§672χὤστις φίλος κἄσπευδεν εἶναι μὴ μάχας.
and who was a friend and strove for there to be no battles.
§673εὐνούστατος μὲν ἦν μακρῷ Κλεώνυμος.
Cleonymus was by far the most well-disposed.
What kind of man, then, does Cleonymus seem to be in matters of war?
Most excellent in soul, except that he turned out not to be the son of the father he claims to be.
For if he ever went out as a soldier, he immediately became a caster-away of his weapons.
Hear further what she just asked me: who now holds power over the stone in the Pnyx.
§681Ὑπέρβολος νῦν τοῦτʼ ἔχει τὸ χωρίον.
Hyperbolus now holds that place.
§682αὕτη τί ποιεῖς;
You there, what are you doing?
τὴν κεφαλὴν ποῖ περιάγεις;
Where are you turning your head?
She turns away from the People, vexed because they chose a wicked leader for themselves.
§685ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ αὐτῷ χρησόμεθʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ νῦν §686ἀπορῶν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτρόπου καὶ γυμνὸς ὢν §687τοῦτον τέως τὸν ἄνδρα περιεζώσατο.
But we shall use him no longer; rather, now, the People, lacking a guardian and being naked, have temporarily girded themselves with this man.
§688πῶς οὖν ξυνοίσει ταῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷ τῇ πόλει.
She asks, then, how this will benefit the city.
§689εὐβουλότεροι γενησόμεθα.
We shall be more prudent.
§689bτρόπῳ τίνι;
In what way?
§690ὅτι τυγχάνει λυχνοποιὸς ὤν.
Because he happens to be a lamp-maker.
Before this, indeed, we were groping in the dark in our affairs, but now we shall deliberate everything by lamp-light.
Oh, oh, what things she ordered me to inquire of you!
§693bτὰ τί;
What things?
Very many things, and the old things she left behind back then; and first she asked how Sophocles is doing.
§696εὐδαιμονεῖ, πάσχει δὲ θαυμαστόν.
He is doing well, but something strange is happening to him.
§696bτὸ τί;
What's that?
§697ἐκ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους γίγνεται Σιμωνίδης.
Sophocles is turning into Simonides.
§698Σιμωνίδης;
Simonides?
πῶς;
How?
Because, being old and decayed, for the sake of gain he would sail even on a wicker mat.
§700τί δαί;
What then?
Κρατῖνος ὁ σοφὸς ἔστιν;
Is the wise Cratinus alive?
§701bτί παθών;
What happened to him?
§701cὅ τι;
What?
He swooned; for he could not bear seeing a wine-jar full of wine being smashed.
§704χἄτερα πόσʼ ἄττʼ οἴει γεγενῆσθʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει;
And how many other things do you think have happened in the city?
§705ὥστʼ οὐδέποτʼ ὦ δέσποινʼ ἀφησόμεσθά σου.
So that, O mistress, we shall never let you go.
§706ἴθι νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν Ὀπώραν λάμβανε §707γυναῖκα σαυτῷ τήνδε· κᾆτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς §708ταύτῃ ξυνοικῶν ἐκποιοῦ σαυτῷ βότρυς.
Go now, on these terms take this Opora as your wife; and then, living with her in the fields, produce grapes for yourself.
§709ὦ φιλτάτη δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ δός μοι κύσαι.
O dearest one, come here and give me a kiss.
Do you think I would suffer any harm, master Hermes, after a long time, if I drive into Opora?
§712οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν.
Not if you drink a pennyroyal potion afterwards.
But as quickly as possible take this Theoria and lead her away to the Council, whose she once was.
§715ὦ μακαρία βουλὴ σὺ τῆς Θεωρίας, §716ὅσον ῥοφήσει ζωμὸν ἡμερῶν τριῶν, §717ὅσας δὲ κατέδει ξόλικας ἑφθὰς καὶ κρέα.
O blessed Council, because of Theoria, how much three-day soup you will gulp down, and how many boiled sausages and meats you will devour!
§718ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ χαῖρε πολλά.
Farewell indeed, dear Hermes.
And you too, man, go in joy and remember me.
§720ὦ κάνθαρʼ οἴκαδʼ οἴκαδʼ ἀποπετώμεθα.
O dung-beetle, let's fly home, home!
§721οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ ὦ τᾶν ἔστι.
He is not here, my friend.
§721bποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;
Where has he gone then?
§722ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἐλθὼν Ζηνὸς ἀστραπηφορεῖ.
He has gone under Zeus's chariot and carries his lightning.
§723πόθεν οὖν ὁ τλήμων ἐνθάδʼ ἕξει σιτία;
Where then will the wretched creature get food there?
§724τὴν τοῦ Γανυμήδους ἀμβροσίαν σιτήσεται.
He will feed on Ganymede's ambrosia.
§725πῶς δῆτʼ ἐγὼ καταβήσομαι;
How indeed shall I get down?
Cheer up, it's fine: this way, right past the goddess herself.
§726bδεῦρʼ ὦ κόραι §727ἕπεσθον ἅμʼ ἐμοὶ θᾶττον, ὡς πολλοὶ πάνυ §728ποθοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἀναμένουσʼ ἐστυκότες.
Come here, girls, follow me quickly, for very many who desire you are waiting with erections.
§729ἀλλʼ ἴθι χαίρων· ἡμεῖς δὲ τέως τάδε τὰ σκεύη παραδόντες §730τοῖς ἀκολούθοις δῶμεν σῴζειν, ὡς εἰώθασι μάλιστα §731περὶ τὰς σκηνὰς πλεῖστοι κλέπται κυπτάζειν καὶ κακοποιεῖν.
But go in joy; and meanwhile let us hand over these utensils to our attendants to keep safe, since very many thieves are accustomed to loiter around the tents and do mischief.
§732ἀλλὰ φυλάττετε ταῦτʼ ἀνδρείως· ἡμεῖς δʼ αὖ τοῖσι θεαταῖς §733ἣν ἔχομεν ὁδὸν λόγων εἴπωμεν ὅσα τε νοῦς ἔχει.
But guard these bravely; and we, in turn, shall address to the spectators the path of words we have, and all that is in our mind.
§734χρῆν μὲν τύπτειν τοὺς ῥαβδούχους, εἴ τις κωμῳδοποιητὴς §735αὑτὸν ἐπῄνει πρὸς τὸ θέατρον παραβὰς ἐν τοῖς ἀναπαίστοις· §736εἰ δʼ οὖν εἰκός τινα τιμῆσαι, θύγατερ Διός, ὅστις ἄριστος §737κωμῳδοδιδάσκαλος ἀνθρώπων καὶ κλεινότατος γεγένηται, §738ἄξιος εἶναί φησʼ εὐλογίας μεγάλης ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν.
The staff-bearers ought indeed to beat any comic poet who, stepping forward in the anapaests, praised himself before the theatre; but if it is right to honor anyone, O daughter of Zeus, who has become the best and most famous comic teacher of men, our teacher says he is worthy of great praise.
§739πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἀντιπάλους μόνος ἀνθρώπων κατέπαυσεν §740ἐς τὰ ῥάκια σκώπτοντας ἀεὶ καὶ τοῖς φθειρσὶν πολεμοῦντας, §741τούς θʼ Ἡρακλέας τοὺς μάττοντας καὶ τοὺς πεινῶντας ἐκείνους §742ἐξήλασʼ ἀτιμώσας πρῶτος, καὶ τοὺς δούλους παρέλυσεν §743τοὺς φεύγοντας κἀξαπατῶντας καὶ τυπτομένους ἐπίτηδες, §744οὓς ἐξῆγον κλάοντας ἀεί, καὶ τούτους οὕνεκα τουδί, §745ἵνʼ ὁ σύνδουλος σκώψας αὐτοῦ τὰς πληγὰς εἶτʼ ἀνέροιτο,
For first, he alone among men stopped his rivals from always making jokes about rags and fighting with lice; and those bread-kneading and starving Heracleses he first drove out with dishonor, and he released those slaves who run away and deceive and get beaten on purpose, whom they always brought out weeping, and that for this reason, so that a fellow-slave, mocking his blows, might then ask: