University of Virginia Library

[Act 1]

SILENUS.
O Bacchus! what innumerable toils
I suffer for thy sake—aye, and have suffer'd
E'en from my earliest days—I well remember
When first, by Juno madden'd, we forsook
The mountain-nymphs, thy nurses—then again,
Close by thy side, I fought the earth-born giants,
And thro' the shield of fierce Enceladon
Driving my spear, I slew him—softly—softly—
Did I not dream all this?—by Jove, not I—
'T is fact—all fact—I shew'd the spoils to Bacchus—
Now my fate's harder still—when Juno urg'd
These Tyrrhene scoundrels to attack my master,
And bear him off, I straitway sought a vessel,
Took all my children with me, put to sea,
And sail'd in quest of Bacchus—while I steer'd,
My boys here row'd—the green sea foam'd around us;
Passing by Malea, a wind sprang up,
That drove us to these rocks—the rocks of Ætna—
Here dwell the one-ey'd children of the god
Who rules the sea—a bloody, monstrous race—
Captur'd by Polypheme, for him we toil—
No more we shout our god, but guard the herds
Of this accursed Cyclops—on yon hill
My sons now watch his flock—while I am doom'd
To sweep his cave, to keep all clean within,
To wait upon him at his impious meals—
Come, I must now to work, and sweep, and scrape,
That all be neat—what's this?—my sons approach,
Driving their flocks—hark—hark,—does this resemble
The Bacchanalian shout, the choral song
Mingled with music in Althæa's hall?

SEMI-CHORUS.
Why, O flocks of noblest race,
Why, across the barren rocks,
So idly range?
There no cooling breezes play,
There no tempting herbage springs,
There no curling eddies gush—
Come to the dewy field,
Come to your master's fold—

SEMI-CHORUS.

CHORUS.
I shout the Bromian lay;
On Venus still I call,
Venus, whom oft I've sought
With Bacchus' sportive train—
O friendly god, O dearest youth,
Where is thy lonely seat?
Where dost thou, mourning, shake
Thy golden hair?
Far from thy cheering looks,
In coarsest garb I pine,
The monster's slave.—

SILENUS.
Be silent, children; haste and drive your flocks
Into the rocky caves.

CHORUS.
We will, my father,
But why so urgent?

SILENUS.
Close upon the shore
I see a Grecian galley, and its crew,
Led by their captain, seem to bend their course
This way—they're surely seeking food and water,
They bear some empty vessels—wretched strangers!
Who can they be?—alas! they cannot know
The nature of our master—little think they
That, landing on these hated shores, they come
The self-doom'd victims of the Cyclops' jaws—
Now be ye quiet, children, whilst I ask
What fate has thrown them on the shores of Sicily—

[Enter Ulysses and his Crew.]
ULYSSES.
O say, my friends, where can we find a spring
To slake our thirst? where can we purchase food
To store our vessel?—this is very strange—
Sure 't is a Bromian city—all around—
Within, without the caves, there's nought but satyrs;
I will address the oldest—Hail! old man.

SILENUS.
Hail! stranger—quickly tell me who thou art,
And whence thou comest—

ULYSSES.
Thou behold'st Ulysses.

SILENUS.
I've heard of him—he is the veriest prater—

ULYSSES.
I'm he, I say—spare your abuse, my friend,—

SILENUS.
And pray whence came you last?

ULYSSES.
I came from Troy.

SILENUS.
Had you not wit enough to find your home?

ULYSSES.
By adverse winds I'm driven to this coast.

SILENUS.
Alas! your fate and mine are much alike.

ULYSSES.
Were you then driven to this land by storms?

SILENUS.
Yes, running after thieves who stole my master.

ULYSSES.
What place is this, and who inhabit it?

SILENUS.
This isle is Sicily—this mountain, Ætna.

ULYSSES.
Where are your cities? where your lofty walls?

SILENUS.
We have no cities, and no walls but rocks.

ULYSSES.
Who then dwell here, a race of savage beasts?

SILENUS.
The Cyclops dwell here, caverns are their houses.

ULYSSES.
Have they a ruler?—what's their mode of life?

SILENUS.
They're wandering shepherds, no one heeds the other.

ULYSSES.
Do they not till the ground? What food have they?

SILENUS.
They've milk and cheese;—sometimes they feast on flesh.

ULYSSES.
Have they not here the liquor of the grape?

SILENUS.
No—not a drop—O 't is a cursed country.

ULYSSES.
And are the Cyclops very kind to guests?

SILENUS.
O very kind—they prize no flesh so highly.

ULYSSES.
What say you?—flesh of guests!—they cannot eat them?

SILENUS.
Yes but they do,—they butcher all they catch.

ULYSSES.
Where is the Cyclops? is he in his cave?

SILENUS.
No, he is hunting, with his dogs, on Ætna.

ULYSSES.
Be brisk then, my good friend—do not detain us.

SILENUS.
What should I do? I'm ready to befriend you.

ULYSSES.
Procure us food—

SILENUS.
There's nothing here but flesh—

ULYSSES.
Well, that will do—

SILENUS.
And cheese, and milk of cows—

ULYSSES.
Bring it all forth, let's look before we buy.

SILENUS.
And how much gold, then, will you give for it?

ULYSSES.
None—none at all—I'll give a draught of wine.

SILENUS.
Wine? sweetest sound!—how long since I have tasted—

ULYSSES.
Maron himself bestow'd the precious gift.

SILENUS.
Maron?—how oft I've nurs'd him in these arms.

ULYSSES.
The son of Bacchus, as you well remember.

SILENUS.
Is the wine with you, or on board your ship?

ULYSSES.
This is the skin that holds it—look, my friend—

SILENUS.
That?—why there's scarce enough to wet my gullet.

ULYSSES.
I have much more than this—

SILENUS.
O the dear fountain!
So sweet, so grateful—

ULYSSES.
Will you please to taste it?

SILENUS.
Aye, by all means,—I'll taste before I buy.

ULYSSES.
See! I have brought a cup, too, with the skin—

SILENUS.
Come, fill it, then—

ULYSSES.
Here—drink—

SILENUS.
Ah—ah—it smells well.

ULYSSES.
Then taste it, praise it not by words alone.

SILENUS.
I do—most excellent—it makes me merry;
I long to dance—ha—ha

ULYSSES.
It goes down sweetly—

SILENUS.
O I can feel it at my finger ends.

ULYSSES.
I'll give you money too—

SILENUS.
Plague on the money!
Give me but wine enough, I ask no more—

ULYSSES.
Now then, good satyr, bring the cheese, the lambs—

SILENUS.
I'll do it—what care I for master now?
For one full cup of that delicious liquor
I'd barter all the food of all the Cyclops,
And then leap headlong from the jutting rock
Into the sea—I mean, if I were drunk
I'd do all this—O, he who drinks unmov'd
Is surely mad. [OMITTED]
This cup's the cure of sorrow—how I'd drain it!—
Plague on the Cyclops!—Hark, my friend, a word with ye.

ULYSSES.
Speak to me freely, as becomes a friend.

SILENUS.
Did you take Troy?

ULYSSES.
We did.

SILENUS.
And Helen too?

ULYSSES.
And Helen—and destroyed the house of Priam.

SILENUS.
And, when you had her safe, did all your soldiers
Kiss her? she always lik'd to change her husbands;
Lur'd by a splendid dress and golden chains,
The traitress left that worthy man her lord;
O, would the race of women were extinct!
Except a few—just for my private use.
Here, great Ulysses, here is flesh, and milk,
And cheese in plenty—take it and be gone,
But leave that goodly skin instead of it.

ULYSSES.
See, see—the Cyclops—'t is all over with us—
What shall we do? where fly?

SILENUS.
Enter this cave,
And hide yourself.

ULYSSES.
What? rush into his nets?

SILENUS.
Never heed that, he cannot find you there.

ULYSSES.
No, it shall ne'er be said that I who stood
Oppos'd to thousands of the Phrygian spears,
Could fear to face one man—it shall not be;
If we must perish, let us perish bravely,
Or, if we live, our fame shall flourish with us—

SILENUS.
Pr'ythee don't loiter.