Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Heinemann Volume 4).djvu/228

  And therefore the whole of Egypt
Exalted him as a god,
And set up his image in temples,
In the outward shape of a bull.—
  But I am this very King Apis,
I see that as clear as day;
And if you don't understand it,
You shall understand it soon.
  King Apis, you see, was out hunting,
And got off his horse awhile,
And withdrew himself unattended
To a part of my ancestor's land.
  But the field that King Apis manured
Has nourished <g>me</g> with its corn;
And if further proofs are demanded,
Know, I have invisible horns.
  Now, isn't it most accursëd
That no one will own my might!
By birth I am Apis of Egypt,
But a fellah in other men's sight.
  Can you tell me what course to follow?—
Then counsel me honestly.—
The problem is how to make me
Resemble King Apis the Great.

Peer.

  Build pyramids then, your highness,
And carve out a greater Sphinx,
And fight, as the Doctor puts it,
With the Turks, both to rechts and links.

The Fellah.

  Ay, that is all mighty fine talking!
A fellah! A hungry louse!
I, who scarcely can keep my hovel
Clear even of rats and mice.