Aristophanes, Birds
Eugene O'Neill, Jr., Ed.

Pisthetaerus
To the flute-player.
Enough! but, by Heracles! what is this? [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.

Priest
[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 . . .

Pisthetaerus
Oh! Hawk, the sacred guardian of Sunium, oh, god of the storks!

Priest
. . . to the swan of Delos, to Leto the mother of the quails, and to Artemis, the goldfinch . . .

Pisthetaerus
It's no longer Artemis Colaenis, but Artemis the goldfinch.

Priest
. . . to Bacchus, the finch and Cybele, the ostrich and mother of the gods [876] and mankind. . .

Pisthetaerus
Oh! sovereign ostrich Cybele, mother of Cleocritus!

Priest
. . . to grant health and safety to the Nephelococcygians as well as [880] to the dwellers in Chios . . .

Pisthetaerus
The dwellers in Chios! Ah! I am delighted they should be thus mentioned on all occasions.

Priest
. . . 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 . . .

Pisthetaerus
Stop! stop! you drive me crazy with your endless list. Why, wretch, [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.