§959Δικαιόπολι.
Dicaeopolis!
§959bτίς ἔστι;
Who is it?
τί με βωστρεῖς;
Why are you shouting for me?
§959cὅ τι;
For what?
§960ἐκέλευε Λάμαχός σε ταυτησὶ δραχμῆς §961ἐς τοὺς Χοᾶς αὑτῷ μεταδοῦναι τῶν κιχλῶν, §962τριῶν δραχμῶν δʼ ἐκέλευε Κωπᾷδʼ ἔγχελυν.
Lamachus ordered you, in exchange for this drachma, to share some of your thrushes with him for the Feast of Cups, and he ordered a Copaic eel for three drachmas.
§963ὁ ποῖος οὗτος Λάμαχος τὴν ἔγχελυν;
What sort of Lamachus is this who wants the eel?
The terrible one, the ox-hide-shield-bearing one, who brandishes the Gorgon, shaking it, shaded by three crests.
§966οὐκ ἂν μὰ Δίʼ εἰ δοίη γέ μοι τὴν ἀσπίδα·
Not by Zeus, even if he were to give me his shield!
§967ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ ταρίχει τοὺς λόφους κραδαινέτω·
Let him shake his crests over salt fish instead.
§968ἢν δʼ ἀπολιγαίνῃ, τοὺς ἀγορανόμους καλῶ.
And if he makes an outcry, I will call the market inspectors.
And I, taking this cargo for myself, will go inside under the wings of thrushes and blackbirds.
§971εἶδες ὦ εἶδες ὦ πᾶσα πόλι τὸν φρόνιμον ἄνδρα τὸν ὑπέρσοφον,
Did you see, oh did you see, O entire city, the prudent, the super-wise man?
§973οἷʼ ἔχει σπεισάμενος ἐμπορικὰ χρήματα διεμπολᾶν, §975ὧν τὰ μὲν ἐν οἰκίᾳ χρήσιμα, τὰ δʼ αὖ πρέπει χλιαρὰ κατεσθίειν.
What kind of merchant goods he has to trade, having made peace, of which some are useful in the house, and others, again, are fit to be devoured warm.
§976αὐτόματα πάντʼ ἀγαθὰ τῷδέ γε πορίζεται.
All good things are provided for him spontaneously.
§977οὐδέποτʼ ἐγὼ Πόλεμον οἴκαδʼ ὑποδέξομαι, §978οὐδὲ παρʼ ἐμοί ποτε τὸν Ἁρμόδιον ᾄσεται §979ξυγκατακλινείς, ὅτι παροινικὸς ἀνὴρ ἔφυ, §980ὅστις ἐπὶ πάντʼ ἀγάθʼ ἔχοντας ἐπικωμάσας §981ἠργάσατο πάντα κακά, κἀνέτρεπε κἀξέχει §982κἀμάχετο καὶ προσέτι πολλὰ προκαλουμένου §983πῖνε κατάκεισο λαβὲ τήνδε φιλοτησίαν §984τὰς χάρακας ἧπτε πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ πυρί, §985ἐξέχει θʼ ἡμῶν βίᾳ τὸν οἶνον ἐκ τῶν ἀμπέλων.
Never will I welcome War into my home, nor shall he ever sing the Harmodius song at my house, reclining by my side, because he is a man abusive in his wine, who, bursting in like a reveller upon those who had all good things, wrought all kinds of mischief, and overturned, and spilled, and fought; and furthermore, though I repeatedly invited him, saying "Drink, recline, take this cup of friendship," he burned our vine-stakes in the fire much more, and spilled by force our wine from the vines.
§986οὑτοσὶ δʼ ἐπτέρωταί τʼ ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἅμα καὶ μεγάλα δὴ φρονεῖ, §987τοῦ βίου δʼ ἐξέβαλε δεῖγμα τάδε τὰ πτερὰ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν.
But this man has winged his way toward dinner and is indeed thinking grand thoughts, and has thrown out these feathers before his doors as a proof of his lifestyle.
§988ὦ Κύπριδι τῇ καλῇ καὶ Χάρισι ταῖς φίλαις ξύντροφε Διαλλαγή, §990ὡς καλὸν ἔχουσα τὸ πρόσωπον ἄρʼ ἐλάνθανες.
O Reconciliation, nurtured together with beautiful Cypris and the dear Graces, how beautiful a face you had, and we didn't know it!
Would that some Eros would take and bring you and me together, just like the one depicted in paintings, wearing a crown of flowers.
§993ἢ πάνυ γερόντιον ἴσως νενόμικάς με σύ;
Or do you perhaps think I am a very old man?
§994ἀλλά σε λαβὼν τρία δοκῶ γʼ ἂν ἔτι προσβαλεῖν· §995πρῶτα μὲν ἂν ἀμπελίδος ὄρχον ἐλάσαι μακρόν, §996εἶτα παρὰ τόνδε νέα μοσχίδια συκίδων, §997καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἡμερίδος ὄρχον, ὁ γέρων ὁδί, §998καὶ περὶ τὸ χωρίον ἐλᾷδας ἅπαν ἐν κύκλῳ, §999ὥστʼ ἀλείφεσθαί σʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν κἀμὲ ταῖς νουμηνίαις.
But if I took you, I think I could still add three things: first indeed, I would plant a long row of vines, then next to it, young cuttings of fig-trees, and thirdly, a row of cultivated vines, old man though I am, and all around the plot, olive trees in a circle, so that you and I may be anointed from them on the new moons.
§1000ἀκούετε λεῴ·
Hear, O people!
κατὰ τὰ πάτρια τοὺς Χοᾶς §1001πίνειν ὑπὸ τῆς σάλπιγγος· ὃς δʼ ἂν ἐκπίῃ §1002πρώτιστος, ἀσκὸν Κτησιφῶντος λήψεται.
According to ancestral custom, drink the Cups at the sound of the trumpet; and whoever drinks first of all shall receive the wineskin of Ctesiphon.
§1003ὦ παῖδες ὦ γυναῖκες οὐκ ἠκούσατε;
O boys, O women, did you not hear?
§1004τί δρᾶτε;
What are you doing?
τοῦ κήρυκος οὐκ ἀκούετε;
Do you not hear the herald?
Boil, roast, turn, draw off the hare's meat quickly, and weave the crowns!
§1007φέρε τοὺς ὀβελίσκους, ἵνʼ ἀναπείρω τὰς κίχλας.
Bring the skewers, so that I may spit the thrushes.
I envy you for your good counsel, or rather, for the feast, O man, that is before you.
§1011τί δῆτʼ ἐπειδὰν τὰς κίχλας ὀπτωμένας ἴδητε;
What then when you see the thrushes being roasted?
§1012οἶμαί σε καὶ τοῦτʼ εὖ λέγειν.
I think you are right in saying this too.
§1012bτὸ πῦρ ὑποσκάλευε.
Stir the fire underneath.
Did you hear how like a cook, elegantly and fit for a banquet, he serves himself?
§1018οἴμοι τάλας.
Alas, wretched me!
§1018bὦ Ἡράκλεις τίς οὑτοσί;
By Heracles, who is this?
§1019ἀνὴρ κακοδαίμων.
An unfortunate man.
§1019bκατὰ σεαυτόν νυν τρέπου.
Go your own way then.
O dearest friend, since you alone have a treaty, measure out some peace for me, even if only for five years.
§1022τί δʼ ἔπαθες;
What happened to you?
§1022bἐπετρίβην ἀπολέσας τὼ βόε.
I was ruined by losing my two oxen.
§1023πόθεν;
From where?
§1023bἀπὸ Φυλῆς ἔλαβον οἱ Βοιώτιοι.
The Boeotians took them from Phyle.
§1024ὦ τρισκακόδαιμον εἶτα λευκὸν ἀμπέχει;
O thrice-unfortunate! And yet you wear white?
Yes, by Zeus, and that too when they used to support me in all kinds of manure.
§1026bεἶτα νυνὶ τοῦ δέει;
Then what do you want now?
§1027ἀπόλωλα τὠφθαλμὼ δακρύων τὼ βόε.
I have ruined my eyes weeping for my two oxen.
But if you care at all for Dercetes of Phyle, anoint my two eyes quickly with peace.
§1030ἀλλʼ ὦ πόνηρʼ οὐ δημοσιεύων τυγχάνω.
But, my poor fellow, I do not happen to be a public doctor.
§1031ἴθʼ ἀντιβολῶ σʼ, ἤν πως κομίσωμαι τὼ βόε.
Come, I entreat you, so that somehow I might recover my oxen.
§1032οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ κλᾶε πρὸς τοὺς Πιττάλου.
It is not possible; go weep instead at the clinic of Pittalus' disciples.
Then at least drop one single droplet of peace into this little reed-tube for me.
§1035οὐδʼ ἂν στριβιλικίγξ·
Not even a tiny squeak!
ἀλλʼ ἀπιὼν οἴμωζέ ποι.
Go away and wail somewhere else.
§1036οἴμοι κακοδαίμων τοῖν γεωργοῖν βοιδίοιν.
Alas, wretched me, for my two farming oxen!
The man has found something sweet in his treaty, and he does not seem likely to share it with anyone.
§1040κατάχει σὺ τῆς χορδῆς τὸ μέλι, τὰς σηπίας στάθευε.
Pour the honey over the sausage; grill the cuttlefish.
§1041ἤκουσας ὀρθιασμάτων;
Did you hear his loud commands?
§1041bὀπτᾶτε τἀγχέλεια.
Roast the eels.