At once my lines came back to me. I started my speech, taking care of the little things about which he was exacting. I could scarcely believe he was not in front. Soon I got into the part; and when I came on as Priam I felt no more fear than at rehearsal. But all through till the end I was aware of him, as if he had never been away.
6
I DONT REMEMBER THE VICTORY FEAST VERY clearly. Gyllis of Thebes, who was in Athens for the festival, said she never saw a man drink so much and keep so sober. I am no great drinking man, but I daresay I drank whatever was put into my hand. My happiness must have burned it out.
The party was given by the Syracusan consul, and was the most lavish seen for years. In his speech on behalf of the author, he invited us straight away to Syracuse to play before our poet. He had bespoken our passage on the first good ship.
Anaxis and Hermippos sang a skolion together, their arms round each others’ necks. Hermippos had forgotten he ever was in comedy, recalling only his tragic roles; each story ended with a laugh, though. We were all like brothers; I don’t recall any prize party with so little bitchery. Anaxis had given a much sounder Achilles than ever at rehearsal, simply, I think, because he played down to give me a better chance, only protagonists being in the running for the actors’ prize. I had worked like a dog to get the award for the play, but could scarcely believe I had been crowned as well. I kept putting up my hand to the ivy garland, as if to straighten it, but really to convince myself that it was true.
There was only one misadventure. Axiothea, though too discreet to enter a wineshop or pass the gymnasium door, took a fancy to attend the party. Speusippos, as he told me later, knowing more than she did, tried to dissuade her; but she said she would not think of staying; to congratulate me would only take a moment and a friend could do no less. He agreed to escort her, if she would not leave his side. I was amazed to see her enter; and, feeling in love with all the world, went straight over and took her in my arms. The poor girl, cold sober, looked quite startled; some fool, who supposed she was Speusippos’ boy friend, called out a joke which made people look; her blush made her still handsomer, and the joker declared he would cut us both out. Speusippos, who I was surprised to find had a blazing temper, would have set about him, and it would have ended God knows how; luckily I managed to keep the peace and pass it off. When I begged her pardon, she said I had only welcomed her like a friend. I think she was more put out than she pretended; but she was a generous girl, and would not spoil my victory.
Though the Lenaia prize was founded when money was worth more than now, it is still a pleasant sum, and with our expectations I saw no harm in spending it. I knew enough about Sicily to understand we must make some show off stage as well as on; so, since I hate tawdry stuff, I went to Kallinos. He made me a robe of fine-combed Milesian wool, cream-white, the borders embroidered in fine stitching with a deep band of crimson stars, edged above with pointed rays in blue picked out with gold. Unlike stage costumes, it looked good across the room but much better close up. I did not mean to come before Dionysios of Syracuse looking as if I owned nothing but what he chose to give me. There was Athens’ credit to think of, besides my own.
Anaxis and Hermippos felt this still more. Anaxis’ robe was embroidered nearly all over; he could have played King Midas in it. Hermippos even had his dipped in purple, having heard that in Syracuse it was common wear. I guessed this must have left him without a month’s rent in hand; my ingrained caution, settled since childhood from hearing of artists’ ups and downs, nearly made me say, “Take it back”; but I feared he might think that I was jealous.
We waited some days for a ship, the consul being anxious we should arrive in style, and not be risked in storms on a small craft in the bad season. We set out, however, in very good weather for the time of year, and had a smooth run across from Korkyra to Tarentum. At Sybaris we put in to unload a consignment of painted vases, which were packed and handled like eggs, being no doubt as costly as everything else in that city. Hermippos, who visited a brothel there, said it was like a noble’s house, with murals in every room, the most instructive he had ever seen, put there, he supposed, lest thinking of the price should make the patrons impotent. He was now flat broke, but made nothing of it since we were so near Sicily.
There was nothing on at the theater; but we saw a fit-up in the Agora, a mumming show in the Italian style. As we all know, bawdry in comedy pleases the god, and I don’t think I am prudish; but in Athens, we do keep inside the bounds of blasphemy. Dionysos, being master of the revel, is fair game; but with Zeus Almighty no one jests, and even in a satyr play Apollo is done straight. Here he was being chased with a club by Herakles, and scolding from the roof of his shrine like a treed cat; tempted with cake, he leaned down, got walloped, and fell into a water tub. Worse still, we had Zeus, with a big nose and phallos, scrambling up a ladder to debauch Alkmena; Hermes peeped in at the window after him and told the audience all about it. Even Hermippos, after laughing at the gags at first, finished quite shocked.
But this, disgusting as it was, did not so turn my stomach as a show put on by some Etruscans from up north. They are brown, sloe-eyed men, good dancers and flute-players, whose forebears came, it is said, from Lydia. I don’t know what story they were enacting; the Italians seemed to follow their jargon. All I can tell you is that their faces were quite bare; they were using them to act with.
It is hard to describe how this display affected me. Some barbarian peoples are ashamed to show their bodies, while civilized men take pride in making theirs fit to be seen. But to strip one’s own face to the crowd, as if it were all happening to oneself instead of to Oidipos or Priam—one would need a front of brass to bear it. One knows, as one plays, that behind the mask one’s face is speaking, as it must if one feels at all; but that’s one’s own secret, and the god’s. Anaxis, outraged as a gentleman not less than as an artist, said one would feel like a whore.
Two days later we rounded Cape Herakles, and saw the cloud-white breast of Etna float high above the sea. Standing astern, to get windward of the rowers’ stink which a springlike sun made ranker, we saw the loom of the land appear. The shipmaster, a friend by now, clapped our shoulders and said we should be made men once we got to Syracuse. Apart from Dionysios’ own gifts, which were sure to be magnificent, we could play all the Greek cities along the coast, which had splendid theaters, and pretty well name our terms. This trip should set us up for life.
When he had gone, Anaxis said, “This is his regular run; he must know what he is talking about. As I may have told you, before the war my family had a small estate near Marathon. A very good piece of land—the olives were sold by name in Athens. The man who owns it now lives in town, and farms it with a factor. One never knows; he might sell.”
“What I should like,” said Hermippos, “would be to form my own company and do first-class tours. Three actors, two extras, a good flute-player who can train a chorus. One year, say, Corinth, Epidauros, Delphi, and north to Pella; another, Delos and Ionia. One hears great things of Pergamon. Samos I know; Ephesos—ah, there’s a city! As for Sicily, while we’re here I shall look about. Think of those top-rank companies, like Diphilos’; what really marks them out from ours? Only trimmings—costumes, masks, a good traveling turn-out, fancy-marked mules and some gilding on the cart. Once set up, one can stay there. I’d buy a little house in Corinth, in Theater Street, to come back to between tours. I know just the girl to keep it warm. She’d jump at it; she’s kept now by a paunchy spavined old banker who …” And so on. After a while he said, “And you, Niko? Why so quiet?”