§15.1ἔνδοι Πραξινόα;
Is Praxinoa at home?
§15.1bΓοργοῖ φίλα, ὡς χρόνῳ.
My dear Gorgo, how long it's been!
ἔνδοι.
She is at home.
§15.2θαῦμʼ ὅτι καὶ νῦν ἦνθες.
It's a wonder that you've come even now.
ὅρη δίφρον Εὐνόα αὐτῇ.
Eunoe, see to a chair for her.
§15.3ἔμβαλε καὶ ποτίκρανον.
And put a cushion on it.
§15.3bἔχει κάλλιστα.
It's fine as it is.
§15.3cκαθίζευ.
Sit down.
§15.4ὢ τᾶς ἀλεμάτω ψυχᾶς·
Oh, what a silly soul I am!
μόλις ὔμμιν ἐσώθην §15.5Πραξινόα πολλῶ μὲν ὄχλω, πολλῶν δὲ τεθρίππων.
I've scarcely escaped with my life to get to you, Praxinoa, through so much crowd, so many four-horse chariots.
§15.6παντᾷ κρηπῖδες, παντᾷ χλαμυδηφόροι ἄνδρες· §15.7ἁ δʼ ὁδὸς ἄτρυτος· τὺ δʼ ἑκαστάτω ὅσσον ἀποικεῖς.
Everywhere are soldiers' boots, everywhere men in cloaks; and the road is endless; and you live so extremely far away.
§15.8ταῦθʼ ὁ πάραρος τῆνος ἐπʼ ἔσχατα γᾶς ἔλαβʼ ἐνθὼν §15.9ἰλεόν, οὐκ οἴκησιν, ὅπως μὴ γείτονες ὦμες §15.10ἀλλάλαις, ποτʼ ἔριν, φθονερὸν κακόν, αἰὲν ὁμοῖος.
That crazy man of mine went and took, at the very ends of the earth, a den, not a dwelling, just so that we wouldn't be neighbors to one another, out of spite, that jealous nuisance—he's always the same.
Don't speak of your husband Dicon like that, my dear, when the little one is present.
ὅρη γύναι, ὡς ποθορῇ τυ.
Look, woman, how he is staring at you.
§15.13θάρσει Ζωπυρίων, γλυκερὸν τέκος·
Cheer up, Zopyrion, sweet child.
οὐ λέγει ἀπφῦν.
She isn't talking about daddy.
§15.14αἰσθάνεται τὸ βρέφος, ναὶ τὰν πότνιαν.
The baby understands, by the Lady!
§15.14bκαλὸς ἀπφῦς.
Nice daddy!
§15.15ἀπφῦς μὰν τῆνος τὰ πρόαν (λέγομες δὲ πρόαν θην §15.16πάντα) νίτρον καὶ φῦκος ἀπὸ σκανᾶς ἀγοράσδων §15.17ἦνθε φέρων ἅλας ἄμμιν, ἀνὴρ τρισκαιδεκάπηχυς.
That daddy of his, the other day (we call everything "the other day" indeed) going to buy soda and red dye from the stall, came back bringing us salt—the thirteen-cubit giant of a man!
§15.18χὡμὸς ταὐτᾷ ἔχει, φθόρος ἀργυρίω, Διοκλείδας· §15.19ἑπταδράχμως κυνάδας, γραιᾶν ἀποτίλματα πηρᾶν, §15.20πέντε πόκως ἔλαβʼ ἐχθές, ἅπαν ῥύπον, ἔργον ἐπʼ ἔργῳ.
And mine is just the same, a spendthrift, Diocleides; Yesterday he bought five fleeces for seven drachmas—mere dog's hair, scrapings of old leather pouches, nothing but filth, trouble upon trouble.
§15.21ἀλλʼ ἴθι τὠμπέχονον καὶ τὰν περονατρίδα λάζευ.
But come, take your cloak and your pinned dress.
Let's go to the palace of the wealthy King Ptolemy to see the Adonis; I hear the queen is preparing something beautiful.
§15.25ὧν ἴδες, ὧν εἶπες καὶ ἰδοῖσα τὺ τῷ μὴ ἰδόντι.
You can tell of what you've seen, when you have seen it, to one who hasn't.
§15.26ἕρπειν ὥρα κʼ εἴη.
It would be time to go.
§15.26bἀεργοῖς αἰὲν ἑορτά.
To the idle, it's always holiday.
Eunoe, pick up the spinning thread and put it in the middle again, you spoiled thing.
αἱ γαλέαι μαλακῶς χρῄζοντι καθεύδειν· §15.29κινεῦ δή, φέρε θᾶσσον ὕδωρ.
The cats want to sleep softly; stir yourself, bring some water quickly!
ὕδατος πρότερον δεῖ.
I need water first.
§15.30ἁ δὲ σμᾶμα φέρει.
And she brings soap.
δὸς ὅμως.
Give it anyway.
μὴ δὴ πολὺ ἄπληστε.
Not so much, you greedy thing!
§15.31ἔγχει ὕδωρ.
Pour the water.
δύστανε, τί μευ τὸ χιτώνιον ἄρδεις;
Wretch! Why are you wetting my tunic?
§15.32παῦε.
Stop.
ὁκοῖα θεοῖς ἐδόκει, τοιαῦτα νένιμμαι.
I've washed myself as well as pleased the gods.
§15.33ἁ κλᾲξ τᾶς μεγάλας πᾷ λάρνακος;
Where is the key to the big chest?
ὧδε φέρʼ αὐτάν.
Bring it here.
§15.34Πραξινόα, μάλα τοι τὸ καταπτυχὲς ἐμπερόναμα §15.35τοῦτο πρέπει· λέγε μοι, πόσσω κατέβα τοι ἀφʼ ἱστῶ;
Praxinoa, that pleated dress with the clasp really suits you; tell me, how much did it cost you straight from the loom?
§15.36μὴ μνάσῃς Γοργοῖ·
Don't remind me, Gorgo!
πλέον ἀργυρίω καθαρῶ μνᾶν §15.37ἢ δύο· τοῖς δʼ ἔργοις καὶ τὰν ψυχὰν ποτέθηκα.
More than a mina or two or two; and I put my very soul into the work.
§15.38ἀλλὰ κατὰ γνώμαν ἀπέβα τοι.
But it has turned out to your mind.
§15.38bτοῦτο κάλʼ εἶπες.
You said that well.
Bring me my cloak, and put my straw hat on me properly.
οὐκ ἀξῶ τυ τέκνον.
I won't take you, child.
μορμώ, δάκνει ἵππος.
Bogeyman! The horse bites.
§15.41δάκρυʼ, ὅσσα θέλεις, χωλὸν δʼ οὐ δεῖ τυ γενέσθαι.
Weep all you like, but you must not get lame.
§15.42ἕρπωμες.
Let's go.
Φρυγία, τὸν μικκὸν παῖσδε λαβοῖσα, §15.43τὰν κύνʼ ἔσω κάλεσον, τὰν αὐλείαν ἀπόκλᾳξον. —
Phrygia, take the little one and play with him; call the dog inside, lock the front door.
§15.44ὦ θεοί, ὅσσος ὄχλος.
Oh gods, what a crowd!
πῶς καὶ πόκα τοῦτο περᾶσαι §15.45χρὴ τὸ κακόν;
How and when are we to pass through this terrible mess?
μύρμακες ἀνάριθμοι καὶ ἄμετροι.
They are like ants, countless and measureless.
Indeed, Ptolemy, many good deeds have been done by you since your father was numbered among the immortals.
οὐδεὶς κακοεργὸς §15.48δαλεῖται τὸν ἰόντα παρέρπων Αἰγυπτιστί, §15.49οἷα πρὶν ἐξ ἀπάτας κεκροτημένοι ἄνδρες ἔπαισδον, §15.50ἀλλάλοις ὁμαλοί, κακὰ παίγνια, πάντες ἐρειοί.
No evildoer harms the passerby, creeping up in the Egyptian fashion, the sort of games that men made of deceit used to play before, all alike in rascally tricks, bad sports, all scoundrels.
§15.51ἁδίστα Γοργοῖ, τί γενοίμεθα;
Dearest Gorgo, what will become of us?
τοὶ πολεμισταὶ §15.52ἵπποι τῶ βασιλῆος.
The war-horses of the king!
ἄνερ φίλε, μή με πατήσῃς.
My dear man, don't trample me!
§15.53ὀρθὸς ἀνέστα ὁ πυρρός· ἴδʼ ὡς ἄγριος.
The chestnut horse has reared up on its hind legs; look how wild it is!
κυνοθαρσὴς §15.54Εὐνόα, οὐ φευξῇ;
You bold thing, Eunoe, won't you run?
διαχρησεῖται τὸν ἄγοντα.
It will kill the man leading it.
§15.55ὠνάθην μεγάλως, ὅτι μοι τὸ βρέφος μένει ἔνδον.
It is a great blessing for me that my baby is staying at home.
Take heart, Praxinoa; we are now behind them, and they have gone to their place.
§15.57bκαὐτὰ συναγείρομαι ἤδη.
And I am recovering myself now.
A horse and the cold snake are what I fear most since childhood.
σπεύδωμες· ὄχλος πολὺς ἄμμιν ἐπιρρεῖ.
Let's hurry; a great crowd is pouring in upon us.
§15.60ἐξ αὐλᾶς ὦ μᾶτερ;
Are you from the palace, mother?
§15.60bἐγὼν ὦ τέκνα.
I am, my children.
By trying, the Achaeans went to Troy, fairest of children; by trial indeed everything is accomplished.
§15.63χρησμὼς ἁ πρεσβῦτις ἀπῴχετο θεσπίξασα.
The old woman has gone, after delivering her oracles!
§15.64πάντα γυναῖκες ἴσαντι, καὶ ὡς Ζεὺς ἠγάγεθʼ Ἡρην.
Women know everything, even how Zeus married Hera.
§15.65θᾶσαι Πραξινόα, περὶ τὰς θύρας ὅσσος ὅμιλος.
Look, Praxinoa, what a crowd there is around the doors!
§15.66θεσπέσιος.
Marvellous!
Γοργοῖ, δὸς τὰν χέρα μοι· λάβε καὶ τὺ §15.67Εὐνόα Εὐτυχίδος· πότεχʼ αὐτᾷ, μή τι πλαναθῇς.
Gorgo, give me your hand; and you, Eunoe, take hold of Eutychis; hold on to her, lest you get lost.
§15.68πᾶσαι ἅμʼ εἰσένθωμες· ἀπρὶξ ἔχευ Εὐνόα ἁμῶν.
Let us all enter together; hold tight to us, Eunoe.
§15.69οἴμοι δειλαία, δίχα μευ τὸ θερίστριον ἤδη
Oh, poor me!
§15.70ἔσχισται Γοργοῖ.
My summer shawl is already torn in two, Gorgo.
πὸτ τῶ Διός, εἴτι γένοιο §15.71εὐδαίμων ὤνθρωπε, φυλάσσεο τὠμπέχονόν μευ.
By Zeus, if you would have any prosperity, my good man, watch out for my cloak.