§1074λαμβάνειν τάλαντον, ἤν τε τῶν τυράννων τίς τινα §1075τῶν τεθνηκότων ἀποκτείνῃ, τάλαντον λαμβάνειν.
to receive a talent, and if anyone kills any of the tyrants who are already dead, to receive a talent.
§1076βουλόμεσθʼ οὖν νυν ἀνειπεῖν ταὐτὰ χἠμεῖς ἐνθάδε.
So we want to make the same proclamation here now.
§1077ἢν ἀποκτείνῃ τις ὑμῶν Φιλοκράτη τὸν Στρούθιον, §1078λήψεται τάλαντον, ἢν δὲ ζῶντά γʼ ἀγάγῃ, τέτταρα, §1079ὅτι συνείρων τοὺς σπίνους πωλεῖ καθʼ ἑπτὰ τοὐβολοῦ, §1080εἶτα φυσῶν τὰς κίχλας δείκνυσι καὶ λυμαίνεται, §1081τοῖς τε κοψίχοισιν ἐς τὰς ῥῖνας ἐγχεῖ τὰ πτερά, §1082τὰς περιστεράς θʼ ὁμοίως ξυλλαβὼν εἵρξας ἔχει, §1083κἀπαναγκάζει παλεύειν δεδεμένας ἐν δικτύῳ.
If any of you kills Philocrates the Struthian, he shall receive a talent; and if he brings him alive, four, because he strings finches together and sells them at seven for an obol, and then inflates thrushes, displays them and abuses them, and inserts feathers into the nostrils of blackbirds, and similarly has pigeons caught and caged, and forces them to act as decoys, bound in a net.
§1084ταῦτα βουλόμεσθʼ ἀνειπεῖν· κεἴ τις ὄρνιθας τρέφει §1085εἱργμένους ὑμῶν ἐν αὐλῇ, φράζομεν μεθιέναι.
We wish to proclaim these things; and if any of you keeps birds shut up in your courtyard, we order you to let them go.
§1086ἢν δὲ μὴ πίθησθε, συλληφθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ὀρνέων §1087αὖθις ὑμεῖς αὖ παρʼ ἡμῖν δεδεμένοι παλεύσετε.
And if you do not obey, you yourselves, seized by the birds, will in turn act as decoys, bound here among us.
§1088εὔδαιμον φῦλον πτηνῶν §1089οἰωνῶν, οἳ χειμῶνος μὲν §1090χλαίνας οὐκ ἀμπισχνοῦνται· §1091οὐδʼ αὖ θερμὴ πνίγους ἡμᾶς §1092ἀκτὶς τηλαυγὴς θάλπει· §1093ἀλλʼ ἀνθηρῶν λειμώνων §1094φύλλων τʼ ἐν κόλποις ναίω, §1095ἡνίκʼ ἂν ὁ θεσπέσιος ὀξὺ μέλος ἀχέτας §1096θάλπεσι μεσημβρινοῖς ἡλιομανὴς βοᾷ.
O happy race of winged birds, who in winter do not wrap themselves in cloaks, nor again, during the stifling heat, does the hot far-shining ray of the sun burn us; but I dwell in the bosoms of flowery meadows and of leaves, when the divine cicada, mad for the sun, cries out its shrill melody in the midday heat.
§1097χειμάζω δʼ ἐν κοίλοις ἄντροις §1098νύμφαοις οὐρείαις ξυμπαίζων· §1099ἠρινά τε βοσκόμεθα παρθένια §1100λευκότροφα μύρτα Χαρίτων τε κηπεύματα.
And I winter in hollow caves, playing with the mountain nymphs; and in spring we feed on the virgin, white-growing myrtle-berries and the garden fruits of the Graces.
§1102τοῖς κριταῖς εἰπεῖν τι βουλόμεσθα τῆς νίκης πέρι, §1103ὅσʼ ἀγάθʼ, ἢν κρίνωσιν ἡμᾶς, πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς δώσομεν, §1104ὥστε κρείττω δῶρα πολλῷ τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου λαβεῖν.
We wish to say something to the judges about the victory, how many good things we will give them all, if they judge us victors, so that they will receive gifts far better than those of Alexander.
§1105πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ οὗ μάλιστα πᾶς κριτὴς ἐφίεται, §1106γλαῦκες ὑμᾶς οὔποτʼ ἐπιλείψουσι Λαυρειωτικαί· §1107ἀλλʼ ἐνοικήσουσιν ἔνδον, ἔν τε τοῖς βαλλαντίοις §1108ἐννεοττεύσουσι κἀκλέψουσι μικρὰ κέρματα.
For first, what every judge especially desires, Laurion Owls will never fail you; but they will dwell within, and in your purses they will nest and hatch small coins.
Then, in addition to these, you will dwell as if in temples; for we will roof your houses with pediments (eagles).
§1111κἂν λαχόντες ἀρχίδιον εἶθʼ ἁρπάσαι βούλησθέ τι, §1112ὀξὺν ἱερακίσκον ἐς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῖν δώσομεν.
And if you obtain some small office by lot and then wish to snatch something, we will give a sharp little hawk into your hands.
§1113ἢν δέ που δειπνῆτε, πρηγορεῶνας ὑμῖν πέμψομεν.
And if you dine anywhere, we will send you bird-crops.
§1114ἢν δὲ μὴ κρίνητε, χαλκεύεσθε μηνίσκους φορεῖν §1115ὥσπερ ἀνδριάντες· ὡς ὑμῶν ὃς ἂν μὴ μῆνʼ ἔχῃ, §1116ὅταν ἔχητε χλανίδα λευκήν, τότε μάλισθʼ οὕτω δίκην §1117δώσεθʼ ἡμῖν, πᾶσι τοῖς ὄρνισι κατατιλώμενοι.
But if you do not judge us victors, forge crescent-shaped metal plates to wear like statues; for whichever of you does not have a crescent-moon, when you wear a white cloak, then especially indeed pay us penalty, being pooped on by all the birds.
§1118τὰ μὲν ἱέρʼ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὦρνιθες καλά· §1119ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους πάρεστιν ἄγγελος §1120οὐδείς, ὅτου πευσόμεθα τἀκεῖ πράγματα.
Pisthetaerus: Birds, our sacrificial omens are excellent; but how is it that no messenger from the wall is present, from whom we might learn how things are there?
§1121ἀλλʼ οὑτοσὶ τρέχει τις Ἀλφειὸν πνέων.
But wait, here runs someone breathing Alpheus.
§1122ποῦ ποῦ ʼστι, ποῦ ποῦ ποῦ ʼστι, ποῦ ποῦ ποῦ ʼστι ποῦ,
Messenger: Where, where is he, where, where, where is he, where, where, where is he, where?
§1123ποῦ Πισθέταιρός ἐστιν ἅρχων;
Where is Pisthetaerus the ruler?
§1123bοὑτοσί.
Pisthetaerus: Right here.
§1124ἐξῳκοδόμηταί σοι τὸ τεῖχος.
Messenger: Your wall has been completely built.
§1124bεὖ λέγεις.
Pisthetaerus: Excellent news.
§1125κάλλιστον ἔργον καὶ μεγαλοπρεπέστατον· §1126ὥστʼ ἂν ἐπάνω μὲν Προξενίδης ὁ Κομπασεὺς §1127καὶ Θεογένης ἐναντίω δύʼ ἅρματε, §1128ἵππων ὑπόντων μέγεθος ὅσον ὁ δούριος, §1129ὑπὸ τοῦ πλάτους ἂν παρελασαίτην.
Messenger: A most beautiful and most magnificent work; so that on top Proxenides of Bragston (Kompaseus) and Theogenes could, in two opposing chariots with horses harnessed beneath them as large as the wooden horse, drive past each other because of the width.
§1129bἩράκλεις.
Pisthetaerus: Heracles, what a feat!
Messenger: And the height is—for indeed I measured it myself— a hundred fathoms.
§1131bὦ Πόσειδον τοῦ μάκρους.
Pisthetaerus: Poseidon, what a height!
§1132τίνες ᾠκοδόμησαν αὐτὸ τηλικουτονί;
Who built it so huge?
§1133ὄρνιθες, οὐδεὶς ἄλλος, οὐκ Αἰγύπτιος
Messenger: Birds, no one else.
No Egyptian brick-carrier, no stonemason, no carpenter was present, but they did it with their own hands, so that I wonder.
From Libya indeed there came about thirty thousand cranes who had swallowed stones for foundations.
§1138τούτους δʼ ἐτύκιζον αἱ κρέκες τοῖς ῥύγχεσιν.
And these stones the rails chipped with their beaks.
§1139ἕτεροι δʼ ἐπλινθοφόρουν πελαργοὶ μύριοι· §1140ὕδωρ δʼ ἐφόρουν κάτωθεν ἐς τὸν ἀέρα §1141οἱ χαραδριοὶ καὶ τἄλλα ποτόμιʼ ὄρνεα.
And another ten thousand storks were carrying bricks; and water was carried from below into the air by the plovers and other river-birds.
§1142ἐπηλοφόρουν δʼ αὐτοῖσι τίνες;
Pisthetaerus: And who carried mud for them?
§1143bτὸν δὲ πηλὸν ἐνεβάλλοντο πῶς;
Pisthetaerus: And how did they load the mud?
§1144τοῦτʼ ὦγάθʼ ἐξηύρητο καὶ σοφώτατα· §1145οἱ χῆνες ὑποτύπτοντες ὥσπερ ταῖς ἄμαις §1146ἐς τὰς λεκάνας ἐνέβαλλον αὐτοῖς τοῖν ποδοῖν.
Messenger: That, my good friend, was discovered most cleverly; the geese, slipping their feet under like shovels, threw it into the hods with their two feet.
§1147τί δῆτα πόδες ἂν οὐκ ἂν ἐργασαίατο;
Pisthetaerus: What indeed could feet not accomplish?
§1148καὶ νὴ Δίʼ αἱ νῆτταί γε περιεζωσμέναι §1149ἐπλινθοφόρουν· ἄνω δὲ τὸν ὑπαγωγέα §1150ἐπέτοντʼ ἔχουσαι κατόπιν †ὥσπερ παιδία §1151τὸν πηλὸν ἐν τοῖς στόμασιν† αἱ χελιδόνες.
Messenger: And by Zeus, the ducks indeed, with aprons on, were carrying bricks; and flying up, with trowels behind them like children, carrying the mud in their mouths, were the swallows.
§1152τί δῆτα μισθωτοὺς ἂν ἔτι μισθοῖτό τις;
Pisthetaerus: Why indeed should anyone hire hired laborers any longer?
§1153φέρʼ ἴδω, τί δαί;
Let me see, what then?
τὰ ξύλινα τοῦ τείχους τίνες §1154ἀπηργάσαντʼ;
The wooden parts of the wall, who finished them?