Pisthetaerus: Shall we call her "Sparta," that great name from Lacedaemon?
§814bἩράκλεις·
Euelpides: Heracles!
§815Σπάρτην γὰρ ἂν θείμην ἐγὼ τἠμῇ πόλει;
Would I ever give the name "Sparta" to my city?
§816οὐδʼ ἂν χαμεύνῃ πάνυ γε κειρίαν γʼ ἔχων.
Not even to a low cot, if I had a cord, would I give it.
§817τί δῆτʼ ὄνομʼ αὐτῇ θησόμεσθʼ;
Pisthetaerus: What name then shall we give her?
Euelpides: Something from here, from the clouds and the lofty regions, something very airy.
§819bβούλει Νεφελοκοκκυγίαν;
Pisthetaerus: Do you like "Nephelococcygia"?
§820ἰοὺ ἰού·
Euelpides: Oh, wonderful!
§820aκαλόν γʼ ἀτεχνῶς σὺ καὶ μέγʼ ηὗρες τοὔνομα.
You have found a truly beautiful and grand name.
§821ἆρʼ ἐστὶν αὑτηγὶ Νεφελοκοκκυγία, §822ἵνα καὶ τὰ Θεογένους τὰ πολλὰ χρήματα §822bτά τʼ Αἰσχίνου γʼ ἅπαντα;
Is this that very Cloudcuckooland where all the vast wealth of Theogenes lies, and all that of Aeschines too?
§823καὶ λῷστον μὲν οὖν §824τὸ Φλέγρας πεδίον, ἵνʼ οἱ θεοὶ τοὺς γηγενεῖς §825ἀλαζονευόμενοι καθυπερηκόντισαν.
Pisthetaerus: Nay, indeed, it is best of all, the plain of Phlegra, where the gods outshot the earthborn giants with their boasting.
§826λιπαρὸν τὸ χρῆμα τῆς πόλεως.
Euelpides: A splendid thing, this city!
τίς δαὶ θεὸς §827πολιοῦχος ἔσται;
But which god shall be its guardian?
τῷ ξανοῦμεν τὸν πέπλον;
For whom shall we card the robe?
§828τί δʼ οὐκ Ἀθηναίαν ἐῶμεν Πολιάδα;
Pisthetaerus: Why not keep Athena Polias?
§829καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔτι γένοιτʼ ἂν εὔτακτος πόλις, §830ὅπου θεὸς γυνὴ γεγονυῖα πανοπλίαν §831ἕστηκʼ ἔχουσα, Κλεισθένης δὲ κερκίδα;
Euelpides: And how could a city still be orderly where a god, being a woman, stands in full armor, while Cleisthenes holds a shuttle?
§832τίς δαὶ καθέξει τῆς πόλεως τὸ Πελαργικόν;
Pisthetaerus: Who then shall hold the Pelargicon of the city?
§833ὄρνις ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τοῦ γένους τοῦ Περσικοῦ, §834ὅσπερ λέγεται δεινότατος εἶναι πανταχοῦ §835Ἄρεως νεοττός.
Euelpides: A bird of our own, of the Persian breed, who is said everywhere to be the most fearsome chick of Ares.
§835bὦ νεοττὲ δέσποτα·
Pisthetaerus: Oh, young master!
§836ὡς δʼ ὁ θεὸς ἐπιτήδειος οἰκεῖν ἐπὶ πετρῶν.
How suitable a god he is to dwell upon the rocks.
§837ἄγε νυν σὺ μὲν βάδιζε πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα §838καὶ τοῖσι τειχίζουσι παραδιακόνει, §839χάλικας παραφόρει, πηλὸν ἀποδὺς ὄργασον, §840λεκάνην ἀνένεγκε, κατάπεσʼ ἀπὸ τῆς κλίμακος, §841φύλακας κατάστησαι, τὸ πῦρ ἔγκρυπτʼ ἀεί, §842κωδωνοφορῶν περίτρεχε καὶ κάθευδʼ ἐκεῖ·
Come now, go to the air and help those who are building the wall; carry gravel, strip and knead the mud, carry up the bucket, fall off the ladder, post guards, always keep the fire covered, run around with the bell and sleep there.
§843κήρυκα δὲ πέμψον τὸν μὲν ἐς θεοὺς ἄνω, §844ἕτερον δʼ ἄνωθεν ἆυ παρʼ ἀνθρώπους κάτω, §845κἀκεῖθεν αὖθις παρʼ ἐμέ.
And send one herald up to the gods above, and another from above down to men below, and then back from there to me.
Euelpides: And you, staying here, go weep for all I care.
§846bἴθʼ ὦγάθʼ οἷ πέμπω σʼ ἐγώ.
Pisthetaerus: Go, my good fellow, where I send you.
§847οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄνευ σοῦ τῶνδʼ ἃ λέγω πεπράξεται.
For none of these things I speak of will be done without you.
I, to sacrifice to the new gods, will call the priest to conduct the procession.
§850παῖ παῖ, τὸ κανοῦν αἴρεσθε καὶ τὴν χέρνιβα.
Boy, boy, lift up the basket and the lustral water.
§851ὁμορροθῶ, συνθέλω, §852συμπαραινέσας ἔχω §853προσόδια μεγάλα σεμνὰ προσιέναι θεοῖσιν, §855ἅμα δὲ προσέτι χάριτος ἕνεκα προβάτιόν τι θύειν.
Chorus: I agree, I wish with you, and fully advise that great and solemn processions approach the gods, and at the same time, for thanks, to sacrifice a little sheep.
Let the Pythian cry go to the god, and let Chaeris sing along with the song.
§859παῦσαι σὺ φυσῶν.
Pisthetaerus: Stop your blowing!
Ἡράκλεις τουτὶ τί ἦν;
Heracles, what on earth is this?
By Zeus, though I have seen many strange things, I have never yet seen a crow wearing a mouth-band.
§862ἱερεῦ σὸν ἔργον, θῦε τοῖς καινοῖς θεοῖς.
Priest, your work! Sacrifice to the new gods.
§864δράσω τάδʼ.
Priest: I will do so.
ἀλλὰ ποῦ ʼστιν ὁ τὸ κανοῦν ἔχων;
But where is the one holding the basket?
§865εὔχεσθε τῇ Ἑστίᾳ τῇ ὀρνιθείῳ καὶ τῷ ἰκτίνῳ τῷ ἑστιούχῳ καὶ ὄρνισιν Ὀλυμπίοις καὶ Ὀλυμπίῃσι πᾶσι καὶ πάσῃσιν — §866ὦ Σουνιέρακε χαῖρʼ ἄναξ Πελαργικέ.
Pray to Hestia of the birds, and to the kite who guards the hearth, and to the Olympian birds, all gods and goddesses— Pisthetaerus: O Falcon of Sunium, hail, Pelargic king!
§867καὶ κύκνῳ Πυθίῳ καὶ Δηλίῳ καὶ Λητοῖ Ὀρτυγομήτρᾳ καὶ Ἀρτέμιδι Ἀκαλανθίδι — §868οὐκέτι Κολαινὶς ἀλλʼ Ἀκαλανθὶς Ἄρτεμις.
Priest: —and to the Pythian and Delian swan, and to Leto the quail-mother, and to Artemis the goldfinch— Pisthetaerus: No longer Colaenis, but Artemis the goldfinch!
§876καὶ φρυγίλῳ Σαβαζίῳ καὶ στρούθῳ μεγάλῃ μητρὶ θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων — §877δέσποινα Κυβέλη, στροῦθε, μῆτερ Κλεοκρίτου.
Priest: —and to Sabazios the finch, and to the great sparrow, mother of gods and men— Pisthetaerus: Lady Cybele, sparrow, mother of Cleocritus!
§878διδόναι Νεφελοκοκκυγιεῦσιν ὑγιείαν καὶ σωτηρίαν αὐτοῖσι καὶ Χίοισι — §880Χίοισιν ἥσθην πανταχοῦ προσκειμένοις.
Priest: —to grant health and safety to the Cloudcuckoolandians, to themselves and to the Chians— Pisthetaerus: I love how the Chians are always tacked on everywhere.
§881καὶ ἥρωσιν ὄρνισι καὶ ἡρώων παισί, πορφυρίωνι καὶ §886πελεκᾶντι καὶ πελεκίνῳ καὶ φλέξιδι καὶ τέτρακι καὶ ταὧνι §887καὶ ἐλεᾷ καὶ βασκᾷ καὶ ἐλασᾷ καὶ ἐρωδιῷ καὶ καταρράκτῃ §888καὶ μελαγκορύφῳ καὶ αἰγιθάλλῳ — §889παῦʼ ἐς κόρακας, παῦσαι καλῶν.
Priest: —and to the hero birds and the sons of heroes, to the coot, and the pelican, and the spoonbill, and the redpoll, and the grouse, and the peacock, and the reed-warbler, and the teal, and the diver, and the heron, and the gannet, and the blackcap, and the titmouse— Pisthetaerus: Stop, go to the crows! Stop your calling!
Oh, you miserable man, to what sort of victim are you calling sea-eagles and vultures?
οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι §892ἰκτῖνος εἷς ἂν τοῦτό γʼ οἴχοιθʼ ἁρπάσας;
Don't you see that a single kite could fly off with this?
Go away from us, both you and your garlands; for I will sacrifice this myself, all alone.
§895εἶτʼ αὖθις αὖ τἄρα σοι §896δεῖ με δεύτερον μέλος §899χέρνιβι θεοσεβὲς ὅσιον ἐπιβοᾶν, καλεῖν δὲ §900μάκαρας, ἕνα τινὰ μόνον, εἴπερ ἱκανὸν ἕξετʼ ὄψον.
Chorus: Then once again I must sing a second song for you, a pious and holy strain for the lustral water, and call upon the blessed gods—but only one of them, if you wish to have enough food to go around.
For the victim here present is nothing but beard and horns.
§903θύοντες εὐξώμεσθα τοῖς πτερίνοις θεοῖς.
Pisthetaerus: Let us sacrifice and pray to the winged gods.