Aristophanes - Lysistrata, final Episode lyrics

FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR [Still inside, knocking at the door and yelling to the doorkeeper] Open the door, you! [He bursts through the door, sending the doorkeeper tumbling down the steps. He wears a garland and carries a torch, as from a drinking-party.] You should have got out of the way. [Other Athenians emerge, similarly equipped. To the slaves] You there, why are you sitting around? Want me to singe you with this torch? What a stale routine! I refuse to do it. [Encouragement from the spectators.] Well, if it's absolutely necessary we'll go the extra mile, to do you all a favor. [He begins to chase the slave with his torch.] SECOND ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR [joining the FIRST] And we'll help you go that extra mile! [To the slaves] Get lost! You'll cry for your hair if you don't! FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR Yes, get lost, so the Spartans can come out after their banquet without being bothered. [The slaves are chased off.] SECOND ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR I've never been at a better party! The Spartans were really great guys, and we made wonderful company ourselves over the drinks. FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR Stands to reason: when we're sober we're not ourselves. If the Athenians will take my advice, from now on we'll do all our amba**adorial business drunk. As it is, whenever we go to Sparta sober, we start right in looking for ways to stir up trouble. When they say something we don't hear it, and when they don't say something we're convinced that they did say it, and we each return with completely different reports. But this time everything turned out fine. When somebody sang the Telamon Song when he should have been singing the Kleitagora Song, everybody would applaud and even swear up and down what a fine choice it was. [Some of the slaves approach the door again.] Hey, those slaves are back! Get lost, you whip-fodder! [They chase the slaves away.] SECOND ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR Yes, by Zeus, here they come out of the door. [The SPARTAN AMBASSADORS file out; their leader carries bagpipes.] SPARTAN AMBASSADOR [To the stage-piper or to a piper who accompanies the Spartans] Take pipes, my good man, and I dance two-step and sing nice song for Athenians and ourselves. FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR God yes, take the pipes: I love to watch you people dance! SPARTAN AMBASSADOR Memory, speed to this lad your own Muse, who knows about us and the Athenians, about that day at Artemision when they spread sail like gods against the armada and whipped the Medes, while Leonidas led us, like wild boars we were, yes, gnashing our tusks, our jaws running streams of foam, and our legs too. The enemy, the Persians, outnumbered the sand on the shore. Goddess of the Wilds, Virgin Beast-k**er, come this way, this way to the treaty, and keep us together for a long long while. Now let friendship in abundance attend our agreement always, and may we ever abandon foxy strategems. Come this way, this way, Virgin Huntress! [A mute LYSISTRATA comes ou of the Akropolis, followed by the Athenian and Spartan wives.] FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR Well! Now that everything else has been wrapped up so nicely, it's time for you Spartans to reclaim these wives of yours; and you Athenians, these here. Let's have husband stand by wife and wife by husband; then to celebrate our great good fortune let's have a dance for the gods. And let's be sure never again to make the same mistakes! [The couples descend into the orchestra to dance to the AMBASSADOR's song; around them dance the members of the chorus, who are also paired in couples.] Bring on the dance, include the Graces, and invite Artemis, and her twin brother, the benign Healer, and the Nysian whose eyes flash bacchic among his maenads, and Zeus alight with flame and the thriving Lady his consort; and invite the divine powers we would have as witnesses to remember always this humane peace, which the goddess Kypris has fashioned. CHORUS Alalai, yay Paian! Shake a leg, iai! Dance to victory, iai! Evoi evoi, evai evai! FIRST ATHENIAN AMBASSADOR Now, my dear Spartan, you give us some music: a new song to match the last one! SPARTAN AMBASSADOR Come back again from fair Taygetos, Spartan Muse, and distinguish this occasion with a hymn to the God of Amyklai and Athena of the Brazen House and Tyndareos' fine sons, who gallop beside the Eurotas. Ho there, hop! Hey there, jump! Let's sing a hymn to Sparta, home of dance divine and stomping feet, where by the Eurotas' banks young girls frisk like fillies, raising dust-clouds underfoot and tossing their tresses like maenads waving their wands and playing, led by Leda's daughter, their chorus-leader pure and pretty. [To the CHORUS] Come on now, hold your hair in you hand, get your feet hopping like a deer and start making somenoise to spur the dance! And sing for the goddess who's won a total victory, Athena of the Brazen House!