aeschylus - Conscious Evolution TV

Butt on butt was dashed and shivered,
by revenge and anger stirred;
There was none to stay the tumult;
Peace in silence disa ppeared.
Tr. By Apollo I had never
heard these simple facts narrated,
No, nor knew she was so closely
to our Pheidias related.
Ch. No, nor I, till just this moment:
that is why she looks so fair.
Goodness me! how many things
escape our notice I declare.
He. Then when once the subject cities,
over whom ye bare the sway,
Saw you at each other snarling,
growling angrier day by day,
To escape the contributions,
every willing nerve they strained,
And the chief Laconian leaders
by enormous bribes they gained.
These a t once for filth y lucre,
guest-deluders as they are,
Hustling out this gracious lady,
greedily embraced the War.
But from this their own advantage
ruin to their farmers came;
For from hence the eager galleys
sailing forth with vengeful aim,
Swallowed up the figs of people
who were not, perchance, to blame.
Tr. Very justly, very justly!
richly had they earned the blow,
Lopping down the dusky fig-tree
I had loved and nurtured so.
Ch. Very justly, very justlyl
since my great capacious bin,
Ugh! the rascals came across it,
took a stone, and stove it in.
He. Then your labouring population,
flocking in from vale and plain,
Never dreamed that, like the others,
they themselves were sold for gain,
But as having lost their gra pe-stones,
and desiring figs to get,
Everyone his rapt attention
, on the public speakers set;
These beheld you poor and famished,
lacking all your home supplies,
Straight they pitchforked out the Goddess,
scouting her with yells and cries,
Whensoe'er (for much she loved you)
back she turned with wistful eyes.
Then with suits they vexed and harassed
your substantial rich allies,
Whispering in your ear, " The fellow
leans to Brasidas," and you
Like a pack of hounds in chorus
on the quivering victim flew.
Yea, the City, sick and pallid,
shivering with disease and fright,
Any calumny they cast her,
ate with ravenous appetite.
THE PEACE
533
Till at last your friends perceiving
whence their heavy wounds arose,
Stopped with gold the mouths of speakers
who were such disastrous foes.
Thus the scoundrels throve and prospered:
whilst distracted Hellas came
Unobserved to wrack and ruin:
but the fellow most to blame
Was a tanner. l
Tr. Softly, softly, Hermes master, say not so;
Let the man remain in silence,
wheresoe'er he is, below;
For the man is ours no longer:
he is all your own, you know;
Therefore whatsoe'er you call him,
Knave and slave while yet amongst us,
Wrangler, jangler, false accuser,
Troubler, muddler, all-confuser,
You will all these names be calling
One who now is yours alone.
(to PEACE)
But tell me, lady, why you stand so mute.
He. Oh, she won't speak one word before this
audience:
No, no; they've wronged her far too much for that.
Tr. Then won't she whisper, all alone, to you?
He. Will you, my dearest, speak your thoughts
tome?
Come, of all ladies most shield-handle-hating.
(affects to listen.)
Yes, good; that's their offence: I understand.
Listen, spectators, why she blames you so.
She says that after that affair in Pylus
She came, unbidden, with a chest of treaties,
And thrice you blackballed her in full assembly.
Tr. We erred in that; but, lady, pardon us,
For then our wits were swaddled up in skins.
He. Well then, attend to what she asks me now.
Who in your city loves her least? and who
Loves her the best and shrinks from fighting most?
Tr. Cleonymus, I think, by far the most.
He. What sort of man is this Cleonymus
In mili tary rna tters?
Tr. Excellent:
Only he's not his so-called father's son;
For if he goes to battle, in a trice
He proves himself a castaway-of shields.
He. Still further listen what she asks me now.
Who is it now that sways the Assembly-stone?
Tr. Hyperbolus at present holds the place.
But how now, Mistress? Why avert your eyes?
He. She turns away in anger from the people,
For taking to itself so vile a leader.
Tr. He's a mere makeshift: we'll not use him
now.
'Twas that the people, bare and stripped ofleaders,
Just caught him up to gird itself withal.
He. She asks how this can benefit the state.
Tr. 'Twill make our counsels brighter.
He.· Will it? how?
lCleon.