§163μὰ τὸν Ποσειδῶ Φιλοκλέων οὐδέποτέ γε.
By Poseidon, Philocleon, never indeed!
§164διατρώξομαι τοίνυν ὀδὰξ τὸ δίκτυον.
Then I will gnaw through the net with my teeth.
§165ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔχεις ὀδόντας.
But you don't have teeth.
§165bοἴμοι δείλαιος·
Oh, wretched me!
§166τῶς ἄν σʼ ἀποκτείναιμι;
How could I kill you?
πῶς;
How?
δότε μοι ξίφος §167ὅπως τάχιστʼ, ἢ πινάκιον τιμητικόν.
Give me a sword as quickly as possible, or a condemnation tablet!
§168ἅνθρωπος οὗτος μέγα τι δρασείει κακόν.
This man wants to do some great mischief.
§169μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ δῆτʼ, ἀλλʼ ἀποδόσθαι βούλομαι §170τὸν ὄνον ἄγων αὐτοῖσι τοῖς κανθηλίοις· §171νουμηνία γάρ ἐστιν.
No, by Zeus, certainly not, but I want to sell the donkey, leading it out with its panniers; for it is the new moon.
§172bοὐχ ὥσπερ γʼ ἐγώ.
Not as well as I would.
§173μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἄμεινον.
By Zeus, but better.
§173bἀλλὰ τὸν ὄνον ἔξαγε.
Well, lead out the donkey.
What a pretext he let down, how ironically, so that you might send him out!
But he didn't pull it off in this way; for I perceived him plotting.
But going in, I think I will lead out the donkey, so that the old man may not even peek out again.
§179κάνθων τί κλάεις;
Donkey, why are you crying?
ὅτι πεπράσει τήμερον;
Because you will be sold today?
§180βάδιζε θᾶττον.
Walk faster.
τί στένεις, εἰ μὴ φέρεις §181Ὀδυσσέα τινʼ;
Why do you groan, unless you are carrying some Odysseus?
But yes, by Zeus, he is carrying someone clinging underneath here.
§183ποῖον;
What sort of thing?
φέρʼ ἴδωμαι τουτονί.
Let me see this.
τουτὶ τί ἦν;
What was this?
§184τίς εἶ ποτʼ ὦνθρωπʼ ἐτεόν;
Who on earth are you, man, in truth?
§184bΟὖτις νὴ Δία.
Outis (Nobody), by Zeus.
§185Οὖτις σύ;
You, Outis?
ποδαπός;
From where?
§185bἼθακος Ἀποδρασιππίδου.
An Ithacan, son of Apodrasippides.
§186Οὖτις μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὔτι χαιρήσων γε σύ.
You, Outis? By Zeus, you shall certainly not rejoice.
§187ὕφελκε θᾶττον αὐτόν.
Drag him out quickly.
ὦ μιαρώτατος §188ἵνʼ ὑποδέδυκεν·
Oh, most abominable, where he has crept under!
ὥστʼ ἔμοιγʼ ἰνδάλλεται §189ὁμοιότατος κλητῆρος εἶναι πωλίῳ.
So that to me he seems most like a summoner's donkey-foal.
§190εἰ μή μʼ ἐάσεθʼ ἥσυχον, μαχούμεθα.
If you do not leave me in peace, we shall fight.
§191περὶ τοῦ μαχεῖ νῷν δῆτα;
What indeed will you fight us about?
§191bπερὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς.
About a donkey's shadow.
§192πονηρὸς εἶ πόρρω τέχνης καὶ παράβολος.
You are wicked far beyond art, and reckless.
§193ἐγὼ πονηρός;
I, wicked?
οὐ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶσθα σὺ §194νῦν μʼ ὄντʼ ἄριστον· ἀλλʼ ἴσως, ὅταν φάγῃς §195ὑπογάστριον γέροντος ἡλιαστικοῦ.
No, by Zeus, but you do not know how excellent I am now; but perhaps you will, when you eat the underbelly of an old dicast.
§196ὤθει τὸν ὄνον καὶ σαυτὸν ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν.
Push the donkey and yourself into the house.
§197ὦ ξυνδικασταὶ καὶ Κλέων ἀμύνατε.
Oh, fellow-dicasts and Cleon, help me!
§198ἔνδον κέκραχθι τῆς θύρας κεκλῃμένης.
Shout inside, with the door locked.
§199ὤθει σὺ πολλοὺς τῶν λίθων πρὸς τὴν θύραν, §200καὶ τὴν βάλανον ἔμβαλλε πάλιν ἐς τὸν μοχλόν, §201καὶ τῇ δοκῷ προσθεὶς τὸν ὅλμον τὸν μέγαν §202ἀνύσας τι προσκύλισον.
You, push many of the stones against the door, and cast the pin back into the bar, and placing the great mortar against the beam, roll it up quickly.
§202bοἴμοι δείλαιος·
Oh, wretched me!
§203πόθεν ποτʼ ἐμπέπτωκέ μοι τὸ βωλίον;
From where on earth did this clod of earth fall on me?
§204ἴσως ἄνωθεν μῦς ἐνέβαλέ σοί ποθεν.
Perhaps a mouse threw it on you from above somewhere.
§205μῦς;
A mouse?
οὐ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ὑποδυόμενός τις οὑτοσὶ §206ὑπὸ τῶν κεραμίδων ἡλιαστὴς ὀροφίας.
No, by Zeus, but this one creeping under under the roof tiles, a roof-climbing dicast.
§207οἴμοι κακοδαίμων, στροῦθος ἁνὴρ γίγνεται·
Oh, miserable me, the man is becoming a sparrow!
§208ἐκπτήσεται.
He will fly away.
ποῦ ποῦ ʼστί μοι τὸ δίκτυον;
Where, where is the net for me?
§209σοῦ σοῦ, πάλιν σοῦ.
Shoo, shoo, back, shoo!
νὴ Δίʼ ἦ μοι κρεῖττον ἦν §210τηρεῖν Σκιώνην ἀντὶ τούτου τοῦ πατρός.
By Zeus, it would indeed have been better for me to guard Scione instead of this father.
§211ἄγε νυν, ἐπειδὴ τουτονὶ σεσοβήκαμεν, §212κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως διαδὺς ἂν ἡμᾶς ἔτι λάθοι, §213τί οὐκ ἀπεκοιμήθημεν ὅσον ὅσον στίλην;
Come now, since we have shooed this one back, and there is no way he could still slip through us unnoticed, why did we not sleep just a tiny bit?
But, my good fellow, they will come a little later, the fellow-dicasts, calling upon this father.
§216bτίλέγεις;
What are you saying?
ἀλλὰ νῦν γʼ ὄρθρος βαθύς.
But now indeed it is deep dawn.
§217νὴ τὸν Δίʼ, ὀψὲ γοῦν ἀνεστήκασι νῦν.
Yes, by Zeus, they are up late today at least.
§218ὡς ἀπὸ μέσων νυκτῶν γε παρακαλοῦσʼ ἀεί, §219λύχνους ἔχοντες καὶ μινυρίζοντες μέλη §220ἀρχαῖα μελισιδωνοφρυνιχήρατα, §221οἷς ἐκκαλοῦνται τοῦτον.
For they always call for him from midnight, holding lamps and humming old, honey-sweet, Phrynichus-beloved songs, with which they call him out.
Therefore, if necessary, we shall pelt them with stones right away.
But, my good fellow, if anyone angers the race of old men, it is like a wasp's nest.
§225ἔχουσι γὰρ καὶ κέντρον ἐκ τῆς ὀσφύος §226ὀξύτατον, ᾧ κεντοῦσι, καὶ κεκραγότες §227πηδῶσι καὶ βάλλουσιν ὥσπερ φέψαλοι.
For they also have a very sharp sting from their waist, with which they sting, and shouting they leap and strike like sparks.
Do not worry; if I have stones, I will disperse the wasp's nest of many dicasts.
§230χώρει πρόβαινʼ ἐρρωμένως.
Walk, advance strongly.
ὦ Κωμία βραδύνεις.
Oh, Comias, you are slow.
§231μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ μέντοι πρὸ τοῦ γʼ, ἀλλʼ ἦσθʼ ἱμὰς κύνειος· §232νυνὶ δὲ κρείττων ἐστί σου Χαρινάδης βαδίζειν.
By Zeus, not indeed before this, but you used to be a tough dog-leash; but now Charinades is better than you at walking.
§233ὦ Στρυμόδωρε Κονθυλεῦ, βέλτιστε συνδικαστῶν, §234Εὐεργίδης ἆρʼ ἐστί που ʼνταῦθʼ ἢ Χάβης ὁ Φλυεύς;
Oh, Strymodorus of Conthyle, best of fellow-dicasts, is Evergides anywhere here, or Chabes of Phlya?
§235πάρεσθʼ ὃ δὴ λοιπόν γʼ ἔτʼ ἐστίν, ἀππαπαῖ παπαιάξ, §236ἥβης ἐκείνης ἡνίκʼ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ξυνῆμεν §237φρουροῦντʼ ἐγώ τε καὶ σύ· κᾆτα περιπατοῦντε νύκτωρ §238τῆς ἀρτοπώλιδος λαθόντʼ ἐκλέψαμεν τὸν ὅλμον, §239κᾆθʼ ἥψομεν τοῦ κορκόρου κατασχίσαντες αὐτόν.
Here is what indeed still remains, ah, papai, papaiax, of that youth when we were together in Byzantium keeping guard, both I and you; and then walking about at night, we stole the mortar from the bread-seller, escaping her notice, and then we split it to cook the wild herbs.