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 me 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.

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.

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.