§1502ἀπαιθριάζει τὰς νεφέλας ἢ ξυννέφει; §1503οἴμωζε μεγάλʼ. §1503bοὕτω μὲν ἐκκεκαλύψομαι. §1504ὦ φίλε Προμηθεῦ. §1504bπαῦε παῦε, μὴ βόα.
"Is he clearing away the clouds, or is he clouding them over?" "Go to the devil with a vengeance!" "In that case, I will uncover myself like this." "O dear Prometheus!" "Hush, hush!
Do not shout." "What is the matter then?" "Be quiet!
§1506ἀπὸ γάρ μʼ ὀλεῖς, εἴ μʼ ἐνθάδʼ ὁ Ζεὺς ὄψεται. §1507ἀλλʼ ἵνα φράσω σοι πάντα τἄνω πράγματα, §1508τουτὶ λαβών μου τὸ σκιάδειον ὑπέρεχε §1509ἄνωθεν, ὡς ἂν μή μʼ ὁρῶσιν οἱ θεοί.
Do not call my name." "For you will ruin me if Zeus sees me here." "But in order that I may tell you all the affairs of above, take this parasol of mine and hold it over me from above, so that the gods may not see me." "Aha, aha!
You have planned it well indeed and in true Prometheus-like fashion.
§1512ὑπόδυθι ταχὺ δὴ κᾆτα θαρρήσας λέγε. §1513ἄκουε δή νυν. §1513bὡς ἀκούοντος λέγε. §1514ἀπόλωλεν ὁ Ζεύς. §1514bπηνίκʼ ἄττʼ ἀπώλετο; §1515ἐξ οὗπερ ὑμεῖς ᾠκίσατε τὸν ἀέρα.
Quick, get under it, and then speak with confidence." "Listen then." "Speak, as I am listening." "Zeus is ruined." "At what sort of time was he ruined?" "Ever since you founded the air.
§1516θύει γὰρ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπων ἔτι §1517θεοῖσιν, οὐδὲ κνῖσα μηρίων ἄπο §1518ἀνῆλθεν ὡς ἡμᾶς ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου, §1519ἀλλʼ ὡσπερεὶ Θεσμοφορίοις νηστεύομεν §1520ἄνευ θυηλῶν·
For no man sacrifices anything at all anymore to the gods, nor does the steam from thighs ascend to us since that time, but as if at the Thesmophoria we fast without sacrificial offerings.
οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι θεοὶ §1521πεινῶντες ὥσπερ Ἰλλυριοὶ κεκριγότες §1522ἐπιστρατεύσειν φάσʼ ἄνωθεν τῷ Διί, §1523εἰ μὴ παρέξει τἀμπόριʼ ἀνεῳγμένα, §1524ἵνʼ εἰσάγοιτο σπλάγχνα κατατετμημένα. §1525εἰσὶν γὰρ ἕτεροι βάρβαροι θεοί τινες §1526ἄνωθεν ὑμῶν; §1526bοὐ γάρ εἰσι βάρβαροι, §1527ὅθεν ὁ πατρῷός ἐστιν Ἐξηκεστίδῃ; §1528ὄνομα δὲ τούτοις τοῖς θεοῖς τοῖς βαρβάροις §1529τί ἔστιν; §1529bὅ τι ἔστιν;
And the barbarian gods, starving and squeaking like Illyrians, say they will march from above against Zeus unless he opens the trade markets for them, so that sliced entrails might be imported." "Are there actually some other barbarian gods above you?" "Why, are they not barbarians, since Exekestides gets his ancestral god from there?" "And what is the name of these barbarian gods?" "What is it?
Τριβαλλοί. §1529cμανθάνω.
The Triballians." "I see.
Is that where the expression 'May you be destroyed' came from then?" "Absolutely.
ἓν δέ σοι λέγω σαφές· §1532ἥξουσι πρέσβεις δεῦρο περὶ διαλλαγῶν §1533παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τῶν Τριβαλλῶν τῶν ἄνω·
But I tell you one thing clearly: envoys will come here about a treaty from Zeus and the Triballians above.
§1534ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ σπένδεσθʼ, ἐὰν μὴ παραδιδῷ §1535τὸ σκῆπτρον ὁ Ζεὺς τοῖσιν ὄρνισιν πάλιν, §1536καὶ τὴν Βασίλειάν σοι γυναῖκʼ ἔχειν διδῷ. §1537τίς ἐστιν ἡ Βασίλεια; §1537bκαλλίστη κόρη, §1538ἥπερ ταμιεύει τὸν κεραυνὸν τοῦ Διὸς §1539καὶ τἄλλʼ ἁπαξάπαντα, τὴν εὐβουλίαν §1540τὴν εὐνομίαν τὴν σωφροσύνην τὰ νεώρια, §1541τὴν λοιδορίαν τὸν κωλακρέτην τὰ τριώβολα. §1542ἅπαντά γʼ ἆρʼ αὐτῷ ταμιεύει; §1542bφήμʼ ἐγώ.
But do not make peace unless Zeus hands over the scepter to the birds again, and gives you Basileia to have as your wife." "Who is Basileia?" "A most beautiful girl, who manages the thunderbolt of Zeus and absolutely everything else: good counsel, good law, moderation, the dockyards, abuse, the paymaster, and the three-obol pieces." "Does she really manage everything for him?" "So I say.
§1543ἥν γʼ ἢν σὺ παρʼ ἐκείνου παραλάβῃς, πάντʼ ἔχεις.
If you receive her from him, you have everything.
§1544τούτων ἕνεκα δεῦρʼ ἦλθον, ἵνα φράσαιμί σοι.
For this reason I came here, to tell you.
§1545ἀεί ποτʼ ἀνθρώποις γὰρ εὔνους εἴμʼ ἐγώ. §1546μόνον θεῶν γὰρ διὰ σʼ ἀπανθρακίζομεν. §1547μισῶ δʼ ἅπαντας τοὺς θεούς, ὡς οἶσθα σύ. §1548νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀεὶ δῆτα θεομισὴς ἔφυς. §1549Τίμων καθαρός.
For I have always been well-disposed to mankind." "Yes, for because of you alone of the gods we grill our food." "And I hate all the gods, as you know." "By Zeus, indeed you have always been a hater of gods." "A pure Timon.
ἀλλʼ ὡς ἂν ἀποτρέχω πάλιν, §1550φέρε τὸ σκιάδειον, ἵνα με κἂν ὁ Ζεὺς ἴδῃ §1551ἄνωθεν, ἀκολουθεῖν δοκῶ κανηφόρῳ. §1552καὶ τὸν δίφρον γε διφροφόρει τονδὶ λαβών. §1553πρὸς δὲ τοῖς Σκιάποσιν λίμνη §1554τις ἔστʼ ἄλουτος οὗ §1555ψυχαγωγεῖ Σωκράτης·
But so that I may run back again, bring the parasol, so that even if Zeus sees me from above, I may seem to follow a basket-bearer." "Take this stool too and act as stool-bearer." "And near the Shadow-foot tribe there is a certain unwashed lake where Socrates summons souls.
There also Peisander came, wishing to see his soul which left him while he was alive.
Having a baby camel as a victim, cutting its throat, like once Odysseus, he withdrew.
§1562κᾆτʼ ἀνῆλθʼ αὐτῷ κάτωθεν §1563πρὸς τὸ λαῖτμα τῆς καμήλου §1564Χαιρεφῶν ἡ νυκτερίς. §1565τὸ μὲν πόλισμα τῆς Νεφελοκοκκυγίας §1566ὁρᾶν τοδὶ πάρεστιν, οἷ πρεσβεύομεν.
And then there arose for him from below to the pool of camel's blood Chaerephon the bat." "Here is this town of Cloudcuckooland to see, to which we are acting as envoys.
§1567οὗτος τί δρᾷς;
Hey, what are you doing?
ἐπʼ ἀριστέρʼ οὕτως ἀμπέχει;
Do you wear your cloak on the left like that?
§1568οὐ μεταβαλεῖς θοἰμάτιον ὧδʼ ἐπιδέξια;
Won't you shift the cloak to the right like this?
§1569τί ὦ κακόδαιμον;
What, you miserable wretch?
Λαισποδίας εἶ τὴν φύσιν;
Are you a Laispodias by nature?
Oh Democracy, where indeed will you lead us, if the gods have elected this one?
Will you keep quiet?" "Go to the devil!" "I have seen you as the most barbarian of all gods.
§1574ἄγε δὴ τί δρῶμεν Ἡράκλεις; §1574bἀκήκοας §1575ἐμοῦ γʼ ὅτι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄγχειν βούλομαι, §1576ὅστις ποτʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ τοὺς θεοὺς ἀποτειχίσας. §1577ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ ᾑρήμεσθα περὶ διαλλαγῶν §1578πρέσβεις. §1578bδιπλασίως μᾶλλον ἄγχειν μοι δοκεῖ.
Come then, what are we to do, Heracles?" "You have heard from me that I want to choke the fellow, whoever he is who walled off the gods." "But my good man, we have been elected envoys for a treaty." "I think all the more that he should be choked twice." "Let someone give me the cheese-grater.
§1579τὴν τυρόκνηστίν τις δότω· φέρε σίλφιον·
Bring silphium.
§1580τυρὸν φερέτω τις·
Let someone bring cheese.
πυρπόλει τοὺς ἄνθρακας. §1581τὸν ἄνδρα χαίρειν οἱ θεοὶ κελεύομεν §1582τρεῖς ὄντες ἡμεῖς. §1582bἀλλʼ ἐπικνῶ τὸ σίλφιον. §1583τὰ δὲ κρέα τοῦ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν; §1583bὄρνιθές τινες §1584ἐπανιστάμενοι τοῖς δημοτικοῖσιν ὀρνέοις §1585ἔδοξαν ἀδικεῖν. §1585bεἶτα δῆτα σίλφιον
Heat up the coals." "We, the gods, bid the gentleman welcome, being three of us." "But I am grating the silphium." "And whose meat is this?" "Certain birds who, rising up against the democratic birds, were judged to have done wrong." "Then you grate silphium over them..."