§869καὶ τῶν κρεμαθρῶν οὔπω τρίβων τῶν ἐνθάδε.
Socrates: And he is not yet experienced in the hanging baskets here.
§870αὐτὸς τρίβων εἴης ἄν, εἰ κρέμαιό γε.
Pheidippides: You yourself would be a worn-out cloak, if you were to hang at least.
§871οὐκ ἐς κόρακας;
Strepsiades: Go to the crows!
καταρᾷ σὺ τῷ διδασκάλῳ;
Do you curse your teacher?
§872ἰδοὺ κρέμαιʼ, ὡς ἠλίθιον ἐφθέγξατο
Socrates: Look at that, 'if you were to hang', how foolishly he spoke, and with those lips parted wide and dripping.
§873καὶ τοῖσι χείλεσιν διερρυηκόσιν. §874πῶς ἂν μάθοι ποθʼ οὗτος ἀπόφυξιν δίκης §875ἢ κλῆσιν ἢ χαύνωσιν ἀναπειστηρίαν;
How could this man ever learn an acquittal from a lawsuit, or a summons, or the persuasive puffing-up that bamboozles?
§876καίτοι γε ταλάντου τοῦτʼ ἔμαθεν Ὑπέρβολος.
And yet Hyperbolos learned this at the cost of a talent.
§877ἀμέλει δίδασκε· θυμόσοφός ἐστιν φύσει·
Strepsiades: Never mind, teach him; he is naturally wise in his mind.
§878εὐθύς γέ τοι παιδάριον ὄν τυννουτονὶ §879ἔπλαττεν ἔνδον οἰκίας ναῦς τʼ ἔγλυφεν, §880ἁμαξίδας τε σκυτίνας ἠργάζετο, §881κἀκ τῶν σιδίων βατράχους ἐποίει πῶς δοκεῖς.
At any rate, immediately when he was a little child of this size, he used to mold figures inside the house and carve ships, and make little leather carts, and make frogs out of pomegranate rinds, you can't imagine how!
§882ὅπως δʼ ἐκείνω τὼ λόγω μαθήσεται, §883τὸν κρείττονʼ ὅστις ἐστὶ καὶ τὸν ἥττονα, §884ὃς τἄδικα λέγων ἀνατρέπει τὸν κρείττονα·
But see that he learns those two arguments, the stronger one, whichever it is, and the weaker, which, by speaking unjust things, subverts the stronger.
§885ἐὰν δὲ μή, τὸν γοῦν ἄδικον πάσῃ τέχνῃ.
And if not both, at least the unjust one by all means.
§886αὐτὸς μαθήσεται παρʼ αὐτοῖν τοῖν λόγοιν.
Socrates: He will learn it himself from the two arguments themselves.
§887ἐγὼ δʼ ἀπέσομαι.
And I will be absent.
Strepsiades: Remember this now, that he will be able to speak against all just things.
Stronger Argument: Come here, show yourself to the spectators, insolent though you are.
§891ἴθʼ ὅποι χρῄζεις.
Weaker Argument: Go wherever you please.
πολὺ γὰρ μᾶλλόν ʼς §892ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖσι λέγων ἀπολῶ.
For I will much more destroy you speaking among the multitude.
§893ἀπολεῖς σύ;
Stronger Argument: You will destroy me?
τίς ὤν;
Who are you?
§893bλόγος.
Weaker Argument: An argument.
§893cἥττων γʼ ὤν.
Stronger Argument: The weaker one, yes.
Weaker Argument: But I conquer you, who claim to be my superior.
§895bτί σοφὸν ποιῶν;
Stronger Argument: By doing what wise thing?
§896γνώμας καινὰς ἐξευρίσκων.
Weaker Argument: By inventing novel ideas.
Stronger Argument: For these things flourish through these foolish men here.
§899οὔκ, ἀλλὰ σοφούς.
Weaker Argument: No, rather wise ones.
§899bἀπολῶ σε κακῶς.
Stronger Argument: I will destroy you miserably.
§900εἰπὲ τί ποιῶν;
Weaker Argument: Tell me, by doing what?
§900bτὰ δίκαια λέγων.
Stronger Argument: By speaking what is just.
Weaker Argument: But I will overturn them by speaking against them; for I declare that justice does not exist at all.
§903οὐκ εἶναι φῄς;
Stronger Argument: You say it does not exist?
§903bφέρε γὰρ ποῦ ʼστιν;
Weaker Argument: Yes, for where is it?
§904παρὰ τοῖσι θεοῖς.
Stronger Argument: With the gods.
Weaker Argument: How indeed, if justice exists, has Zeus not perished, having bound his own father?
§906bαἰβοῖ τουτὶ καὶ δὴ
Stronger Argument: Bah!
§907χωρεῖ τὸ κακόν· δότε μοι λεκάνην.
This evil indeed is already coming on; give me a basin.
§908τυφογέρων εἶ κἀνάρμοστος.
Weaker Argument: You are a doting old man and out of tune.
§909καταπύγων εἶ κἀναίσχυντος.
Stronger Argument: You are a pathic and shameless.
§910ῥόδα μʼ εἴρηκας.
Weaker Argument: You have spoken roses of me.
§910bκαὶ βωμολόχος.
Stronger Argument: And a scurrilous buffoon.
§911κρίνεσι στεφανοῖς.
Weaker Argument: You crown me with lilies.
§911bκαὶ πατραλοίας.
Stronger Argument: And a parricide.
§912χρυσῷ πάττων μʼ οὐ γιγνώσκεις.
Weaker Argument: You sprinkle me with gold and do not know it.
§913οὐ δῆτα πρὸ τοῦ γʼ, ἀλλὰ μολύβδῳ.
Stronger Argument: Certainly not in former times, but with lead.
§914νῦν δέ γε κόσμος τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν ἐμοί.
Weaker Argument: But now indeed this is an ornament for me.
§915θρασὺς εἶ πολλοῦ.
Stronger Argument: You are very impudent.
§915bσὺ δέ γʼ ἀρχαῖος.
Weaker Argument: And you are old-fashioned.
§916διὰ σὲ δὲ φοιτᾶν §917οὐδεὶς ἐθέλει τῶν μειρακίων· §918καὶ γνωσθήσει ποτʼ Ἀθηναίοις §919οἶα διδάσκεις τοὺς ἀνοήτους.
Stronger Argument: And because of you, none of the youths wants to go to school; and some day you will be known to the Athenians, what sort of things you teach the foolish.
§920αὐχμεῖς αἰσχρῶς.
Weaker Argument: You are shamefully squalid.
§920bσὺ δέ γʼ εὖ πράττεις.
Stronger Argument: But you, on the contrary, are doing well.
§921καίτοι πρότερόν γʼ ἐπτώχευες, §922Τήλεφος εἶναι Μυσὸς φάσκων, §923ἐκ πηριδίου §924γνώμας τρώγων Πανδελετείους.
And yet formerly indeed you were a beggar, claiming to be the Mysian Telephus, from a little bag nibbling Pandeletean opinions.
§925ὤμοι σοφίας — §925bὤμοι μανίας — §926ἧς ἐμνήσθης — §927τῆς σῆς, πόλεώς θʼ ἥτις σε τρέφει §928λυμαινόμενον τοῖς μειρακίοις.
Weaker Argument: Alas, what wisdom— Stronger Argument: Alas, what madness— Weaker Argument: which you have mentioned— Stronger Argument: yours, and that of the city which feeds you, damaging the youths.
§929οὐχὶ διδάξεις τοῦτον Κρόνος ὤν.
Weaker Argument: You shall not teach this youth, being a Kronos.
Stronger Argument: If indeed he must be saved and not merely practice chatter.
§932δεῦρʼ ἴθι, τοῦτον δʼ ἔα μαίνεσθαι.
Weaker Argument: Come this way, and let this one rave.
§933κλαύσει, τὴν χεῖρʼ ἢν ἐπιβάλλῃς.
Stronger Argument: You shall weep, if you lay a hand on him.
§934παύσασθε μάχης καὶ λοιδορίας.
Chorus: Cease from fighting and abuse.
§935ἀλλʼ ἐπίδειξαι σύ τε τοὺς προτέρους §936ἅττʼ ἐδίδασκες, σύ τε τὴν καινὴν §937παίδευσιν, ὅπως ἂν ἀκούσας σφῷν §938ἀντιλεγόντοιν κρίνας φοιτᾷ.
But do you show, both you what you used to teach the men of old, and you the new education, so that having heard you both disputing, he may judge and go to school.
§939δρᾶν ταῦτʼ ἐθέλω.
Stronger Argument: I am willing to do this.
§939bκἄγωγʼ ἐθέλω.
Weaker Argument: And I too am willing.
§940φέρε δὴ πότερος λέξει πρότερος;
Chorus: Come now, which of the two will speak first?
§941τούτῳ δώσω· §942κᾆτʼ ἐκ τούτων ὧν ἂν λέξῃ §943ῥηματίοισιν καινοῖς αὐτὸν §944καὶ διανοίαις κατατοξεύσω.
Stronger Argument: I will yield to him; and then, from these things which he may say, with novel little words and thoughts I will shoot him down.
§945τὸ τελευταῖον δʼ, ἢν ἀναγρύζῃ, §946τὸ πρόσωπον ἅπαν καὶ τὠφθαλμὼ §947κεντούμενος ὥσπερ ὑπʼ ἀνθρηνῶν §948ὑπὸ τῶν γνωμῶν ἀπολεῖται.
And at last, if he mutters at all, his whole face and both eyes, being stung as if by wasps, will be destroyed by my thoughts.
§949νῦν δείξετον τὼ πισύνω τοῖς περιδεξίοισι §950λόγοισι καὶ φροντίσι καὶ γνωμοτύποις μερίμναις, §951ὁπότερος αὐτοῖν λέγων ἀμείνων φανήσεται.
Chorus: Now do you two show, trusting in your dexterous arguments and thoughts and maxim-coining cares, which of the two will appear better in speaking.
For now the whole danger of wisdom is set loose here, about which the greatest contest is for my friends.
§959ἀλλʼ ὦ πολλοῖς τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἤθεσι χρηστοῖς στεφανώσας, §960ῥῆξον φωνὴν ᾗτινι χαίρεις, καὶ τὴν σαυτοῦ φύσιν εἰπέ.
Chorus: But, O you who crowned the elders with many good habits, utter a voice in which you delight, and tell your own nature.
§961λέξω τοίνυν τὴν ἀρχαίαν παιδείαν ὡς διέκειτο, §962ὅτʼ ἐγὼ τὰ δίκαια λέγων ἤνθουν καὶ σωφροσύνη ʼνενόμιστο.
Stronger Argument: I will therefore tell the old education, how it was situated, when I, speaking what is just, flourished, and temperance was the rule.
§963πρῶτον μὲν ἔδει παιδὸς φωνὴν γρύξαντος μηδὲν ἀκοῦσαι· §964εἶτα βαδίζειν ἐν ταῖσιν ὁδοῖς εὐτάκτως ἐς κιθαριστοῦ §965τοὺς κωμήτας γυμνοὺς ἁθρόους, κεἰ κριμνώδη κατανείφοι.
First of all, it was necessary not to hear a child muttering anything; then, to walk in the streets orderly to the cithara-player's house, the boys of the village, without cloaks, in a body, even if it snowed like barley-meal.
§966εἶτʼ αὖ προμαθεῖν ᾆσμʼ ἐδίδασκεν τὼ μηρὼ μὴ ξυνέχοντας,
then again, he taught them to learn beforehand a song, not keeping their thighs together,