The Art of Comedy

An Anthology of Plays

Lysistrata translated by Sarah Ruden

“WOMEN’S CHORUS LEADER:
That’s why I’ll serve my city with a chat.
So I’m a woman—why should you resent
That I come forward with the best advice?
I’ve done my share and more; it’s men I’ve lent.
You wretched drool-bags, since the Persian Wars,
Just fritter our inheritance away,
No taxes to replace the cash you spend.
You’re going to ruin all of us someday.
You dare to gripe? Let out one vicious word,
I’ll send this slipper bashing through your beard.”

Contributions to Other Books

Click a book cover for information.

Abraham's Dice
Hippias Minor
Nation and World, Church and God: The Legacy of Garry Wills
The Norton Anthology of World Literature
The Best American Spiritual Writing 2004
Points of Contact: Disability, Art, and Culture