to the new gods.
1.864
I begin, but where is the man with the basket? Pray to the Hestia of the birds, to the kite, who presides over the hearth, and to all the god and goddess-birds who dwell in Olympus . . .
1.866
Oh! Hawk, the sacred guardian of Sunium, oh, god of the storks!
1.867
. . . to the swan of Delos, to Leto the mother of the quails, and to Artemis, the goldfinch . . .
1.868
It's no longer Artemis Colaenis, but Artemis the goldfinch.
1.876
. . . to Bacchus, the finch and Cybele, the ostrich and mother of the gods and mankind. . .
1.877
Oh! sovereign ostrich Cybele, mother of Cleocritus!
1.878
. . . to grant health and safety to the Nephelococcygians as well as to the dwellers in Chios . . .
1.880
The dwellers in Chios! Ah! I am delighted they should be thus mentioned on all occasions.
1.881
. . . to the heroes, the birds, to the sons of heroes, to the porphyrion, the pelican, the spoon-bill, the redbreast, the grouse, the peacock, the horned-owl, the teal, the bittern, the heron, the stormy petrel, the fig-pecker, the titmouse . . .
1.889
Stop! stop! you drive me crazy with your endless list. Why, wretch,
1.890
to what sacred feast are you inviting the vultures and the sea-eagles? Don't you see that a single kite could easily carry off the lot at once? Begone, you and your fillets and all; I shall know how to complete the sacrifice by myself.
1.895
It is imperative that I sing another sacred chant for the rite of the lustral water, and that I invoke
1.900
the immortals, or at least one of them, provided always that you have some suitable food to offer him; from what I see here, in the shape of gifts, there is naught whatever but horn and hair.
1.903
Let us address our sacrifices and our prayers to the winged gods.
904
Oh, Muse! celebrate happy Nephelococcygia in your hymns.
906
What have we here? Where did you come from, tell me? Who are you?
907
I am he whose language is sweeter than honey, the zealous slave of the Muses,
910
as Homer has it.
911
You a slave! and yet you wear your hair long?
912
No, but the fact is all we poets are the assiduous slaves of the Muses, according to Homer.
915
In truth your little cloak is quite holy too through zeal! But, poet, what ill wind drove you here?
917
I have composed verses in honor of your Nephelococcygia, a host of splendid dithyrambs and parthenia worthy of Simonides himself.
920
And when did you compose them? How long since?
921
Oh! 'tis long, aye, very long, that I have sung in honor of this city.
922
But I am only celebrating its foundation with this sacrifice; I have only just named it, as is done with little babies.
924
Just as the chargers fly with the speed of the wind, so does the voice of the Muses take its flight. Oh! thou noble founder of the town of Aetna thou, whose name recalls the holy sacrifices,
930
make us such gift as thy generous heart shall suggest. He puts out his hand.
931
He will drive us silly if we do not get rid of him by some present. To the Priest's acolyte. Here! you, who have a fur as well as your tunic, take it off and give it to this clever poet. Come,
935
take this fur; you look to me to be shivering with cold.
936
My Muse will gladly accept this gift; but engrave these verses of Pindar's on your mind.
940
Oh! what a pest! It's impossible then to get rid of him!
941
Straton wanders among the Scythian nomads, but has no linen garment. He is sad at only wearing an animal's pelt and no tunic.
945
Do you get what I mean?
946
I understand that you want me to offer you a tunic. Hi! you To the acolyte. take off yours; we must help the poet. . . . Come, you, take it and get out.
948b
I am going, and these are the verses that I address to this city:
950
Phoebus of the golden throne, celebrate this shivery, freezing city; I have travelled through fruitful and snow-covered plains. Tralala! Tralala! He departs.
952
What are you chanting us
955
about frosts? Thanks to the tunic, you no longer fear them. Ah! by Zeus! I could not have believed this cursed fellow could so soon have learnt the way to our city. To a slave. Come, take the lustral water and circle the altar. Let all keep silence!
959b
Let not the goat be sacrificed.
960
Who are you?
960b
Who am I? An oracle-monger.
960c
Get out!
961
Wretched man, insult not sacred things. For there is an oracle of Bacis, which exactly applies to Nephelococcygia.
963b
Why did you not reveal it to me before
965
I founded my city?
965b
The divine spirit was against it.
966
Well, I suppose there's nothing to do but hear the terms of the oracle.
967
But when the wolves and the white crows shall dwell together between Corinth and Sicyon ...
969
But how do the Corinthians concern me?
970
It is the regions of the air that Bacis indicates in this manner. They must first sacrifice a white-fleeced goat to Pandora, and give the prophet who first reveals my words a good cloak and new sandals.
974
Does it say sandals there?
974b
Look at the book.
975
And besides this a goblet of wine and a good share of the entrails of the victim.

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.