§5.77κοὐδὲν καυχέομαι· τὺ δʼ ἄγαν φιλοκέρτομος ἐσσί.
Lacon: "And I do not boast; but you are too fond of mockery.
§5.78εἶα λέγʼ εἴ τι λέγεις, καὶ τὸν ξένον ἐς πόλιν αὖθις §5.79ζῶντʼ ἄφες· ὦ Παιάν, ἦ στωμύλος ἦσθα Κομάτα. §5.80ταὶ Μοῖσαί με φιλεῦντι πολὺ πλέον ἢ τὸν ἀοιδὸν §5.81Δάφνιν· ἐγὼ δʼ αὐταῖς χιμάρως δύο πρᾶν ποκʼ ἔθυσα. §5.82καὶ γὰρ ἔμʼ ὡπόλλων φιλέει μέγα, καὶ καλὸν αὐτῷ §5.83κριὸν ἐγὼ βόσκω.
Come, say if you have anything to say, and let the stranger go back to the city alive; O Paean, how talkative you were, Comatas!" Comatas: "The Muses love me far more than the singer Daphnis; and I sacrificed two kids to them the other day." Lacon: "For Apollo also loves me greatly, and a fine ram I am feeding.
τὰ δὲ Κάρνεα καὶ δὴ ἐφέρπει. §5.84πλὰν δύο τὰς λοιπὰς διδυματόκος αἶγας ἀμέλγω, §5.85καί μʼ ἁ παῖς ποθορεῦσα
τάλαν
λέγει
αὐτὸς ἀμέλγεις; §5.86φεῦ φεῦ Λάκων τοι ταλάρως σχεδὸν εἴκατι πληροῖ
And indeed the Carneia is approaching." Comatas: "Except for two, I milk all the rest of the goats, which bear twins; and the girl, looking at me, 'Poor man,' says, 'do you milk them yourself?'" Lacon: "Alas, alas!
§5.87τυρῶ καὶ τὸν ἄναβον ἐν ἄνθεσι παῖδα μολύνει. §5.88βάλλει καὶ μάλοισι τὸν αἰπόλον ἁ Κλεαρίστα §5.89τὰς αἶγας παρελᾶντα καὶ ἁδύ τι ποππυλιάσδει. §5.90κἠμὲ γὰρ ὁ Κρατίδας τὸν ποιμένα λεῖος ὑπαντῶν §5.91ἐκμαίνει· λιπαρὰ δὲ παρʼ αὐχένα σείετʼ ἔθειρα. §5.92ἀλλʼ οὐ σύμβλητʼ ἐστὶ κυνόσβατος οὐδʼ ἀνεμώνα §5.93πρὸς ῥόδα, τῶν ἄνδηρα παρʼ αἱμασιαῖσι πεφύκει. §5.94οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδʼ ἀκύλοις ὁμομαλίδες· αἱ μὲν ἔχοντι §5.95λυπρὸν ἀπὸ πρίνοιο λεπύριον, αἱ δὲ μελιχραί. §5.96κἠγὼ μὲν δωσῶ τᾷ παρθένῳ αὐτίκα φάσσαν §5.97ἐκ τᾶς ἀρκεύθω καθελών· τηνεῖ γὰρ ἐφίσδει. §5.98ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἐς χλαῖναν μαλακὸν πόκον, ὁππόκα πέξω §5.99τὰν οἶν τὰν πέλλαν, Κρατίδᾳ δωρήσομαι αὐτός. §5.100σίττʼ ἀπὸ τᾶς κοτίνω ταὶ μηκάδες·
Lacon indeed fills nearly twenty cheese-baskets with cheese, and defiles the young boy among the flowers." Comatas: "Clearista also pelts the goatherd with apples as he drives his goats past, and makes a sweet whistling sound." Lacon: "For me too, Cratidas, when he meets me, the shepherd, smooth-faced, drives me mad; and his shining locks wave beside his neck." Comatas: "But the wild brier and the anemone are not to be compared to roses, whose beds grow beside the stone walls." Lacon: "Nor indeed are wild acorns equal to cultivated ones; the former have a wretched husk from the holm-oak, but the latter are sweet as honey." Comatas: "And I will soon give my maiden a ringdove, taking it down from the juniper tree; for it sits there." Lacon: "But I, for a cloak, will myself give Cratidas a soft fleece, when I shear the dark sheep." Comatas: "Shoo, bleating goats, away from the wild olive!
ὧδε νέμεσθε, §5.101ὡς τὸ κάταντες τοῦτο γεώλοφον αἵ τε μυρῖκαι.
Graze here, toward this sloping hill and the tamarisks." Lacon: "Get away from the oak, you there, Conarus and Cinaetha!
§5.102οὐκ ἀπὸ τᾶς δρυὸς οὗτος ὁ Κώναρος ἅ τε Κιναίθα; §5.103τουτεῖ βοσκησεῖσθε ποτʼ ἀντολάς, ὡς ὁ Φάλαρος. §5.104ἔστι δέ μοι γαυλὸς κυπαρίσσινος, ἔστι δὲ κρατήρ, §5.105ἔργον Πραξιτέλευς· τᾷ παιδὶ δὲ ταῦτα φυλάσσω. §5.106χἁμῖν ἐστι κύων φιλοποίμνιος, ὃς λύκος ἄγχει, §5.107ὃν τῷ παιδὶ δίδωμι τὰ θηρία πάντα διώκειν. §5.108ἀκρίδες, αἳ τὸν φραγμὸν ὑπερπαδῆτε τὸν ἁμόν, §5.109μή μευ λωβασεῖσθε τὰς ἀμπέλος· ἐντὶ γὰρ ἇβαι. §5.110τοὶ τέττιγες, ὁρῆτε τὸν αἰπόλον ὡς ἐρεθίζω· §5.111οὑτῶς χὑμές θην ἐρεθίζετε τὼς καλαμευτάς. §5.112μισέω τὰς δασυκέρκος ἀλώπεκας, αἳ τὰ Μίκωνος §5.113αἰεὶ φοιτῶσαι τὰ ποθέσπερα ῥαγίζοντι. §5.114καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ μισέω τὼς κανθάρος, οἳ τὰ Φιλώνδα §5.115σῦκα κατατρώγοντες ὑπανέμιοι φορέονται. §5.116ἦ οὐ μέμνᾳ, ὅκʼ ἐγώ τυ κατήλασα, καὶ τὺ σεσαρὼς §5.117εὖ ποτεκιγκλίζευ καὶ τᾶς δρυὸς εἴχεο τήνας; §5.118τοῦτο μὲν οὐ μέμναμʼ· ὅκα μάν ποκα τεῖδέ τυ δήσας §5.119Εὐμάρας ἐκάθηρε καλῶς μάλα, τοῦτό γʼ ἴσαμι.
Graze over there toward the east, like Phalarus." Comatas: "And I have a pail of cypress wood, and I have a bowl, the work of Praxiteles; and I keep these for my maiden." Lacon: "And we have a dog that loves the flock, which strangles wolves; which I give to my boy to chase away all the wild beasts." Comatas: "O locusts, who leap over my fence, do not damage my vines; for they are young." Lacon: "O cicadas, see how I irritate the goatherd; so indeed you irritate the reapers." Comatas: "I hate the bushy-tailed foxes, which always come in the evening and plunder Micon's grapes." Lacon: "For I too hate the beetles, which devour Philondas's figs and fly away on the wind." Comatas: "Do you not remember when I drove you hard, and you, grinning, wriggled your hips well and held onto that oak?" Lacon: "That indeed I do not remember; but when Eumaras bound you here and thoroughly thrashed you, that at least I know." Comatas: "Indeed, Morson, someone is growing bitter; or did you not perceive it?
§5.120ἦ δή τις Μόρσων πικραίνεται· ἢ οὐχὶ παρῄσθευ; §5.121σκίλλας ἰὼν γραίας ἀπὸ σάματος αὐτίκα τίλλειν.
Go and pull squills at once from the tomb of an old woman." Lacon: "And I too, Morson, am vexed with someone; and you see it.
§5.122κἠγὼ μὰν κνίζω Μόρσων τινά· καὶ τὺ δὲ λεύσσεις. §5.123ἐνθὼν τὰν κυκλάμινον ὄρυσσέ νυν ἐς τὸν Ἄλεντα. §5.124Ἱμέρα ἀνθʼ ὕδατος ῥείτω γάλα, καὶ τὺ δὲ Κράθι §5.125οἴνῳ πορφύροις, τὰ δέ τʼ οἴσυα καρπὸν ἐνείκαι. §5.126ῥείτω χἁ Συβαρῖτις ἐμὶν μέλι, καὶ τὸ πότορθρον §5.127ἁ παῖς ἀνθʼ ὕδατος τᾷ κάλπιδι κηρία βάψαι. §5.128ταὶ μὲν ἐμαὶ κύτισόν τε καὶ αἴγιλον αἶγες ἔδοντι, §5.129καὶ σχῖνον πατέοντι καὶ ἐν κομάροισι κέχυνται. §5.130ταῖσι δʼ ἐμαῖς ὀίεσσι πάρεστι μὲν ἁ μελίτεια §5.131φέρβεσθαι, πολλὸς δὲ καὶ ὡς ῥόδα κίσθος ἐπανθεῖ. §5.132οὐκ ἔραμʼ Ἀλκίππας, ὅτι με πρᾶν οὐκ ἐφίλασε §5.133τῶν ὤτων καθελοῖσʼ, ὅκά οἱ τὰν φάσσαν ἔδωκα. §5.134ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ Εὐμήδευς ἔραμαι μέγα· καὶ γὰρ ὅκʼ αὐτῷ §5.135τὰν σύριγγʼ ὤρεξα, καλόν τί με κάρτʼ ἐφίλασεν. §5.136οὐ θεμιτὸν Λάκων ποτʼ ἀηδόνα κίσσας ἐρίσδειν, §5.137οὐδʼ ἔποπας κύκνοισι· τὺ δʼ ὦ τάλαν ἐσσὶ φιλεχθής.
Go then and dig up cyclamen by the river Alentis." Comatas: "May the Himera flow with milk instead of water, and you, Crathis, may you run purple with wine, and may the osiers bear fruit!" Lacon: "And may the Sybaris flow with honey for me, and in the morning may the maiden dip her pitcher and draw honeycombs instead of water!" Comatas: "My goats eat cytisus and egilops, and tread on mastic-shrubs, and lie down among the arbutus." Lacon: "And for my sheep there is balm-gentle to feed upon, and the rock-rose blossoms abundantly like roses." Comatas: "I do not love Alcippe, because the other day she did not kiss me, taking me by the ears, when I gave her the ringdove." Lacon: "But I love Eumedes dearly; for when I handed him the panpipe, he kissed me very sweetly." Comatas: "It is not right, Lacon, for jays to contend with the nightingale, nor hoopoes with swans; but you, wretched man, are fond of strife." Morson: "I bid the shepherd to cease.
§5.138παύσασθαι κέλομαι τὸν ποιμένα. τὶν δὲ Κομάτα §5.139δωρεῖται Μόρσων τὰν ἀμνίδα· καὶ τὺ δὲ θύσας §5.140ταῖς Νύμφαις Μόρσωνι καλὸν κρέας αὐτίκα πέμψον.
And to you, Comatas, Morson presents the lamb; and do you, when you have sacrificed to the Nymphs, send a fine portion of meat to Morson at once." Comatas: "I will send it, yes, by Pan!
§5.141πεμψῶ ναὶ τὸν Πᾶνα. φριμάσσεο πᾶσα τραγίσκων §5.142νῦν ἀγέλα· κἠγὼ γὰρ ἴδʼ ὡς μέγα τοῦτο καχαξῶ §5.143κὰτ τῶ Λάκωνος τῶ ποιμένος, ὅττι πόκʼ ἤδη §5.144ἀνυσάμαν τὰν ἀμνόν· ἐς ὠρανὸν ὔμμιν ἁλεῦμαι.
Frisk now, all my herd of goats; for see how loudly I shall laugh against Lacon the shepherd, because I have at last won the lamb; I will leap to heaven for you!
§5.145αἶγες ἐμαὶ θαρσεῖτε κερούτιδες·
My horned goats, be of good cheer!
αὔριον ὔμμε §5.146πάσας ἐγὼ λουσῶ Συβαρίτιδος ἔνδοθι λίμνας.
Tomorrow I will wash you all in the waters of the Sybaris.
§5.147οὗτος ὁ Λευκίτας ὁ κορυπτίλος, εἴ τινʼ ὀχευσεῖς §5.148τᾶν αἰγῶν, φλασσῶ τυ πρὶν ἤ γʼ ἐμὲ καλλιερῆσαι §5.149ταῖς Νύμφαις τὰν ἀμνόν.
You there, Leucitas, the butter, if you mount any of the goats, I will beat you before I make a successful sacrifice of the lamb to the Nymphs.
ὁ δʼ αὖ πάλιν.
There he goes again!
ἀλλὰ γενοίμαν, §5.150αἰ μή τυ φλάσσαιμι, Μελάνθιος ἀντὶ Κομάτα.
May I become Melanthius instead of Comatas, if I do not beat you."