§1237οἷς θυτέον αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ μὰ Δίʼ οὐ τῷ Διί.
Pisthetaerus: To whom they must sacrifice, and by Zeus, not to Zeus!
§1238ὦ μῶρε μῶρε μὴ θεῶν κίνει φρένας
Iris: O fool, fool!
§1239δεινάς, ὅπως μή σου γένος πανώλεθρον §1240Διὸς μακέλλῃ πᾶν ἀναστρέψῃ Δίκη, §1241λιγνὺς δὲ σῶμα καὶ δόμων περιπτυχὰς §1242καταιθαλώσῃ σου Λικυμνίαις βολαῖς.
Do not stir up the terrible wrath of the gods, lest Justice, with the mattock of Zeus, overturn all your utterly destroyed race, and ash your body and the enclosures of your house with soot by the strikes of Licymnios.
§1243ἄκουσον αὕτη·
Pisthetaerus: Listen, you there!
παῦε τῶν παφλασμάτων·
Stop your blustering.
§1244ἔχʼ ἀτρέμα.
Hold still.
φέρʼ ἴδω, πότερα Λυδὸν ἢ Φρύγα §1245ταυτὶ λέγουσα μορμολύττεσθαι δοκεῖς;
Come, let me see, do you think that by saying these things you are frightening a Lydian or a Phrygian?
§1246ἆρʼ οἶσθʼ ὅτι Ζεὺς εἴ με λυπήσει πέρα, §1247μέλαθρα μὲν αὐτοῦ καὶ δόμους Ἀμφίονος §1248καταιθαλώσω πυρφόροισιν αἰετοῖς;
Do you know that if Zeus annoys me further, I will ash his halls and the house of Amphion with fire-bearing eagles?
§1249πέμψω δὲ πορφυρίωνας ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν §1250ὄρνις ἐπʼ αὐτὸν παρδαλᾶς ἐνημμένους §1251πλεῖν ἑξακοσίους τὸν ἀριθμόν.
And I will send purple-coots to heaven, birds clad in leopard-skins against him, more than six hundred in number.
καὶ δή ποτε §1252εἷς Πορφυρίων αὐτῷ παρέσχε πράγματα.
And indeed once, a single Porphyrion gave him trouble.
§1253σὺ δʼ εἴ με λυπήσεις τι, τῆς διακόνου §1254πρώτης ἀνατείνας τὼ σκέλει διαμηριῶ §1255τὴν Ἶριν αὐτήν, ὥστε θαυμάζειν ὅπως §1256οὕτω γέρων ὢν στύομαι τριέμβολον.
And if you annoy me at all, I will first lift the legs of his female servant and split open Iris herself, so that she will wonder how an old man like me can be so stiff like a triple-beaked ram.
§1257διαρραγείης ὦ μέλʼ αὐτοῖς ῥήμασιν.
Iris: May you burst, you wretch, with those very words!
§1258οὐκ ἀποσοβήσεις;
Pisthetaerus: Won't you shoo?
οὐ ταχέως;
Won't you go quickly?
εὐρὰξ πατάξ.
Away, shoo!
§1259ἦ μήν σε παύσει τῆς ὕβρεως οὑμὸς πατήρ.
Iris: Indeed, my father will make you stop your insolence.
§1260οἴμοι τάλας.
Pisthetaerus: Oh, dear me.
οὔκουν ἑτέρωσε πετομένη §1261καταιθαλώσεις τῶν νεωτέρων τινά;
Won't you fly elsewhere and ash some of the younger ones?
§1263ἀποκεκλῄκαμεν διογενεῖς θεοὺς §1264μηκέτι τὴν ἐμὴν διαπερᾶν πόλιν, §1265μηδέ γέ τινʼ ἱερόθυτον ἀνὰ δάπεδον ἔτι §1266τῇδε βροτῶν θεοῖσι πέμπειν καπνόν.
Chorus: We have shut out the gods born of Zeus so that they may no longer pass through my city, nor indeed shall any mortal anymore send the smoke of sacred sacrifices through this ground to the gods.
Pisthetaerus: It is a terrible thing about the herald who went to the mortals, if he is never to return again.
§1271ὦ Πισθέταιρʼ ὦ μακάριʼ ὦ σοφώτατε, §1272ὦ κλεινότατʼ ὦ σοφώτατʼ ὦ γλαφυρώτατε, §1273ὦ τρισμακάριʼ ὦ κατακέλευσον.
Messenger: O Pisthetaerus, O blessed, O wisest, O most glorious, O wisest, O most refined, O thrice-blessed, O give orders!
§1273bτί σὺ λέγεις;
Pisthetaerus: What do you say?
Messenger: With this golden crown, on account of your wisdom, all the peoples crown and honor you.
§1276δέχομαι.
Pisthetaerus: I accept it.
τί δʼ οὕτως οἱ λεῲ τιμῶσί με;
But why do the peoples honor me so?
§1277ὦ κλεινοτάτην αἰθέριον οἰκίσας πόλιν, §1278οὐκ οἷσθʼ ὅσην τιμὴν παρʼ ἀνθρώποις φέρει, §1279ὅσους τʼ ἐραστὰς τῆσδε τῆς χώρας ἔχεις.
Messenger: O you who have founded the most glorious aerial city, do you not know how much honor you carry among men, and how many lovers of this land you have?
§1280πρὶν μὲν γὰρ οἰκίσαι σε τήνδε τὴν πόλιν, §1281ἐλακωνομάνουν ἅπαντες ἄνθρωποι τότε, §1282ἐκόμων ἐπείνων ἐρρύπων ἐσωκράτουν §1283σκυτάλιʼ ἐφόρουν, νυνὶ δʼ ὑποστρέψαντες αὖ §1284ὀρνιθομανοῦσι, πάντα δʼ ὑπὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς §1285ποιοῦσιν ἅπερ ὄρνιθες ἐκμιμούμενοι·
For before you founded this city, all men were then Laconian-mad, they wore long hair, went hungry, were dirty, played Socrates, and carried walking-staffs; but now, turning around, they are bird-mad, and out of pleasure they do everything, imitating birds.
§1286πρῶτον μὲν εὐθὺς πάντες ἐξ εὐνῆς ἅμα §1287ἐπέτονθʼ ἕωθεν ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ νομόν· §1288κἄπειτʼ ἂν ἅμα κατῆραν ἐς τὰ βιβλία· §1289εἶτʼ ἀπενέμοντʼ ἐνταῦθα τὰ ψηφίσματα.
First of all, early in the morning, all at once from bed, they would fly off like us to the feeding ground; and then they would alight together upon the books; and then they would feed there upon the decrees.
And they were so clearly bird-mad that names of birds were given to many.
§1292πέρδιξ μὲν εἷς κάπηλος ὠνομάζετο §1293χωλός, Μενίππῳ δʼ ἦν χελιδὼν τοὔνομα, §1294Ὀπουντίῳ δʼ ὀφθαλμὸν οὐκ ἔχων κόραξ, §1295κορυδὸς Φιλοκλέει, χηναλώπηξ Θεογένει, §1296ἶβις Λυκούργῳ, Χαιρεφῶντι νυκτερίς, §1297Συρακοσίῳ δὲ κίττα· Μειδίας δʼ ἐκεῖ §1298ὄρτυξ ἐκαλεῖτο· καὶ γὰρ ᾔκειν ὄρτυγι §1299ὑπὸ στυφοκόπου τὴν κεφαλὴν πεπληγμένῳ.
One lame tavern-keeper was named "Partridge," Menippus had the name "Swallow," Opuntius was called a "Crow" without an eye, Philocles a "Lark," Theogenes an "Egyptian Goose," Lycurgus an "Ibis," Chaerephon a "Bat," Syracosius a "Jay," and Meidias there was called a "Quail"; for indeed he was like a quail struck on the head by a quail-tapper.
§1300ᾖδον δʼ ὑπὸ φιλορνιθίας πάντες μέλη, §1301ὅπου χελιδὼν ἦν τις ἐμπεποιημένη §1302ἢ πηνέλοψ ἢ χήν τις ἢ περιστερὰ §1303ἢ πτέρυγες, ἢ πτεροῦ τι καὶ σμικρὸν προσῆν.
And out of love for birds, all sang songs where some swallow was introduced, or a wigeon, or some goose, or a dove, or wings, or even a tiny piece of a feather was added.
§1304τοιαῦτα μὲν τἀκεῖθεν.
Such are the things from there.
ἓν δέ σοι λέγω· §1305ἥξουσʼ ἐκεῖθεν δεῦρο πλεῖν ἢ μύριοι §1306πτερῶν δεόμενοι καὶ τρόπων γαμψωνύχων· §1307ὥστε πτερῶν σοι τοῖς ἐποίκοις δεῖ ποθέν.
But I tell you one thing: more than ten thousand will come from there hither, needing feathers and crooked-clawed ways; so you must get feathers from somewhere for the settlers.
§1308οὐκ ἆρα μὰ Δίʼ ἡμῖν ἔτʼ ἔργον ἑστάναι.
Pisthetaerus: By Zeus, then, it is no longer our business to stand still.
§1309ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα σὺ μὲν ἰὼν τὰς ἀρρίχους §1310καὶ τοὺς κοφίνους ἅπαντας ἐμπίμπλη πτερῶν· §1311Μανῆς δὲ φερέτω μοι θύραζε τὰ πτερά· §1312ἐγὼ δʼ ἐκείνων τοὺς προσιόντας δέξομαι.
But as quickly as possible, go and fill all the hampers and baskets with feathers; and let Manes bring the feathers out of doors to me; and I will receive those who approach from them.
Chorus: Soon indeed this highly populous city someone among men will call.
§1315τύχη μόνον προσείη.
Pisthetaerus: May fortune only attend us.
§1316κατέχουσι δʼ ἔρωτες ἐμᾶς πόλεως.
Chorus: Longings for my city possess them.
§1317θάττον φέρειν κελεύω.
Pisthetaerus: I order him to bring them faster.
Chorus: For what beautiful thing is not in this city for a man to settle in?
Wisdom, Desire, Ambrosia, the Graces, and the cheerful face of gentle-minded Tranquility.
§1323ὡς βλακικῶς διακονεῖς·
Pisthetaerus: How sluggishly you serve!
§1324οὐ θᾶττον ἐγκονήσεις;
Won't you hurry faster?