Juppiter Tragoedus

Zeus Very well, then. Summon them at once and let all appear. For you are right.

Hermes Halloo, gods! Come to the assembly! Do not loiter Gather, all of you! Come! We are going to discuss great things!

Zeus Hermes, is that bare, unadorned, prosaic style of announcement the proper thing, particularly when the greatest matters are in question?

Hermes Why, what do you think more proper, Zeus?

Zeus What do I think more proper? I say you ought to make your summons impressive by means of some sort of rhythm, and a sonorous, poetic form, to bring them the more readily.

Hermes Yes; but such things belong to versewriters and declaimers, Zeus, and I am the worst poet imaginable. I should certainly ruin my summons by having too many feet in it or too few, and they would laugh at the illiteracy of my composition. I see that even Apollo's verses in his oracles are sometimes jeered at, though his prophecies are generally very obscure, so that those who receive them have not much leisure to criticize the versification.

Zeus Well, then, string a lot of Homer's verses

together in your summons, and convene us as he used. Of course you remember them.

Hermes I can't say that I have them very pat. However, I will try :

Gods and goddesses all, let none fail to answer my summons.

Let not a single nymph or river-god, save only Ocean,

Tarry; but haste ye all to the council that Jove hath appointed.

All are bidden who feast at the hecatomb's glorious banquet,

All, e'en of low degree, or lowest; yea, even the nameless,

Seeing they too have a seat by the altars smoking with victims.