PAN. [Addresses audience] Imagine, please, that the scene is set in Attica, in fact at Phyle, and that the shrine I’m coming from is the one belonging to that village (Phylaeans are able to farm this stony ground). It’s a holy place, and a very famous one. This farm here on my right is where Knemon lives: he’s a real hermit of a man, who snarls at everyone and hates company – ‘company’ isn’t the word: he’s getting on now, and he’s never addressed a civil word to anyone in his life! He’s never volunteered a polite greeting to anyone except myself (I’m the god Pan): and that’s only because he lives beside me, and can’t help passing my door. And I’m quite sure that, as soon as he does, he promptly regrets it.

Still, in spite of being such a hermit, he did get married, to a widow whose former husband had just died, leaving her with a small son. Well, he quarrelled with his wife, every day and most of the night too – a miserable life. A baby daughter was born, and that just made things worse. Finally, when things got so bad that there was no hope of change, and life was hard and bitter, his wife left him and went back to her son, the one from her former marriage. He owns this small-holding here, next door, and there he’s now struggling to support his mother, himself and one loyal family servant. The boy’s growing up now, and shows sense beyond his years: experience matures a man.

The old man lives alone with his daughter, and an old servant woman. He’s always working, fetching his own wood and doing his own digging – and hating absolutely everyone, from his neighbours here and his wife, right down to the suburbs of Athens. The girl has turned out as you’d expect from her upbringing, innocent and good. She’s careful in her service to the Nymphs who share my shrine, and so we think it proper to take some care of her, too. There’s a young man. His father’s well-off, farms a valuable property here. The son’s fashionable and lives in town, but he came out hunting with a sporting friend, and happened to come here. I’ve cast a spell on him, and he’s fallen madly in love.

There, that’s the outline. Details you’ll see in due course, if you like – and please do like. Ah! I think I see our lover coming with his friend; they’re busily discussing this very topic.

[Exit PAN into shrine. Enter CHAIREAS and SOSTRATOS right.]

CHAIREAS. What? You saw a girl here, a girl from a respectable home, putting garlands on the Nymphs next door, and you fell in love at first sight, Sostratos?

SOSTRATOS. At first sight.