§621πολλάκις δʼ ἡμῶν ἀγόντων τῶν θεῶν ἀπαστίαν, §622ἡνίκʼ ἂν πενθῶμεν ἢ τὸν Μέμνονʼ ἢ Σαρπηδόνα, §623σπένδεθʼ ὑμεῖς καὶ γελᾶτʼ· ἀνθʼ ὧν λαχὼν Ὑπέρβολος §624τῆτες ἱερομνημονεῖν, κἄπειθʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν τῶν θεῶν §625τὸν στέφανον ἀφῃρέθη· μᾶλλον γὰρ οὕτως εἴσεται §626κατὰ σελήνην ὡς ἄγειν χρὴ τοῦ βίου τὰς ἡμέρας.
Often, while we gods are keeping a fast, whenever we mourn either Memnon or Sarpedon, you pour libations and laugh; in return for which, Hyperbolus, having been chosen this year to be hieromnemon, was then by us gods deprived of his crown; for in this way he will rather know how he must guide the days of his life according to the moon.
§627μὰ τὴν Ἀναπνοὴν μὰ τὸ Χάος μὰ τὸν Ἀέρα
By Respiration, by Chaos, by Air!
§628οὐκ εἶδον οὕτως ἄνδρʼ ἄγροικον οὐδένα §629οὐδʼ ἄπορον οὐδὲ σκαιὸν οὐδʼ ἐπιλήσμονα· §630ὅστις σκαλαθυρμάτιʼ ἄττα μικρὰ μανθάνων §631ταῦτʼ ἐπιλέλησται πρὶν μαθεῖν·
I have never seen any man so rustic, nor so helpless, nor so clumsy, nor so forgetful; who, learning some tiny little quibbles, has forgotten them before learning them.
ὅμως γε μὴν §632αὐτὸν καλῶ θύραζε δευρὶ πρὸς τὸ φῶς.
Nevertheless, however, I call him out here to the light.
§633ποῦ Στρεψιάδης;
Socrates: Where is Strepsiades?
ἔξει τὸν ἀσκάντην λαβών;
Will you come out, bringing your bed?
§634ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐῶσί μʼ ἐξενεγκεῖν οἱ κόρεις.
Strepsiades: But the bugs do not allow me to carry it out.
§635ἀνύσας τι κατάθου καὶ πρόσεχε τὸν νοῦν.
Socrates: Put it down quickly and pay attention.
§635bἰδού.
Strepsiades: There, it is done.
Socrates: Come now, what do you wish to learn first now of those things of which you have never been taught anything?
εἰπέ μοι.
Tell me.
§638πότερα περὶ μέτρων ἢ περὶ ἐπῶν ἢ ῥυθμῶν;
Whether about measures, or about verses, or about rhythms?
Strepsiades: I indeed about measures; for lately I was cheated by a meal-seller by two choenikes.
Socrates: I do not ask you this, but what you consider to be the most beautiful measure: the trimeter or the tetrameter?
§643ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν πρότερον ἡμιεκτέου.
Strepsiades: I indeed nothing before the hemi-hecteus.
§644οὐδὲν λέγεις ὦνθρωπε.
Socrates: You are speaking nonsense, man.
Strepsiades: Bet me then, if a hemi-hecteus is not a tetrameter.
§646ἐς κόρακας, ὡς ἄγροικος εἶ καὶ δυσμαθής.
Socrates: Go to the crows! How rustic and slow to learn you are.
§647ταχύ γʼ ἂν δύναιο μανθάνειν περὶ ῥυθμῶν.
You might quickly be able to learn about rhythms.
§648τί δέ μʼ ὠφελήσουσʼ οἱ ῥυθμοὶ πρὸς τἄλφιτα;
Strepsiades: But how will rhythms benefit me regarding barley-meal?
§649πρῶτον μὲν εἶναι κομψὸν ἐν συνουσίᾳ, §650ἐπαΐονθʼ ὁποῖός ἐστι τῶν ῥυθμῶν §651κατʼ ἐνόπλιον, χὠποῖος αὖ κατὰ δάκτυλον.
Socrates: First, to be elegant in company, understanding what kind of rhythm is according to the war-dance, and what kind again according to the dactyl.
§652κατὰ δάκτυλον;
Strepsiades: According to the dactyl?
νὴ τὸν Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ οἶδʼ.
By Zeus, but I know it!
§652bεἰπὲ δή.
Socrates: Tell me then.
§653τίς ἄλλος ἀντὶ τουτουὶ τοῦ δακτύλου;
Strepsiades: What other than this finger?
§654πρὸ τοῦ μέν, ἔτʼ ἐμοῦ παιδὸς ὄντος, οὑτοσί.
In former times, while I was still a boy, this one.
§655ἀγρεῖος εἶ καὶ σκαιός.
Socrates: You are rustic and stupid.
Strepsiades: But, wretched man, I do not desire to learn any of these things.
§656bτί δαί;
Socrates: What then?
§657ἐκεῖνʼ ἐκεῖνο, τὸν ἀδικώτατον λόγον.
Strepsiades: That, that: the most unjust argument.
Socrates: But you must learn other things before this: which of the quadrupeds are correctly masculine.
Strepsiades: But I indeed know the masculines, unless I am mad: ram, he-goat, bull, dog, chicken.
§662ὁρᾷς ὃ πάσχεις;
Socrates: Do you see what you are doing?
τήν τε θήλειαν καλεῖς §663ἀλεκτρυόνα κατὰ ταὐτὸ καὶ τὸν ἄρρενα.
You call the female chicken by the same name as the male.
§664πῶς δὴ φέρʼ;
Strepsiades: How so, tell me?
§664bὅπως;
Socrates: How?
ἀλεκτρυὼν κἀλεκτρυών.
Chicken and chicken.
§665νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ.
Strepsiades: By Poseidon!
νῦν δὲ πῶς με χρὴ καλεῖν;
But now how must I call it?
§666ἀλεκτρύαιναν, τὸν δʼ ἕτερον ἀλέκτορα.
Socrates: "Alektryaina", and the other "alektor".
§667ἀλεκτρύαιναν;
Strepsiades: "Alektryaina"?
εὖ γε νὴ τὸν Ἀέρα·
Splendid, by Air!
So that in return for this single instruction, I will fill your kneading-trough all around with barley-meal.
Socrates: Look, once again, here is another error: you call the kneading-trough masculine, though it is feminine.
§673bπῶς δή;
Strepsiades: How so?
φράσον.
Tell me.
§674ταὐτὸν δύναταί σοι κάρδοπος Κλεωνύμῳ.
Socrates: "Kardopos" has the same power for you as "Cleonymus".
Strepsiades: But, my good sir, Cleonymus did not even have a kneading-trough, but he used to knead in a round mortar.
§677ἀτὰρ τὸ λοιπὸν πῶς με χρὴ καλεῖν;
Strepsiades: But for the future, how must I call it?
§677bὅπως;
Socrates: How?
§678τὴν καρδόπην, ὥσπερ καλεῖς τὴν Σωστράτην.
"Kardope", just as you call "Sostrate".
§679τὴν καρδόπην θήλειαν;
Strepsiades: "Kardope" as feminine?
§679bὀρθῶς γὰρ λέγεις.
Socrates: Yes, for you speak correctly.
§680ἐκεῖνο δʼ ἦν ἄν, καρδόπη, Κλεωνύμη.
Strepsiades: That would be: kardope, Cleonyme.
Socrates: Still indeed you must learn about names, which of them are masculine, and which of them are feminine.
§683ἀλλʼ οἶδʼ ἔγωγʼ ἃ θήλεʼ ἐστίν.
Strepsiades: But I indeed know which are feminine.
§683bεἰπὲ δή.
Socrates: Tell me then.
§684Λύσιλλα Φίλιννα Κλειταγόρα Δημητρία.
Strepsiades: Lysilla, Philinna, Cleitagora, Demetria.
§685ἄρρενα δὲ ποῖα τῶν ὀνομάτων;
Socrates: And which of the names are masculine?
§685bμυρία.
Strepsiades: Countless.
§686Φιλόξενος Μελησίας Ἀμυνίας.
Philoxenus, Melesias, Amynias.
§687ἀλλʼ ὦ πόνηρε ταῦτά γʼ ἐστʼ οὐκ ἄρρενα.
Socrates: But, you wretch, these are not masculine.
§688οὐκ ἄρρενʼ ὑμῖν ἐστιν;
Strepsiades: Are they not masculine to you?
Socrates: Not at all, since how would you call Amynias if you met him?
§690ὅπως ἄν;
Strepsiades: How?
ὡδί, δεῦρο δεῦρʼ Ἀμυνία. §691ὁρᾷς;
Thus: "Come here, come here, Amynia!" Socrates: Do you see?
γυναῖκα τὴν Ἀμυνίαν καλεῖς.
You call Amynias a woman.
§692οὔκουν δικαίως ἥτις οὐ στρατεύεται;
Strepsiades: Is it not then justly, since she does not go to war?
§693ἀτὰρ τί ταῦθʼ ἃ πάντες ἴσμεν μανθάνω;
Strepsiades: But why do I learn these things which we all know?
Socrates: Nothing, by Zeus, but lie down here— Strepsiades: What should I do?
§695ἐκφρόντισόν τι τῶν σεαυτοῦ πραγμάτων.
Socrates: Think out some of your own affairs.
Strepsiades: No, indeed, I beseech you, not here; but if I must, permit me to think out these very things on the ground.
§698οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ ταῦτʼ ἄλλα.
Socrates: There is no other way besides this.