Aristophanes
From: The Birds
Parabasis (lines 685-704)
You incompetent creatures of dust, and feeble as frail,
Tossed without wings to death like a dream in a gale,
Listen to how our timeless order lives.
Listen to us who have infinite space in our thoughts.
Only from us will you hear truth properly taught.
We'll tell you the facts in the story of evolution,
Till even Prodicus asks for absolution.
In the beginning, darkness covers the deep.
No earth, no air, no heaven. But over hell's sludge and slag
Night folds her ebony wings, sits down, and lays an egg.
Out of the egg, at the moment when winter goes to sleep,
Sprang Love with wings on his back like a golden storm.
He leapt into bed with Chaos, and out of that marriage
Our race was hatched. Into the light we hurried
Up where there had been nothing, till Love fell into her arms.
Nothing was married to Nothing, then heaven and sea,
Earth, and the blessed gods and heroes, were born.
So we are the oldest spirits, we are the dawn,
We are the flying founders of Love's fraternity.
Translated by Leo Aylen
Page(s) 242-243
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