§1154bὄρνιθες ἦσαν τέκτονες
Messenger: The birds were the most skillful carpenters.
§1155σοφώτατοι πελεκᾶντες, οἳ τοῖς ῥύγχεσιν §1156ἀπεπελέκησαν τὰς πύλας· ἦν δʼ ὁ κτύπος §1157αὐτῶν πελεκώντων ὥσπερ ἐν ναυπηγίῳ.
The pelicans, with their beaks, chipped out the gates; and the noise of them chipping was just like in a shipyard.
§1158καὶ νῦν ἅπαντʼ ἐκεῖνα πεπύλωται πύλαις §1159καὶ βεβαλάνωται καὶ φυλάττεται κύκλῳ, §1160ἐφοδεύεται, κωδωνοφορεῖται, πανταχῇ, §1161φυλακαὶ καθεστήκασι καὶ φρυκτωρίαι §1162ἐν τοῖσι πύργοις.
And now all those places have been fitted with gates, and bolted, and guarded all around; they are patrolled, bells are rung everywhere, guards have been established, and beacon stations on the towers.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ μὲν ἀποτρέχων §1163ἀπονίψομαι· σὺ δʼ αὐτὸς ἤδη τἄλλα δρᾶ.
But I will run off and wash myself; and you yourself must now attend to the rest.
§1164οὗτος τί ποιεῖς;
Pisthetaerus: Hey, what are you doing?
ἆρα θαυμάζεις ὅτι §1165οὕτω τὸ τεῖχος ἐκτετείχισται ταχύ;
Are you wondering that the wall has been built up so quickly?
Chorus: Yes, by the gods, indeed; and it is worthy of wonder; for in truth it seems to me like a fiction.
Pisthetaerus: But wait, here comes a guard, a messenger from over there, running towards us with a war-dance look in his eyes.
§1170ἰοὺ ἰού, ἰοὺ ἰού, ἰοὺ ἰού.
Guard: Io, io, io, io, io, io!
§1171τί τὸ πρᾶγμα τουτί;
Pisthetaerus: What is this matter?
§1171bδεινότατα πεπόνθαμεν.
Guard: We have suffered most terrible things.
§1172τῶν γὰρ θεῶν τις ἄρτι τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς §1173διὰ τῶν πυλῶν εἰσέπτετʼ ἐς τὸν ἀέρα, §1174λαθὼν κολοιοὺς φύλακας ἡμεροσκόπους.
For one of the gods, just now, from Zeus, flew through the gates into the air, escaping the jackdaw guards, the day-watchers.
§1175ὦ δεινὸν ἔργον καὶ σχέτλιον εἰργασμένος.
Pisthetaerus: O what a terrible deed and outrageous act has been committed!
§1176τίς τῶν θεῶν;
Which of the gods?
Guard: We don't know; but that he had wings, this we know.
Pisthetaerus: Shouldn't you indeed have sent patrols after him immediately?
§1178bἀλλʼ ἐπέμψαμεν §1179τρισμυρίους ἱέρακας ἱπποτοξότας, §1180χωρεῖ δὲ πᾶς τις ὄνυχας ἠγκυλωμένος, §1181κερχνῂς τριόρχης γὺψ κύμινδις αἰετός· §1182ῥύμῃ τε καὶ πτεροῖσι καὶ ῥοιζήμασιν §1183αἰθὴρ δονεῖται τοῦ θεοῦ ζητουμένου· §1184κἄστʼ οὐ μακρὰν ἄπωθεν, ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθά που §1185ἤδη ʼστίν.
Guard: Yes, we sent thirty thousand hawk horse-archers; and every bird with curved claws is advancing— kestrel, harrier, vulture, owl, eagle; and with the rush, wings, and whirring the air is shaken while the god is being searched for; and he is not far away, but somewhere here already.
Pisthetaerus: Shouldn't we then get slings and bows?
χώρει δεῦρο πᾶς ὑπηρέτης·
Come here, every servant!
§1187τόξευε παῖε, σφενδόνην τίς μοι δότω.
Shoot, strike! Someone give me a sling!
Chorus: War is being raised, a war unspeakable against me and the gods.
ἀλλὰ φύλαττε πᾶς §1191ἀέρα περινέφελον, ὃν ἔρεβος ἐτέκετο, §1195μή σε λάθῃ θεῶν τις ταύτῃ περῶν· §1196ἄθρει δὲ πᾶς κύκλῳ σκοπῶν, §1197ὡς ἐγγὺς ἤδη δαίμονος πεδαρσίου §1198δίνης πτερωτὸς φθόγγος ἐξακούεται.
But everyone guard the cloudy air, which Erebus begot, lest any of the gods pass this way without your noticing; and look all around, watching, as the whirring sound of the winged flight of the airborne god is already heard near.
§1199αὕτη σύ, ποῖ ποῖ ποῖ πέτει;
Pisthetaerus: Hey, you there! Where, where, where are you flying?
μένʼ ἥσυχος,
Keep quiet!
§1200ἔχʼ ἀτρέμας·
Hold still!
αὐτοῦ στῆθʼ·
Stand right there!
ἐπίσχες τοῦ δρόμου.
Stop your course!
§1201τίς εἶ;
Who are you?
ποδαπή;
From what country?
λέγειν ἐχρῆν ὁπόθεν πότʼ εἶ.
You ought to tell us where on earth you are from.
§1202παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἔγωγε τῶν Ὀλυμπίων.
Iris: I am from the Olympian gods.
§1203ὄνομα δέ σο.
Pisthetaerus: What is your name?
τί ἐστι; πλοῖον ἢ κυνῆ;
A boat or a hat?
§1204Ἶρις ταχεῖα.
Iris: Swift Iris.
§1204bΠάραλος ἢ Σαλαμινία;
Pisthetaerus: Paralos or Salaminia?
§1205τί δὲ τοῦτο;
Iris: What is this?
Pisthetaerus: Will someone not fly up and seize this woman, harrier?
§1206bἐμὲ συλλήψεται;
Iris: Seize me?
§1207τί ποτʼ ἐστὶ τουτὶ τὸ κακόν;
What on earth is this trouble?
§1207bοἰμώξει μακρά.
Pisthetaerus: You will lament loudly.
§1208ἄτοπόν γε τουτὶ πρᾶγμα.
Iris: This is indeed a strange thing.
Pisthetaerus: Through which gates did you enter into the wall, you most abominable woman?
§1210οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε κατὰ ποίας πύλας.
Iris: By Zeus, I do not know through which gates.
§1211ἤκουσας αὐτῆς οἷον εἰρωνεύεται;
Pisthetaerus: Did you hear how she dissembles?
§1212πρὸς τοὺς κολοιάρχας προσῆλθες; οὐ λέγεις;
Did you go to the jackdaw captains? Won't you speak?
§1213σφραγῖδʼ ἔχεις παρὰ τῶν πελαργῶν;
Do you have a passport from the storks?
§1213bτί τὸ κακόν.
Iris: What is this trouble?
§1214οὐκ ἔλαβες;
Pisthetaerus: Didn't you get one?
§1214bὑγιαίνεις μέν;
Iris: Are you in your right mind?
Pisthetaerus: Nor did any passport stamp did any commander of birds put on you when you were present?
§1216μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἔμοιγʼ ἐπέβαλεν οὐδεὶς ὦ μέλε.
Iris: By Zeus, no one put any on me, my good man.
Pisthetaerus: And then indeed do you fly in silence like this through the foreign city and the chaos?
§1219ποίᾳ γὰρ ἄλλῃ χρὴ πέτεσθαι τοὺς θεούς;
Iris: By what other way indeed should the gods fly?
§1220οὐκ οἶδα μὰ Δίʼ ἔγωγε· τῇδε μὲν γὰρ οὔ.
Pisthetaerus: By Zeus, I do not know; but not this way.
§1221ἀδικεῖς δὲ καὶ νῦν.
And even now you are doing wrong.
ἆρά γʼ οἶσθα τοῦθʼ ὅτι §1222δικαιότατʼ ἂν ληφθεῖσα πασῶν Ἰρίδων §1223ἀπέθανες, εἰ τῆς ἀξίας ἐτύγχανες;
Do you know this, that you, seized most justly of all Irises, would have died, if you had met with your deserts?
§1224ἀλλʼ ἀθάνατός εἰμʼ.
Iris: But I am immortal.
§1224bἀλλʼ ὅμως ἂν ἀπέθανες.
Pisthetaerus: But nevertheless you would have died.
§1225δεινότατα γάρ τοι πεισόμεσθʼ, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, §1226εἰ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἄρχομεν, ὑμεῖς δʼ οἱ θεοὶ §1227ἀκολαστανεῖτε, κοὐδέπω γνώσεσθʼ ὅτι §1228ἀκροατέον ὑμῖν ἐν μέρει τῶν κρειττόνων.
For indeed we would suffer most terrible things, it seems to me, if, while we rule over others, you gods act lawlessly, and do not yet understand that you must listen in turn to your superiors.
§1229φράσον δέ τοί μοι τὼ πτέρυγε ποῖ ναυστολεῖς;
Tell me, where on earth are you steering your wings?
§1230ἐγώ;
Iris: I?
πρὸς ἀνθρώπους πέτομαι παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς §1231φράσουσα θύειν τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις θεοῖς §1232μηλοσφαγεῖν τε βουθύτοις ἐπʼ ἐσχάραις §1233κνισᾶν τʼ ἀγυιάς.
I am flying from my father to mankind to tell them to sacrifice to the Olympian gods, and to slaughter sheep on beef-burning altars, and to fill the streets with steam.
§1233bτί σὺ λέγεις;
Pisthetaerus: What are you saying?
ποίοις θεοῖς;
To which gods?
§1234ποίοισιν;
Iris: To which?
ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐν οὐρανῷ θεοῖς.
To us, the gods in heaven.
§1235θεοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς;
Pisthetaerus: For are you gods?
§1235bτίς γάρ ἐστʼ ἄλλος θεός;
Iris: Who else indeed is a god?
§1236ὄρνιθες ἀνθρώποισι νῦν εἰσιν θεοί,
Pisthetaerus: Birds are now the gods for mankind.