登陆注册
5419900000106

第106章

He swears that Love's flame is the vilest of arsons, And looks upon marriage as quite a mistake;Now what in the world's to become of the parsons, And what of the artist who sugars the cake?

In short, you will see from the facts that I'm showing, The state of the case is exceedingly sad;If Thespis's people go on as they're going, Olympus will certainly go to the bad.

From Jupiter downward there isn't a dab in it, All of 'em quibble and shuffle and shirk, A premier in Downing Street forming a cabinet, Couldn't find people less fit for their work.

[enter Thespis L.U.E.]

THES.Sillimon, you can retire.

SILL.Sir, I--

THES.Don't pretend you can't when I say you can.I've seen you do it--go.[exit Sillimon bowing extravagantly.Thespis imitates him]Well, Mercury, I've been in power one year today.

MER.One year today.How do you like ruling the world?

THES.Like it.Why it's as straightforward as possible.Why there hasn't been a hitch of any kind since we came up here.Lor'

the airs you gods and goddesses give yourselves are perfectly sickening.Why it's mere child's play.

MER.Very simple isn't it?

THES.Simple? Why I could do it on my head.

MER.Ah--I darsay you will do it on your head very soon.

THES.What do you mean by that, Mercury?

MER.I mean that when you've turned the world quite topsy-turvy you won't know whether you're standing on your head or your heels.

THES.Well, but Mercury, it's all right at present.

MER.Oh yes--as far as we know.

THES.Well, but, you know, we know as much as anybody knows; you know I believe the world's still going on.

MER.Yes--as far as we can judge--much as usual.

THES.Well, the, give the Father of the Drama his due Mercury.

Don't be envious of the Father of the Drama.

MER.But you see you leave so much to accident.

THES.Well, Mercury, if I do, it's my principle.I am an easy man, and I like to make things as pleasant as possible.What did I do the day we took office? Why I called the company together and I said to them: "Here we are, you know, gods and goddesses, no mistake about it, the real thing.Well, we have certain duties to discharge, let's discharge them intelligently.Don't let us be hampered by routine and red tape and precedent, let's set the original gods an example, and put a liberal interpretation on our duties.If it occurs to any one to try an experiment in his own department, let him try it, if he fails there's no harm done, if he succeeds it is a distinct gain to society.Don't hurry your work, do it slowly and well." And here we are after a twelvemonth and not a single complaint or a single petition has reached me.

MER.No, not yet.

THES.What do you mean by "no,not yet?"

MER.Well, you see, you don't understand things.All the petitions that are addressed by men to Jupiter pass through my hands, and its my duty to collect them and present them once a year.

THES.Oh, only once a year?

MER.Only once a year--

THES.And the year is up?

MER.Today.

THES.Oh, then I suppose there are some complaints?

MER.Yes, there are some.

THES.[Disturbed] Oh, perhaps there are a good many?

MER.There are a good many.

THES.Oh, perhaps there are a thundering lot?

MER.There are a thundering lot.

THES.[very much disturbed] Oh.

MER.You see you've been taking it so very easy--and so have most of your company.

THES.Oh, who has been taking it easy?

MER.Well, all except those who have been trying experiments.

THES.Well but I suppose the experiment are ingenious?

MER.Yes; they are ingenious, but on the whole ill-judged.But it's time go and summon your court.

THES.What for.

MER.To hear the complaints.In five minutes they will be here.

[Exit]

THES.[very uneasy] I don't know how it is, but there is something in that young man's manner that suggests that the father of the gods has been taking it too easy.Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't given my company so much scope.Iwonder what they've been doing.I think I will curtail their discretion, though none of them appear to have much of the article.It seems a pity to deprive 'em of what little they have.

[Enter Daphne, weeping]

THES.Now then, Daphne, what's the matter with you?

DAPH.Well, you know how disgracefully Sparkeion--THES.[correcting her] Apollo--DAPH.Apollo, then--has treated me.He promised to marry me years ago and now he's married to Nicemis.

THES.Now look here.I can't go into that.You're in Olympus now and must behave accordingly.Drop your Daphne--assume your Calliope.

DAPH.Quite so.That's it.[mysteriously]

THES.Oh--that is it? [puzzled]

DAPH.That is it.Thespis.I am Calliope, the muse of fame.

Very good.This morning I was in the Olympian library and I took down the only book there.Here it is.

THES.[taking it] Lempriere's Classical Dictionary.The Olympian Peerage.

DAPH.Open it at Apollo.

THES.[opens it] It is done.

DAPH.Read.

THES."Apollo was several times married, among others to Issa, Bolina, Coronis, Chymene, Cyrene, Chione, Acacallis, and Calliope."DAPH.And Calliope.

THES.[musing] Ha.I didn't know he was married to them.

DAPH.[severely] Sir.This is the family edition.

THES.Quite so.

DAPH.You couldn't expect a lady to read any other?

THES.On no consideration.But in the original version--DAPH.I go by the family edition.

THES.Then by the family edition, Apollo is your husband.

[Enter Nicemis and Sparkeion]

NICE.Apollo your husband? He is my husband.

DAPH.I beg your pardon.He is my husband.

NICE.Apollo is Sparkeion, and he's married to me.

DAPH.Sparkeion is Apollo, and he's married to me.

NICE.He is my husband.

DAPH.He's your brother.

THES.Look here, Apollo, whose husband are you? Don't let's have any row about it; whose husband are you?

SPAR.Upon my honor I don't know.I'm in a very delicate position, but I'll fall in with any arrangement Thespis may propose.

DAPH.I've just found out that he's my husband and yet he goes out every evening with that "thing."THES.Perhaps he's trying an experiment.

DAPH.I don't like my husband to make such experiments.The question is, who are we all and what is our relation to each other.

同类推荐
  • 婴童类萃

    婴童类萃

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 灵宝净明院教师周真公起请画

    灵宝净明院教师周真公起请画

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说圣宝藏神仪轨经

    佛说圣宝藏神仪轨经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT

    MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孟秋纪

    孟秋纪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 长生仙箓

    长生仙箓

    就是一篇普普通通,升级打怪的修仙文。1.女主的人设蠢、蠢、蠢2.成长文,慢热。第三卷后才会有挂接受不了人设和这篇风格的建议不要入坑
  • 我,桐人,打残

    我,桐人,打残

    【不一样的剧情,各种回马枪的套路,能笑到吔屎的对话,请别带脑子阅读,不然你脑震荡的时候别找我,我不负责】我是桐谷和人,我原来是个大佬,现在还是个大佬,就是因为我是大佬,所以基本上什么麻烦都可以解决。但是……在崩三里,终焉追着我喊‘负心汉’,而我却一脸懵逼。在约战里,就是因为老是出来搅局,所以老是被澪妈的分身追着打。在万古最强宗里,不小心把星空要塞弄炸,成了宇宙第一。还有很多就不说了,心累,卧槽,澪妈又来打我了,再见,不,我们正文里见!
  • WASHINGTON SQUARE

    WASHINGTON SQUARE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医生还是侦探

    医生还是侦探

    作为一名医生,却总是离不开命案的发生,被当作侦探使用的医生,到底是医生还是侦探……
  • 奇幻宇宙大探秘

    奇幻宇宙大探秘

    一本新潮、超炫、酷辣的探索书!一次炫丽夺目、时尚无敌的谜之旅!一堂奇妙鲜活、充满趣味的科学课!一份世界优秀科学家给孩子的最新报告!这里飞翔着让孩子耳目一新的奥秘、知识、惊奇和想象,以超级趣味的形式和无法抵挡的吸引力,瞬间点燃孩子内心好奇心的火山,让求知欲、创新力、探索力、思考力喷薄而出!本书是宇宙卷,讲述包括读者感兴趣的诸如星座、ufo、外星人等百科知识。
  • 土拨鼠拨土

    土拨鼠拨土

    “白思渊,我告诉你,我呀,很难喜欢上别人,所以一遇到喜欢的人,就像一个久贫乍富的暴发户一样喜形于色,明知道财不可外露,情不该尽吐,可我也总是兜不住,说到底,还不是因为太喜欢你。”
  • 这个人有毒

    这个人有毒

    没人敢在我面前耍酷,没人敢在我面前炫富!要问为什么,当然是因为我把他们都……
  • 穿越到汉朝做王爷

    穿越到汉朝做王爷

    简介:现代女子兰夕若,一个青春美好的精英白骨精,因为一次灵异世间,不小心穿越到了古代的汉朝,还变身为一个容貌倾国倾城的王爷。只是这个王爷也太衰了点,不但母后惨死宫中,就连做太子的哥哥也被人陷害而死。当今的皇上更是时时刻刻想着要他的命,就连太后也不放过他,想要毒死他。那些王族贵族更是不把他放在眼里,时时欺凌侮辱,就连守门的小小侍卫都敢公然嘲笑他。更让他疲于应付的是,那绝色的侍女眉烟,对他倾心相爱,时时含情带娇。妩媚迷人的卫子夫皇后也是暗暗的秋波乱送,就连贵戚的郡主们,也对他多有纠缠。一边是英俊的梁王,冷酷无情的武帝,绝色潇洒的大将军卫青、霍去病,才华横溢的司马相如,还有江湖第一公子的冷倾月。另一面却是对他痴心不悔的红颜们,夹在这些人之间,女主该何去何从。有金戈铁马的喧嚣,也有历史长河的儿女情长,更有缠绵悱恻的爱情,让我们跟着女主去体验乱世的情感。
  • 都市极品美女总裁

    都市极品美女总裁

    【2017都市精品】本是小山村的穷小子,只因一次意外,林峰开始了一段追求美女总裁的传奇故事………PS:本书无系统,无重生,好看才是真,欢迎品读,企鹅群532014834!
  • 漂亮水仙

    漂亮水仙

    几天后,我得到这样一个消息:警方在我国西北的一个偏僻小县发现了黄达,由于他持械拒捕,被我公安干警当场击毙。周身的汗毛全都竖了起来,我像突然被人迎头重击了一样颓然瘫软下来。黄达,黄达,你怎么会……世事难料,谁知道会发生这样的事情呢?我使出浑身解数千方百计寻找水仙的消息,我甚至找种种借口去了击毙黄达的那个小县,向当地的公安同行询问有关黄达和水仙的消息,可是,没有。他们说,只知道黄达,没有听说水仙这个人的存在。