§725αὔραις ὥραις χειμῶνι θέρει §726μετρίῳ πνίγει· κοὐκ ἀποδράντες §727καθεδούμεθʼ ἄνω σεμνυνόμενοι §728παρὰ ταῖς νεφέλαις ὥσπερ χὠ Ζεύς· §729ἀλλὰ παρόντες δώσομεν ὑμῖν §730αὐτοῖς, παισίν, παίδων παισίν, §731πλουθυγιείαν §732εὐδαιμονίαν βίον εἰρήνην §733νεότητα γέλωτα χοροὺς θαλίας §734γάλα τʼ ὀρνίθων.
with breezes, seasons, winter, summer, moderate heat; and we will not run away and sit aloft putting on airs, beside the clouds just like Zeus; but being present we will give to you yourselves, your children, your children's children, wealth and health, happiness, life, peace, youth, laughter, dances, festivities, and bird's milk.
So that it will be yours to tire yourselves out from all these good things; in this way you will all grow rich.
§737Μοῦσα λοχμαία, §738τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §739ποικίλη, μεθʼ ἧς ἐγὼ §740νάπαισι καὶ κορυφαῖς ἐν ὀρείαις, §741τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §742ἱζόμενος μελίας ἐπὶ φυλλοκόμου, §743τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §744διʼ ἐμῆς γένυος ξουθῆς μελέων §745Πανὶ νόμους ἱεροὺς ἀναφαίνω §746σεμνά τε μητρὶ χορεύματʼ ὀρείᾳ, §747τοτοτοτοτοτοτοτοτοτίγξ, §748ἔνθεν ὡστερεὶ μέλιττα §749Φρύνιχος ἀμβροσίων μελέων ἀπεβόσκετο καρπὸν ἀεὶ §750φέρων γλυκεῖαν ᾠδάν.
Muse of the thicket, tio tio tio tio tio tio tiotinx, of varied song, with whom I, in mountain glens and peaks, tio tio tio tiotinx, sitting upon a leafy ash tree, tio tio tio tiotinx, through my tawny throat, reveal sacred songs to Pan and solemn dances to the Mountain Mother, totototototototototinx, from where, just like a bee, Phrynichus always fed on the fruit of ambrosial songs, bringing back sweet song.
§751τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ.
tio tio tio tiotinx.
If any of you, spectators, wishes with the birds to weave his life pleasantly for the future, let him come to us.
§755ὅσα γάρ ἐστιν ἐνθάδʼ αἰσχρὰ τῷ νόμῳ κρατούμενα, §756ταῦτα πάντʼ ἐστὶν παρʼ ἡμῖν τοῖσιν ὄρνισιν καλά.
For all things that are shameful here, ruled by law, all these are beautiful among us birds.
§757εἰ γὰρ ἐνθάδʼ ἐστὶν αἰσχρὸν τὸν πατέρα τύπτειν νόμῳ, §758τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖ καλὸν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἤν τις τῷ πατρὶ §759προσδραμὼν εἴπῃ πατάξας,
αἶρε πλῆκτρον, εἰ μαχεῖ. §760εἰ δὲ τυγχάνει τις ὑμῶν δραπέτης ἐστιγμένος, §761ἀτταγᾶς οὗτος παρʼ ἡμῖν ποικίλος κεκλήσεται. §762εἰ δὲ τυγχάνει τις ὢν Φρὺξ μηδὲν ἦττον Σπινθάρου, §763φρυγίλος ὄρνις ἐνθάδʼ ἔσται, τοῦ Φιλήμονος γένους.
For if it is shameful here by law to strike one's father, this is beautiful there among us, if someone, running up to his father, says after striking him: "Raise your spur, if you will fight." And if any of you happens to be a branded runaway, he will be called among us a "spotted francolin." And if someone happens to be a Phrygian, no less than Spintharus, he will be a "finch" (phrygilos) here, of Philemon's stock.
§764εἰ δὲ δοῦλός ἐστι καὶ Κὰρ ὥσπερ Ἐξηκεστίδης, §765φυσάτω πάππους παρʼ ἡμῖν, καὶ φανοῦνται φράτερες.
And if he is a slave and a Carian, like Execestides, let him hatch grandfathers among us, and clan-members will appear.
§766εἰ δʼ ὁ Πεισίου προδοῦναι τοῖς ἀτίμοις τὰς πύλας §767βούλεται, πέρδιξ γενέσθω, τοῦ πατρὸς νεοττίον· §768ὡς παρʼ ἡμῖν οὐδὲν αἰσχρόν ἐστιν ἐκπερδικίσαι.
And if the son of Peisias wishes to betray the gates to the disfranchised, let him become a "partridge," a chick of his father; since among us there is nothing shameful in playing the partridge.
§769τοιάδε κύκνοι, §770τιὸ τιὸ τιὰ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §771συμμιγῆ βοὴν ὁμοῦ §772πτεροῖς κρέκοντες ἴακχον Ἀπόλλω, §773τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §774ὄχθῳ ἐφεζόμενοι παρʼ Ἕβρον ποταμόν, §775τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ, §776διὰ δʼ αἰθέριον νέφος ἦλθε βοά· §777πτῆξε δὲ φῦλά τε ποικίλα θηρῶν, §778κύματά τʼ ἔσβεσε νήνεμος αἴθρη, §779τοτοτοτοτοτοτοτοτοτίγξ· §780πᾶς δʼ ἐπεκτύπησʼ Ὄλυμπος· §781εἷλε δὲ θάμβος ἄνακτας· Ὀλυμπιάδες δὲ μέλος Χάριτες §782Μοῦσαί τʼ ἐπωλόλυξαν.
In such a way the swans, tio tio tia tio tio tiotinx, with a mingled cry together, beating their wings, sang of Apollo, tio tio tio tiotinx, sitting on the bank along the river Hebrus, tio tio tio tiotinx, and the cry went through the ethereal cloud; and the varied tribes of wild beasts cowered, and the windless sky calmed the waves, totototototototototinx; and all Olympus resounded; and wonder seized the lords; and the Olympian Graces and the Muses shrieked in joy.
§783τιὸ τιὸ τιὸ τιοτίγξ.
tio tio tio tiotinx.
§785οὐδέν ἐστʼ ἄμεινον οὐδʼ ἥδιον ἢ φῦσαι πτερά.
There is nothing better nor sweeter than to grow wings.
§786αὐτίχʼ ὑμῶν τῶν θεατῶν εἴ τις ἧν ὑπόπτερος, §787εἶτα πεινῶν τοῖς χοροῖσι τῶν τραγῳδῶν ἤχθετο, §788ἐκπτόμενος ἂν οὗτος ἠρίστησεν ἐλθὼν οἴκαδε, §789κᾆτʼ ἂν ἐμπλησθεὶς ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς αὖθις αὖ κατέπτετο.
For instance, if one of you, spectators, had wings, and then being hungry was bored with the tragic choruses, he would have flown away, gone home, and had lunch, and then, having filled his belly, flown back again to us.
§790εἴ τε Πατροκλείδης τις ὑμῶν τυγχάνει χεζητιῶν, §791οὐκ ἂν ἐξίδισεν ἐς θοἰμάτιον, ἀλλʼ ἀνέπτετο, §792κἀποπαρδὼν κἀναπνεύσας αὖθις αὖ κατέπτετο·
And if some Patrocleides among you happened to want to shit, he wouldn't have dirtied his cloak, but would have flown up, and having let one fly and caught his breath, flown back down again.
§793εἴ τε μοιχεύων τις ὑμῶν ἐστιν ὅστις τυγχάνει, §794κᾆθʼ ὁρᾷ τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς γυναικὸς ἐν βουλευτικῷ, §795οὗτος ἂν πάλιν παρʼ ὑμῶν πτερυγίσας ἀνέπτετο, §796εἶτα βινήσας ἐκεῖθεν αὖθις αὖ κατέπτετο.
And if there happens to be someone among you who is an adulterer, and then sees the husband of the woman in the Council seats, he would have flown away from you, flapping his wings, and then, having had his fun, flown back down here again.
§797ἆρʼ ὑπόπτερον γενέσθαι παντός ἐστιν ἄξιον;
Is it not worth everything to become winged?
§798ὡς Διειτρέφης γε πυτιναῖα μόνον ἔχων πτερὰ §799ᾑρέθη φύλαρχος, εἶθʼ ἵππαρχος, εἶτʼ ἐξ οὐδενὸς §800μεγάλα πράττει κἀστὶ νυνὶ ξουθὸς ἱππαλεκτρυών.
Since Dieitrephes, having only wicker wings, was chosen phylarch, then hipparch, and from nothing does great things and is now a tawny horse-cock.
§801ταυτὶ τοιαυτί·
Pisthetaerus: So much for that.
μὰ Δίʼ ἐγὼ μὲν πρᾶγμά πω §802γελοιότερον οὐκ εἶδον οὐδεπώποτε.
By Zeus, I have never yet seen a more ridiculous thing in all my life.
§803ἐπὶ τῷ γελᾷς;
Euelpides: What are you laughing at?
§803bἐπὶ τοῖσι σοῖς ὠκυπτέροις.
Pisthetaerus: At your swift wings.
§804οἶσθʼ ᾧ μάλιστʼ ἔοικας ἐπτερωμένος;
Do you know what you look most like, with those wings on?
§805εἰς εὐτέλειαν χηνὶ συγγεγραμμένῳ.
A cheaply painted goose.
§806σὺ δὲ κοψίχῳ γε σκάφιον ἀποτετιλμένῳ.
Euelpides: And you look like a blackbird with a bowl-cut pluck.
§807ταυτὶ μὲν ᾐκάσμεσθα κατὰ τὸν Αἰσχύλον· §808τάδʼ οὐχ ὑπʼ ἄλλων ἀλλὰ τοῖς αὑτῶν πτεροῖς. §809ἄγε δὴ τί χρὴ δρᾶν;
Pisthetaerus: We have been compared to these according to Aeschylus: "these things not by others, but by our own feathers." Euelpides: Come then, what must we do?
Pisthetaerus: First, to give the city some great and famous name, and then to the gods sacrifice after that.
§811bταῦτα κἀμοὶ συνδοκεῖ.
Euelpides: That seems good to me too.
§812φέρʼ ἴδω, τί δʼ ἡμῖν τοὔνομʼ ἔσται τῇ πόλει;
Pisthetaerus: Let's see, what shall be the name of our city?