§15.72οὐκ ἐπʼ ἐμὶν μέν, ὅμως δὲ φυλαξεῦμαι· §15.72bὄχλος ἄθρως. §15.73ὠθεῦνθʼ ὥσπερ ὕες. §15.73bθάρσει γύναι· ἐν καλῷ εἰμές.
"Not on my account, but still I'll be careful." "A dense crowd." "They are pushing like pigs." "Cheer up, woman; we are in a safe place." "Both next year and forever, dearest of men, may you be in a good place, for protecting us.
§15.74κεἰς ὥρας κἤπειτα φίλʼ ἀνδρῶν ἐν καλῷ εἴης §15.75ἄμμε περιστέλλων. χρηστῶ κᾠκτίρμονος ἀνδρός. §15.76φλίβεται Εὐνόα ἇμιν· ἄγʼ ὦ δειλὰ τὺ βιάζευ. §15.77κάλλιστʼ·
What a good and merciful man!" "Eunoe is being squeezed; come, you coward, force your way through!" "'Excellent!
ἔνδοι πᾶσαι, ὁ τὰν νυὸν εἶπʼ ἀποκλᾴξας. §15.78Πραξινόα, πόταγʼ ὧδε.
All inside,' as the man said when he locked out his bride." "Praxinoa, come over here.
τὰ ποικίλα πρᾶτον ἄθρησον, §15.79λεπτὰ καὶ ὡς χαρίεντα· θεῶν περονάματα φασεῖς. §15.80πότνιʼ Ἀθαναία, ποῖαί σφʼ ἐπόνασαν ἔριθοι,
First look at these embroidered tapestries, how delicate and graceful; you will say they are garments of the gods." "Lady Athena, what weavers worked on them, what painters drew these precise outlines.
§15.81ποῖοι ζῳογράφοι τἀκριβέα γράμματʼ ἔγραψαν. §15.82ὡς ἔτυμʼ ἑστάκαντι, καὶ ὡς ἔτυμʼ ἐνδινεῦντι, §15.83ἔμψυχʼ, οὐκ ἐνυφαντά.
How realistically they stand, and how realistically they turn, alive, not woven!
σοφόν τοι χρῆμʼ ὥνθρωπος. §15.84αὐτὸς δʼ ὡς θαητὸς ἐπʼ ἀργυρέας κατάκειται §15.85κλισμῶ, πρᾶτον ἴουλον ἀπὸ κροτάφων καταβάλλων, §15.86ὁ τριφίλητος Ἄδωνις, ὃ κἠν Ἀχέροντι φιλεῖται. §15.87παύσασθʼ ὦ δύστανοι, ἀνάνυτα κωτίλλοισαι §15.88τρυγόνες.
Man is indeed a clever thing." "And he himself, how wonderful, lies on a silver couch, with the first down just showing on his temples, the thrice-beloved Adonis, who is loved even in Acheron." "Stop, you wretched women, chattering endlessly like turtle-doves.
ἐκκναισεῦντι πλατειάσδοισαι ἅπαντα. §15.89μᾶ, πόθεν ὥνθρωπος;
They wear us out with all their broad vowels." "My word, where does this man come from?
τί δὲ τίν, εἰ κωτίλαι εἰμές;
What is it to you if we are chatterboxes?
§15.90πασάμενος ἐπίτασσε.
Give orders when you have bought us.
Συρακοσίαις ἐπιτάσσεις;
Are you giving orders to Syracusans?
And know this too: we are Corinthians by descent, just like Bellerophon.
Πελοποννασιστὶ λαλεῦμες·
We speak Peloponnesian.
§15.93δωρίσδεν δʼ ἔξεστι δοκῶ τοῖς Δωριέεσσι.
And Dorians, I suppose, are allowed to speak Doric.
May there never arise a master over us, except that one.
οὐκ ἀλέγω. μή μοι κενεὰν ἀπομάξῃς.
Except him, I don't care.
§15.96σιγᾷ Πραξινόα·
Don't waste your breath on me." "Hush, Praxinoa.
μέλλει τὸν Ἄδωνιν ἀείδειν §15.97ἁ τᾶς Ἀργείας θυγάτηρ πολύιδρις ἀοιδός, §15.98ἅτις καὶ πέρυσιν τὸν ἰάλεμον ἀρίστευσε.
She is about to sing the Adonis song, the daughter of the Argive woman, the accomplished singer, who won the prize last year too with her dirge.
§15.99φθεγξεῖταί τι σάφʼ οἶδα καλόν· διαθρύπτεται ἤδη. §15.100δέσποινʼ, ἃ Γολγώς τε καὶἸδάλιον ἐφίλασας §15.101αἰπεινάν τʼ Ἐρύκαν, χρυσῷ παίζοισʼ Ἀφροδίτα· §15.102οἷόν τοι τὸν Ἄδωνιν ἀπʼ ἀενάω Ἀχέροντος §15.103μηνὶ δυωδεκάτῳ μαλακαὶ πόδας ἄγαγον Ὧραι.
She will sing something beautiful, I am sure; she is already putting on airs." "Mistress, who loved Golgoi and Idalion and steep Eryx, Aphrodite who plays with gold, what a youth was this Adonis whom from ever-flowing Acheron in the twelfth month the soft-footed Hours brought back.
§15.104βάρδισται μακάρων Ὧραι φίλαι, ἀλλὰ ποθειναὶ §15.105ἔρχονται πάντεσσι βροτοῖς αἰεί τι φορεῦσαι.
Slowest of the blessed gods are the dear Hours, yet longed-for they come, always bringing something to all mortals.
§15.106Κύπρι Διωναία, τὺ μὲν ἀθανάταν ἀπὸ θνατᾶς, §15.107ἀνθρώπων ὡς μῦθος, ἐποίησας Βερενίκαν, §15.108ἀμβροσίαν ἐς στῆθος ἀποστάξασα γυναικός· §15.109τὶν δὲ χαριζομένα, πολυώνυμε καὶ πολύναε, §15.110ἁ Βερενικεία θυγάτηρ Ἑλένᾳ εἰκυῖα §15.111Ἀρσινόα πάντεσσι καλοῖς ἀτιτάλλει Ἄδωνιν.
Cypris, daughter of Dione, you, as the story goes among men, made Berenice immortal, dropping ambrosia into the woman's breast; and to please you, O goddess of many names and many temples, the daughter of Berenice, who is like Helen, Arsinoe, fosters Adonis with all good things.
§15.112πὰρ μέν οἱ ὥρια κεῖται, ὅσα δρυὸς ἄκρα φέρονται, §15.113πὰρ δʼ ἁπαλοὶ κᾶποι πεφυλαγμένοι ἐν ταλαρίσκοις §15.114ἀργυρέοις, Συρίω δὲ μύρω χρύσειʼ ἀλάβαστρα.
Beside him lie the ripe fruits of the season, all that the treetops bear, and tender plants sheltered in silver baskets, and golden alabaster flasks of Syrian perfume.
§15.115εἴδατα δʼ ὅσσα γυναῖκες ἐπὶ πλαθάνω πονέονται, §15.116ἄνθεα μίσγοισαι λευκῷ παντοῖα μαλεύρῳ, §15.117ὅσσά τʼ ἀπὸ γλυκερῶ μέλιτος τά τʼ ἐν ὑγρῷ ἐλαίῳ, §15.118πάντʼ αὐτῷ πετεηνὰ καὶ ἑρπετὰ τεῖδε πάρεστι.
And all the cakes that women make on the kneading board, mixing all kinds of flowers with white flour, and those made of sweet honey and liquid oil, all birds and creeping things are present here beside him.
§15.119χλωραὶ δὲ σκιάδες μαλακῷ βρίθοντι ἀνήθῳ §15.120δέδμανθʼ· οἱ δέ τε κῶροι ὑπερπωτῶνται Ἔρωτες, §15.121οἷοι ἀηδονιδῆες ἀεξομενᾶν ἐπὶ δένδρων §15.122πωτῶνται πτερύγων πειρώμενοι ὄζον ἀπʼ ὄζω.
Green bowers, heavy with soft dill, are built; and the little Loves fly overhead, like young nightingales upon growing trees flying from branch to branch, testing their wings.
O ebony, O gold, O eagles of white ivory eagles bearing the boy cupbearer to Cronian Zeus!
§15.125πορφύρεοι δὲ τάπητες ἄνω μαλακώτεροι ὕπνω, §15.126ἁ Μίλατος ἐρεῖ χὡ τὰν Σαμίαν κάτα βόσκων· §15.127ἔστρωται κλίνα τῷ Ἀδώνιδι τῷ καλῷ ἄλλα. §15.128τὰν μὲν Κύπρις ἔχει, τὰν δʼ ὁ ῥοδόπαχυς Ἄδωνις §15.129ὀκτωκαιδεκέτης ἢ ἐννεακαίδεχʼ ὁ γαμβρός.
And purple carpets above, softer than sleep, Miletus will say so, and he who pastures sheep on Samos: 'Another couch is spread for beautiful Adonis.' One Cypris holds, the other rose-armed Adonis, the bridegroom of eighteen or nineteen years.
§15.130οὐ κεντεῖ τὸ φίλαμʼ, ἔτι οἱ περὶ χείλεα πυρρά.
His kiss does not prick; his lips are still soft.
§15.131νῦν μὰν Κύπρις ἔχοισα τὸν αὐτᾶς χαιρέτω ἄνδρα· §15.132ἀῶθεν δʼ ἁμές νιν ἅμα δρόσῳ ἀθρόαι ἔξω §15.133οἰσεῦμες ποτὶ κύματʼ ἐπʼ ἀιόνι πτύοντα, §15.134λύσασαι δὲ κόμαν καὶ ἐπὶ σφυρὰ κόλπον ἀνεῖσαι §15.135στήθεσι φαινομένοις λιγυρᾶς ἀρξώμεθʼ ἀοιδᾶς· §15.136Ἕρπεις ὦ φίλʼ Ἄδωνι καὶ ἐνθάδε κεἰς Ἀχέροντα §15.137ἡμιθέων, ὡς φαντί, μονώτατος.
Now indeed let Cypris rejoice, holding her husband; but at dawn we, all together with the dew, out will carry him to the waves that spit upon the shore, and loosening our hair and letting our garments fall to our ankles with bared breasts, we shall begin our clear song: 'You come, dear Adonis, both here and to Acheron, alone of the demigods, as they say.
οὔτʼ Ἀγαμέμνων §15.138τοῦτʼ ἔπαθʼ, οὔτʼ Αἴας ὁ μέγας βαρυμάνιος ἥρως, §15.139οὔθʼ Ἕκτωρ Ἑκάβας ὁ γεραίτερος εἴκατι παίδων, §15.140οὐ Πατροκλῆς, οὐ Πύρρος ἀπὸ Τροίας ἐπανελθών, §15.141οὔθʼ οἱ ἔτι πρότερον Λαπίθαι καὶ Δευκαλίωνες, §15.142οὐ Πελοπηιάδαι τε καὶ Ἄργεος ἄκρα Πελασγοί·
Neither Agamemnon suffered this, nor Ajax the great, heavy-wrathful hero, nor Hector, the eldest of Hecuba's twenty children, nor Patroclus, nor Pyrrhus who returned from Troy, nor the Lapiths of still earlier times, and Deucalions, nor the Pelopids and the Pelasgians, the chiefs of Argos.
§15.143ἵλαθι νῦν φίλʼ Ἄδωνι, καὶ ἐς νέωτʼ εὐθυμήσαις.
Be gracious now, dear Adonis, and make us glad in the coming year.
§15.144καὶ νῦν ἦνθες Ἄδωνι, καὶ ὅκκʼ ἀφίκῃ, φίλος ἡξεῖς. §15.145Πραξινόα, τὸ χρῆμα σοφώτερον ἁ θήλεια.
You came now, Adonis, and whenever you arrive, you will come as our friend.' Praxinoa, women are indeed clever things.
§15.146ὀλβία ὅσσα ἴσατι, πανολβία ὡς γλυκὺ φωνεῖ.
Happy is she for what she knows, thrice happy for her sweet singing.
§15.147ὥρα ὅμως κεἰς οἶκον.
Still, it's time to go home.
ἀνάριστος Διοκλείδας.
Diocleides hasn't had his dinner.
§15.148χὡνὴρ ὄξος ἅπαν, πεινᾶντι δὲ μηδὲ ποτένθῃς.
And that man is all vinegar; don't even go near him when he's hungry.
§15.149χαῖρε Ἄδων ἀγαπητέ· καὶ ἐς χαίροντας ἀφίκευ.
Farewell, beloved Adonis; and may you find us happy when you return."