The Birds, page 29 by Aristophanes
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to transmit to us the high rank they held from their forefathers. But 'tis a benevolent Genius, a happy Fate, that sends you to us; you shall be our deliverer and I place the destiny of my little ones and my own in your hands with every confidence. But hasten to tell me what must be done; we should not be worthy to live, if we did not seek to regain our royalty by every possible means.
PISTHETAERUS First I advise that the birds gather together in one city and that they build a wall of great bricks, like that at Babylon, round the plains of the air and the whole region of space that divides earth from heaven.
EPOPS Oh, Cebriones! oh, Porphyrion![1] what a terribly strong place!
f[1] As if he were saying, "Oh, gods!" Like Lampon, he swears by the birds, instead of swearing by the gods. --The names of these birds are those of two of the Titans.
PISTHETAERUS Th[en], this being well done and completed, you demand back the empire from Zeus; if he will not agree, if he refuses and does not at once confess himself beaten, you declare a sacred war against him and forbid the gods henceforward to pass through your country with lust, as hitherto, for the purpose of fondling their Alcmenas, their Alopes, or their Semeles![1] if they try to pass through, you infibulate them with rings so that they can work no longer. You send another messenger to mankind, who will proclaim to them that the birds are kings, that for the future they must first of all sacrifice to them, and only afterwards to the gods; that it is fitting to appoint to each deity the bird that has most in common with it. For instance, are they sacrificing to Aphrodite, let them at the same time offer barley to the coot; are they immolating a sheep to Posidon, let them consecrate wheat in honour of the duck;[2] is a steer being offered to Heracles, let honey-cakes be dedicated to the gull;[3] is a goat being slain for King Zeus, there is a King-Bird, the wren,[4] to whom the sacrifice of a male gnat is due before Zeus himself ev