§1278bκάτειπέ νυν, §1279πότερα νομίζεις καινὸν ἀεὶ τὸν Δία §1280ὕειν ὕδωρ ἑκάστοτʼ, ἢ τὸν ἥλιον §1281ἕλκειν κάτωθεν ταὐτὸ τοῦθʼ ὕδωρ πάλιν;
Tell me now, whether you think that Zeus always rains new water each time, or that the sun draws this same water back up from below again?
§1282οὐκ οἶδʼ ἔγωγʼ ὁπότερον, οὐδέ μοι μέλει.
Amynias: I don't know which, nor do I care.
Strepsiades: How then are you right to get your money back, if you know nothing of meteorological phenomena?
Amynias: But if you are short of money, at least the interest on the money to me pay back.
§1286bτοῦτο δʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τόκος τί θηρίον;
Strepsiades: And this “interest” (tokos), what sort of beast is that?
§1287τί δʼ ἄλλο γʼ ἢ κατὰ μῆνα καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν §1288πλέον πλέον τἀργύριον ἀεὶ γίγνεται §1289ὑπορρέοντος τοῦ χρόνου;
Amynias: What else indeed, than that month by month and day by day the money always becomes more and more as time flows along?
§1289bκαλῶς λέγεις.
Strepsiades: Well said.
§1290τί δῆτα;
What then?
τὴν θάλατταν ἔσθʼ ὅτι πλείονα §1291νυνὶ νομίζεις ἢ πρὸ τοῦ;
Is there any way you think the sea is fuller now than before?
§1291bμὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἴσην.
Amynias: By Zeus, no, but equal.
§1292οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον πλείονʼ εἶναι.
For it is not right for it to be fuller.
§1292bκᾆτα πῶς §1293αὕτη μὲν ὦ κακόδαιμον οὐδὲν γίγνεται §1294ἐπιρρεόντων τῶν ποταμῶν πλείων, σὺ δὲ §1295ζητεῖς ποιῆσαι τἀργύριον πλεῖον τὸ σόν;
Strepsiades: And then how, does this [sea], you miserable wretch, become not at all fuller, though rivers flow into it, while you seek to make your money more?
§1296οὐκ ἀποδιώξει σαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας;
Won't you chase yourself away from the house?
§1297φέρε μοι τὸ κέντρον.
Bring me the goad.
§1297bταῦτʼ ἐγὼ μαρτύρομαι.
Amynias: I call these things to witness.
§1298ὕπαγε.
Strepsiades: Go on.
τί μέλλεις;
Why do you delay?
οὐκ ἐλᾷς ὦ σαμφόρα;
Won't you drive on, you brand-marked horse?
§1299ταῦτʼ οὐχ ὕβρις δῆτʼ ἐστίν;
Amynias: Is this not indeed outrage?
§1299bᾄξεις;
Strepsiades: Will you run?
ἐπιαλῶ §1300κεντῶν ὑπὸ τὸν πρωκτόν σε τὸν σειραφόρον.
I will lay on, goading you under the rump, you trace-horse!
§1301φεύγεις;
Are you fleeing?
ἔμελλόν σʼ ἆρα κινήσειν ἐγὼ §1302αὐτοῖς τροχοῖς τοῖς σοῖσι καὶ ξυνωρίσιν.
I was indeed going to move you with your very wheels and pairs of horses.
§1303οἷον τὸ πραγμάτων ἐρᾶν φλαύρων·
Chorus: What a thing it is to be in love with bad affairs!
ὁ γὰρ §1304γέρων ὅδʼ ἐρασθεὶς §1305ἀποστερῆσαι βούλεται §1306τὰ χρήμαθʼ ἁδανείσατο· §1307κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ τήμερον §1308λήψεταί τι πρᾶγμʼ, ὃ τοῦτον §1309ποιήσει τὸν σοφιστὴν §1310ἀνθʼ ὧν πανουργεῖν ἤρξατʼ, ἐξαίφνης λαβεῖν κακόν τι.
For this old man, having fallen in love, wishes to withhold the money which he borrowed; and there is no way that today he will not receive some trouble, which will make this sophist receive some evil suddenly, in return for the knaveries he began.
§1311οἶμαι γὰρ αὐτὸν αὐτίχʼ εὑρήσειν ὅπερ §1312πάλαι ποτʼ †ἐπεζήτει† §1313εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν δεινόν οἱ §1314γνώμας ἐναντίας λέγειν §1315τοῖσιν δικαίοις, ὥστε νικᾶν §1316ἅπαντας οἷσπερ ἂν §1317ξυγγένηται, κἂν λέγῃ παμπόνηρʼ.
For I think he will soon find what he has long been seeking, that his son is clever for him in speaking opinions contrary to justice, so as to conquer everyone with whomsoever he associates, even if he speaks utter villainy.
§1320ἴσως δʼ ἴσως βουλήσεται κἄφωνον αὐτὸν εἶναι.
And perhaps, perhaps he will wish him to be even voiceless.
§1321ἰοὺ ἰού.
Strepsiades: Oh! Oh!
O neighbors and kinsmen and fellow demesmen, help me who am being beaten, with all your might!
§1324οἴμοι κακοδαίμων τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ τῆς γνάθου.
Alas, miserable me, for my head and my jaw!
§1325ὦ μιαρὲ τύπτεις τὸν πατέρα;
O monster, are you beating your father?
§1325bφήμʼ ὦ πάτερ.
Pheidippides: I admit it, father.
§1326ὁρᾶθʼ ὁμολογοῦνθʼ ὅτι με τύπτει.
Strepsiades: You see him admitting that he beats me.
§1326bκαὶ μάλα.
Pheidippides: Very much so.
§1327ὦ μιαρὲ καὶ πατραλοῖα καὶ τοιχωρύχε.
Strepsiades: O scoundrel, and father-beater, and housebreaker!
§1328αὖθίς με ταὐτὰ ταῦτα καὶ πλείω λέγε.
Pheidippides: Say these same things to me again, and more.
§1329ἆρʼ οἶσθʼ ὅτι χαίρω πόλλʼ ἀκούων καὶ κακά;
Do you know that I enjoy hearing many bad names?
§1330ὦ λακκόπρωκτε.
Strepsiades: O wide-arse!
§1330bπάττε πολλοῖς τοῖς ῥόδοις.
Pheidippides: Sprinkle me with many roses!
§1331τὸν πατέρα τύπτεις;
Strepsiades: Do you beat your father?
Pheidippides: Yes, and by Zeus, I will show that I was beating you justly.
Strepsiades: O most filthy wretch, how indeed could it be just to beat a father?
§1334ἔγωγʼ ἀποδείξω καί σε νικήσω λέγων.
Pheidippides: I will demonstrate it and defeat you in speaking.
§1335τουτὶ σὺ νικήσεις;
Strepsiades: You will win in this?
§1335bπολύ γε καὶ ῥᾳδίως.
Pheidippides: By far, and easily.
§1336ἑλοῦ δʼ ὁπότερον τοῖν λόγοιν βούλει λέγειν.
Choose which of the two arguments you want to speak.
§1337ποίοιν λόγοιν;
Strepsiades: Which two arguments?
§1337bτὸν κρείττονʼ ἢ τὸν ἥττονα.
Pheidippides: The Stronger or the Weaker.
§1338ἐδιδαξάμην μέντοι σε νὴ Δίʼ ὦ μέλε §1339τοῖσιν δικαίοις ἀντιλέγειν, εἰ ταῦτά γε §1340μέλλεις ἀναπείσειν, ὡς δίκαιον καὶ καλὸν §1341τὸν πατέρα τύπτεσθʼ ἐστὶν ὑπὸ τῶν υἱέων.
Strepsiades: I did indeed have you taught, by Zeus, my dear fellow, to speak against justice, if indeed you are going to persuade us that it is just and honorable for a father to be beaten by his sons.
Pheidippides: But I think indeed I shall persuade you, so that even you yourself, having listened, will not say anything in opposition.
§1344καὶ μὴν ὅ τι καὶ λέξεις ἀκοῦσαι βούλομαι.
Strepsiades: And indeed, I want to hear what you will say.
§1345σὸν ἔργον ὦ πρεσβῦτα φροντίζειν ὅπῃ §1346τὸν ἄνδρα κρατήσεις, §1347ὡς οὗτος, εἰ μή τῳ ʼπεποίθειν, οὐκ ἂν ἦν §1348οὕτως ἀκόλαστος.
Chorus: It is your task, old man, to consider how you will master this man, since he, unless he was relying on something, would not be so insolent.
But there is something with which he is bold; the man's temper is clear.
§1351ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὅτου τὸ πρῶτον ἤρξαθʼ ἡ μάχη γενέσθαι, §1352ἤδη λέγειν χρὴ πρὸς χορόν· πάντως δὲ τοῦτο δράσεις.
But from where the battle first began to arise, you must now tell the chorus; in any case, you will do this.
Strepsiades: Indeed, from where we first began to abuse each other, I will tell.
ʼπειδὴ γὰρ εἱστιώμεθʼ, ὥσπερ ἴστε, §1355πρῶτον μὲν αὐτὸν τὴν λύραν λαβόντʼ ἐγὼ ʼκέλευσα §1356ᾆσαι Σιμωνίδου μέλος, τὸν Κριὸν ὡς ἐπέχθη.
For when we were feasting, as you know, first of all, I bid him take the lyre to sing a song of Simonides, how the Ram was shorn.
§1357ὁ δʼ εὐθέως ἀρχαῖον εἶνʼ ἔφασκε τὸ κιθαρίζειν §1358ᾄδειν τε πίνονθʼ ὡσπερεὶ κάχρυς γυναῖκʼ ἀλοῦσαν.
But he straightway said that playing the lyre and singing while drinking was old-fashioned, like a woman grinding parched barley.
§1359οὐ γὰρ τότʼ εὐθὺς χρῆν σʼ ἄρα τύπτεσθαί τε καὶ πατεῖσθαι, §1360ᾄδειν κελεύονθʼ ὡσπερεὶ τέττιγας ἑστιῶντα;
Pheidippides: For shouldn't you then straightway have been beaten and trampled upon, bidding me to sing as if you were entertaining cicadas?
§1361τοιαῦτα μέντοι καὶ τότʼ ἔλεγεν ἔνδον οἷάπερ νῦν,
Strepsiades: Such things indeed he was saying inside even then, just as now,