§391ᾤκησας γοῦν ἐπίτηδες ἰὼν ἐνταῦθʼ ἵνα ταῦτʼ ἀκροῷο, §392κἀβουλήθης μόνος ἡρώων παρὰ τὸν κλάοντα καθῆσθαι.
At any rate, you settled here on purpose, coming so that you might listen to these things, and wished, alone of the heroes, to sit beside the weeping one.
§393ἐλέησον καὶ σῶσον νυνὶ τὸν σαυτοῦ πλησιόχωρον· §394κοὐ μή ποτέ σου παρὰ τὰς κάννας οὐρήσω μηδʼ ἀποπάρδω.
Pity and save now your own neighbor; and never indeed will I piss or fart beside your reed-fence.
§395οὗτος ἐγείρου.
Hey you, wake up!
§395bτί τὸ πρᾶγμʼ;
What's the matter?
§395cὥσπερ φωνή μέ τις ἐγκεκύκλωται.
A sort of voice seems to have surrounded me.
§396μῶν ὁ γέρων πῃ διαδύεται αὖ;
Is the old man slipping through somewhere again?
No, by Zeus, indeed not, but he is letting himself down, having bound himself.
§397bὦ μιαρώτατε τί ποιεῖς;
O most filthy wretch, what are you doing?
οὐ μὴ καταβήσει;
You shall not come down!
§398ἀνάβαινʼ ἀνύσας κατὰ τὴν ἑτέραν καὶ ταῖσιν φυλλάσι παῖε, §399ἤν πως πρύμνην ἀνακρούσηται πληγεὶς ταῖς εἰρεσιώναις.
Climb up quickly by the other way and strike with the leafy branches, so that perhaps, struck with the harvest-wreaths, he may back water.
§400οὐ ξυλλήψεσθʼ ὁπόσοισι δίκαι τῆτες μέλλουσιν ἔσεσθαι, §401ὦ Σμικυθίων καὶ Τεισιάδη καὶ Χρήμων καὶ Φερέδειπνε;
Will you not help, as many as are going to have lawsuits this year, O Smicythion, and Teisiades, and Chremon, and Pheredeipnus?
§402πότε δʼ, εἰ μὴ νῦν, ἐπαρήξετέ μοι, πρίν μʼ εἴσω μᾶλλον ἄγεσθαι;
And when, if not now, will you help me, before I am dragged further inside?
Tell me, why do we hesitate to stir up that anger, which indeed we do whenever someone angers our wasp-nest?
Now that, now that sharp-tempered sting with which we punish, is readied as a sharp sting.
§408ἀλλὰ θαἰμάτια βαλόντες ὡς τάχιστα, παιδία, §409θεῖτε καὶ βοᾶτε, καὶ Κλέωνι ταῦτʼ ἀγγέλλετε, §410καὶ κελεύετʼ αὐτὸν ἥκειν §411ὡς ἐπʼ ἄνδρα μισόπολιν §412ὄντα κἀπολούμενον, ὅτι §413τόνδε λόγον ἐσφέρει, §414μὴ δικάζειν δίκας.
But casting off our cloaks as quickly as possible, children, run and shout, and report these things to Cleon, and order him to come as if against a city-hating man, and one doomed to destruction, because he introduces this proposal: not to judge lawsuits.
§415ὦγαθοὶ τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἀκούσατʼ, ἀλλὰ μὴ κεκράγετε.
My good sirs, hear the matter, but do not shout.
§416νὴ Δίʼ ἐς τὸν οὐρανόν γʼ.
By Zeus, yes, even to heaven!
§416bὡς τοῦδʼ ἐγὼ οὐ μεθήσομαι.
For I will not let go of this man.
§417ταῦτα δῆτʼ οὐ δεινὰ καὶ τυραννίς ἐστιν ἐμφανής;
Are these things indeed not terrible, and is it not manifest tyranny?
O city, and Theorus, hated by the gods, and whatever other flatterer stands at our head.
§420Ἡράκλεις καὶ κέντρʼ ἔχουσιν.
Heracles, they even have stings!
οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὦ δέσποτα;
Do you not see, master?
§421οἷς γʼ ἀπώλεσαν Φίλιππον ἐν δίκῃ τὸν Γοργίου.
With which indeed they destroyed Philippus, the son of Gorgias, in a lawsuit.
§422καὶ σέ γʼ αὐτοῖς ἐξολοῦμεν·
And you too we will destroy with them!
ἀλλὰ πᾶς ἐπίστρεφε §423δεῦρο κἀξείρας τὸ κέντρον εἶτʼ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἵεσο, §424ξυσταλεὶς εὔτακτος ὀργῆς καὶ μένους ἐμπλήμενος, §425ὡς ἂν εὖ εἰδῇ τὸ λοιπὸν σμῆνος οἷον ὤργισεν.
But everyone, turn here, and having drawn out your sting, then charge against him, drawn together in good order, and filled with anger and spirit, so that for the future he may well know what kind of swarm he has angered.
This indeed is terrible now, by Zeus, if we are going to fight; for I, looking at them, fear their stings.
§428ἀλλʼ ἀφίει τὸν ἄνδρʼ·
But let go of the man!
εἰ δὲ μή, φήμʼ ἐγὼ §429τὰς χελώνας μακαριεῖν σε τοῦ δέρματος.
Otherwise, I say, you will deem turtles happy because of their shell.
§430εἶά νυν ὦ ξυνδικασταὶ σφῆκες ὀξυκάρδιοι, §431οἱ μὲν ἐς τὸν πρωκτὸν αὐτῶν ἐσπέτεσθʼ ὠργισμένοι, §432οἱ δὲ τὠφθαλμὼ κύκλῳ κεντεῖτε καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους.
Come then, O fellow-jurist wasps, sharp-tempered ones, some of you fly into their backside, being angered, and others sting both eyes all around, and the fingers.
§433ὦ Μίδα καὶ Φρὺξ βοήθει δεῦρο καὶ Μασιντύα,
O Midas and Phryx and Masintyas, help here!
Lay hold of this man, and do not let go to anyone; otherwise, in heavy fetters you will have no breakfast.
§436ὡς ἐγὼ πολλῶν ἀκούσας οἶδα θρίων τὸν ψόφον.
For I, having heard many fig-leaves, know their rustling.
§437εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτον μεθήσεις, ἔν τί σοι παγήσεται.
And if you do not let this man go, something will be driven into you.
§438ὦ Κέκροψ ἥρως ἄναξ τὰ πρὸς ποδῶν Δρακοντίδη, §439περιορᾷς οὕτω μʼ ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν βαρβάρων χειρούμενον, §440οὓς ἐγὼ ʼδίδαξα κλάειν τέτταρʼ ἐς τὴν χοίνικα;
O Cecrops, hero king, dragon-like in your lower parts, do you look on while I am thus overpowered by barbarian men, whom I taught to weep four times for a choenix?
§441εἶτα δῆτʼ οὐ πόλλʼ ἔνεστι δεινὰ τῷ γήρᾳ κακά;
Then indeed, are there not many terrible evils in old age?
§442δηλαδή·
Clearly.
καὶ νῦν γε τούτω τὸν παλαιὸν δεσπότην §443πρὸς βίαν χειροῦσιν, οὐδὲν τῶν πάλαι μεμνημένοι §444διφθερῶν κἀξωμίδων, ἃς οὗτος αὐτοῖς ἠμπόλα, §445καὶ κυνᾶς· καὶ τοὺς πόδας χειμῶνος ὄντος ὠφέλει, §446ὥστε μὴ ῥιγῶν ἑκάστοτʼ· ἀλλὰ τούτοις γʼ οὐκ ἔνι §447οὐδʼ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖσιν αἰδὼς τῶν παλαιῶν ἐμβάδων.
And now indeed these two are overpowering their old master, remembering nothing of the past leather coats and tunics, which this man bought for them, and dog-skin caps; and he used to help their feet in the winter, so that they might not shiver each time; but in these men there is not even in their eyes, any respect for those old shoes.
§448οὐκ ἀφήσεις οὐδὲ νυνί μʼ ὦ κάκιστον θηρίον, §449οὐδʼ ἀναμνησθεὶς ὅθʼ εὑρὼν τοὺς βότρυς κλέπτοντά σε §450προσαγαγὼν πρὸς τὴν ἐλάαν ἐξέδειρʼ εὖ κἀνδρικῶς, §451ὥστε σε ζηλωτὸν εἶναι;
Will you not let me go even now, O most evil beast, nor remembering when, having caught you stealing grapes, I tied you to the olive tree and whipped you well and manfully, so that you were envied?
σὺ δʼ ἀχάριστος ἦσθʼ ἄρα.
You were ungrateful, as it turned out!
§452ἀλλʼ ἄνες με καὶ σὺ καὶ σύ, πρὶν τὸν υἱὸν ἐκδραμεῖν.
But let me go, both you and you, before my son runs out.
§453ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν τάχʼ ἡμῖν δώσετον καλὴν δίκην, §454οὐκέτʼ ἐς μακρὰν ἵνʼ εἰδῆθʼ οἷός ἐστʼ ἀνδρῶν τρόπος §455ὀξυθύμων καὶ δικαίων καὶ βλεπόντων κάρδαμα.
But for these things indeed you two will soon pay us a fair penalty, before long, so that you may know what kind of character men have, sharp-tempered, just, and looking wild cress.
§456παῖε παἶ ὦ Ξανθία τοὺς σφῆκας ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας.
Strike, strike, O Xanthias, the wasps away from the house!