§539ἐρυθρὸν ἐξ ἄκρου παχύ, τοῖς παιδίοις ἵνʼ ᾖ γέλως·
[nor one] red at the tip and thick, so that there might be laughter for the children.
§540οὐδʼ ἔσκωψε τοὺς φαλακρούς, οὐδὲ κόρδαχʼ εἵλκυσεν, §541οὐδὲ πρεσβύτης ὁ λέγων τἄπη τῇ βακτηρίᾳ §542τύπτει τὸν παρόντʼ ἀφανίζων πονηρὰ σκώμματα, §543οὐδʼ εἰσῇξε δᾷδας ἔχουσʼ, οὐδʼ ἰοὺ ἰοὺ βοᾷ, §544ἀλλʼ αὑτῇ καὶ τοῖς ἔπεσιν πιστεύουσʼ ἐλήλυθεν.
Neither did she mock the bald-headed, nor did she drag in the kordax, nor does the old man who speaks the verses with his staff strike the one present, trying to conceal poor jokes, nor did she rush in holding torches, nor does she cry "Io, Io!" but she has come trusting in herself and her verses.
§545κἀγὼ μὲν τοιοῦτος ἀνὴρ ὢν ποιητὴς οὐ κομῶ, §546οὐδʼ ὑμᾶς ζητῶ ʼξαπατᾶν δὶς καὶ τρὶς ταὔτʼ εἰσάγων, §547ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ καινὰς ἰδέας ἐσφέρων σοφίζομαι, §548οὐδὲν ἀλλήλαισιν ὁμοίας καὶ πάσας δεξιάς·
And I, being such a man and poet, do not pride myself, nor do I seek to deceive you by bringing in the same things twice and thrice, but I always play the scholar by bringing in new ideas, in no way resembling each other, and all of them clever.
I who struck Cleon, who was at his greatest, in the belly, and did not dare to jump upon him again once he was down.
But these fellows, once Hyperbolus gave them a hold, always trample upon this wretched man and his mother.
§553Εὔπολις μὲν τὸν Μαρικᾶν πρώτιστον παρείλκυσεν §554ἐκστρέψας τοὺς ἡμετέρους Ἱππέας κακὸς κακῶς, §555προσθεὶς αὐτῷ γραῦν μεθύσην τοῦ κόρδακος οὕνεχʼ, ἣν §556Φρύνιχος πάλαι πεποίηχʼ, ἣν τὸ κῆτος ἤσθιεν.
Eupolis indeed first of all dragged in his "Marikas," having twisted our "Knights" basely and in a base manner, adding to it a drunken old woman for the sake of the kordax, whom Phrynichus had long ago created, whom the sea-monster was going to eat.
§557εἶθʼ Ἕρμιππος αὖθις ἐποίησεν εἰς Ὑπέρβολον, §558ἄλλοι τʼ ἤδη πάντες ἐρείδουσιν εἰς Ὑπέρβολον, §559τὰς εἰκοὺς τῶν ἐγχέλεων τὰς ἐμὰς μιμούμενοι.
Then Hermippus again wrote against Hyperbolus, and now all the others press hard against Hyperbolus, imitating my comparison of the eels.
§560ὅστις οὖν τούτοισι γελᾷ, τοῖς ἐμοῖς μὴ χαιρέτω· §561ἢν δʼ ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖσιν ἐμοῖς εὐφραίνησθʼ εὑρήμασιν, §562ἐς τὰς ὥρας τὰς ἑτέρας εὖ φρονεῖν δοκήσετε.
Whoever therefore laughs at these men, let him not delight in mine; but if you are pleased with me and my discoveries, you will be thought to be wise in future times.
§563ὑψιμέδοντα μὲν θεῶν §564Ζῆνα τύραννον ἐς χορὸν §565πρῶτα μέγαν κικλήσκω· §566τόν τε μεγασθενῆ τριαίνης ταμίαν, §567γῆς τε καὶ ἁλμυρᾶς θαλάσσης ἄγριον μοχλευτήν· §568καὶ μεγαλώνυμον ἡμέτερον πατέρʼ §570Αἰθέρα σεμνότατον βιοθρέμμονα πάντων· §571τόν θʼ ἱππονώμαν, ὃς ὑπερλάμπροις §572ἀκτῖσιν κατέχει §573γῆς πέδον μέγας ἐν θεοῖς §574ἐν θνητοῖσί τε δαίμων.
First, the high-ruling among gods, ruler Zeus, to our grand chorus I call first; and the mighty lord of the trident, the fierce upheaver of the earth and the salty sea; and our great-named father, most august Aether, the nurturer of life for all; and the horse-driver, who with radiant beams holds the plain of the earth, a great deity among gods and among mortals.
§575ὦ σοφώτατοι θεαταὶ δεῦρο τὸν νοῦν προσέχετε.
O most wise spectators, turn your mind hither.
§576ἠδικημέναι γὰρ ὑμῖν μεμφόμεσθʼ ἐναντίον· §577πλεῖστα γὰρ θεῶν ἁπάντων ὠφελούσαις τὴν πόλιν, §578δαιμόνων ἡμῖν μόναις οὐ θύετʼ οὐδὲ σπένδετε, §579αἵτινες τηροῦμεν ὑμᾶς.
For having been wronged, we blame you to your face; though we of all gods benefit the city the most, to us alone of the deities you do not sacrifice nor pour libations, who keep watch over you.
ἢν γὰρ ᾖ τις ἔξοδος §580μηδενὶ ξὺν νῷ, τότʼ ἢ βροντῶμεν ἢ ψακάζομεν.
For if there is any expedition with no sense, then we either thunder or drizzle.
§581εἶτα τὸν θεοῖσιν ἐχθρὸν βυρσοδέψην Παφλαγόνα §582ἡνίχʼ ᾑρεῖσθε στρατηγόν, τὰς ὀφρῦς συνήγομεν §583κἀποιοῦμεν δεινά, βροντὴ δʼ ἐρράγη διʼ ἀστραπῆς· §584ἡ σελήνη δʼ ἐξέλειπε τὰς ὁδούς, ὁ δʼ ἥλιος §585τὴν θρυαλλίδʼ εἰς ἑαυτὸν εὐθέως ξυνελκύσας §586οὐ φανεῖν ἔφασκεν ὑμῖν, εἰ στρατηγήσει Κλέων.
Then when you were choosing the god-hated tanner, the Paphlagonian, as general, we knitted our brows and did terrible things, and thunder broke out through lightning; and the moon left her paths, and the sun, drawing his wick into himself immediately, declared he would not shine for you, if Cleon should be general.
§587ἀλλʼ ὅμως εἵλεσθε τοῦτον.
But nevertheless you chose him.
φασὶ γὰρ δυσβουλίαν §588τῇδε τῇ πόλει προσεῖναι, ταῦτα μέντοι τοὺς θεοὺς §589ἅττʼ ἂν ὑμεῖς ἐξαμάρτητʼ ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον τρέπειν.
For they say that bad counsel attends this city, yet that the gods turn whatever errors you commit to the better.
§590ὡς δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ξυνοίσει ῥᾳδίως διδάξομεν· §591ἢν Κλέωνα τὸν λάρον δώρων ἑλόντες καὶ κλοπῆς §592εἶτα φιμώσητε τούτου τῷ ξύλῳ τὸν αὐχένα, §593αὖθις ἐς τἀρχαῖον ὑμῖν, εἴ τι κἀξημάρτετε, §594ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον τὸ πρᾶγμα τῇ πόλει συνοίσεται.
And how this also will be beneficial, we will easily teach: if, having convicted Cleon the gull of bribery and theft, you then muzzle his neck in the wooden collar, again, as of old, even if you did make some mistake, the matter will turn out to the better for the city.
§595ἀμφί μοι αὖτε Φοῖβʼ ἄναξ §596Δήλιε Κυνθίαν ἔχων §597ὑψικέρατα πέτραν, §598ἥ τʼ Ἐφέσου μάκαιρα πάγχρυσον ἔχεις §600οἶκον ἐν ᾧ κόραι σε Λυδῶν μεγάλως σέβουσιν, §601ἥ τʼ ἐπιχώριος ἡμετέρα θεὸς §602αἰγίδος ἡνίοχος πολιοῦχος Ἀθάνα, §603Παρνασσίαν θʼ ὃς κατέχων §604πέτραν σὺν πεύκαις σελαγεῖ §605Βάκχαις Δελφίσιν ἐμπρέπων, §606κωμαστὴς Διόνυσος.
Around me again, Lord Phoebus, Delian, who holdest the Cynthian high-peaked rock, And thou, blessed goddess of Ephesus, who hast a golden temple in which Lydian maidens greatly revere thee; and our local goddess, charioteer of the aegis, protectress of the city, Athena; and thou who holdest the Parnassian rock, blazes with pine torches, conspicuous among Delphic Bacchanals, reveler Dionysus.
§607ἡνίχʼ ἡμεῖς δεῦρʼ ἀφορμᾶσθαι παρεσκευάσμεθα, §608ἡ σελήνη συντυχοῦσʼ ἡμῖν ἐπέστειλεν φράσαι, §609πρῶτα μὲν χαίρειν Ἀθηναίοισι καὶ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις· §610εἶτα θυμαίνειν ἔφασκε· δεινὰ γὰρ πεπονθέναι §611ὠφελοῦσʼ ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας οὐ λόγοις ἀλλʼ ἐμφανῶς.
When we were preparing to set out hither, the moon, having met us, commanded us to tell, first, greetings to the Athenians and their allies; then she declared she was angry; for she had suffered terrible things, benefiting you all, not in words, but openly.
§612πρῶτα μὲν τοῦ μηνὸς ἐς δᾷδʼ οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ δραχμήν, §613ὥστε καὶ λέγειν ἅπαντας ἐξιόντας ἑσπέρας, §614μὴ πρίῃ παῖ δᾷδʼ, ἐπειδὴ φῶς σεληναίας καλόν. §615ἄλλα τʼ εὖ δρᾶν φησιν, ὑμᾶς δʼ οὐκ ἄγειν τὰς ἡμέρας §616οὐδὲν ὀρθῶς, ἀλλʼ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω κυδοιδοπᾶν· §617ὥστʼ ἀπειλεῖν φησιν αὐτῇ τοὺς θεοὺς ἑκάστοτε §618ἡνίκʼ ἂν ψευσθῶσι δείπνου κἀπίωσιν οἴκαδε, §619τῆς ἑορτῆς μὴ τυχόντες κατὰ λόγον τῶν ἡμερῶν.
First, for a torch not less than a drachma each month, so that everyone, when going out in the evening, says, "Boy, don't buy a torch, since the moonlight is beautiful." And she says she does other good things, but you do not keep the days correctly at all, but jumble them upside down; so that she says the gods threaten her each time, whenever they are cheated of their dinner and go back home, not having met with the feast according to the reckoning of the days.
§620κᾆθʼ ὅταν θύειν δέῃ, στρεβλοῦτε καὶ δικάζετε·
And then when you ought to sacrifice, you torture and judge.