§990οὐκ εἶ θύραζʼ;
Pisthetaerus: Go away!
ἐς κόρακας.
To the crows with you!
§990bοἴμοι δείλαιος.
Oracle-monger: Ah, wretched me!
§991οὔκουν ἑτέρωσε χρησμολογήσεις ἐκτρέχων;
Pisthetaerus: Won't you run off and play the prophet elsewhere?
Meton: I have come to you— Pisthetaerus: Here comes another nuisance.
§993τί δʼ αὖ σὺ δράσων;
Pisthetaerus: What are you here to do?
τίς δʼ ἰδέα βουλεύματος;
What is the nature of your plan?
§994τίς ἡ ʼπίνοια, τίς ὁ κόθορνος τῆς ὁδοῦ;
Pisthetaerus: What is this idea? What is the purpose of this journey's buskin?
Meton: I want to measure the air geometrically, Meton: and divide it for you into acres.
Pisthetaerus: In the name of the gods, Pisthetaerus: who on earth are you?
§997bὅστις εἴμʼ ἐγώ;
Meton: Who am I?
Μέτων, §998ὃν οἶδεν Ἑλλὰς χὠ Κολωνός.
Meton, Meton: whom Greece and Colonus know.
Pisthetaerus: Tell me, Pisthetaerus: what are these things you have?
§999bκανόνες ἀέρος.
Meton: Rulers for the air.
Meton: For the air is, in its shape, entirely Meton: very like an oven.
Therefore, when I apply Meton: the ruler, and insert from above this curved Meton: compass—do you understand?
§1004οὐ μανθάνω.
Pisthetaerus: No, I don't.
§1004bὀρθῷ μετρήσω κανόνι προστιθείς, ἵνα §1005ὁ κύκλος γένηται σοι τετράγωνος κἀν μέσῳ §1006ἀγορά, φέρουσαι δʼ ὦσιν εἰς αὐτὴν ὁδοὶ §1007ὀρθαὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ μέσον, ὥσπερ δʼ ἀστέρος §1008αὐτοῦ κυκλοτεροῦς ὄντος ὀρθαὶ πανταχῇ §1009ἀκτῖνες ἀπολάμπωσιν.
Meton: I will measure with a straight ruler applied, so that Meton: your circle may become a square, and in the center Meton: there will be a marketplace, and roads leading into it Meton: straight to the very center, so that, just as from a star Meton: which is itself circular, straight rays in all directions Meton: shine forth.
§1009bἅνθρωπος Θαλῆς.
Pisthetaerus: The man is a Thales!
Pisthetaerus: You know that I love you, Pisthetaerus: so take my advice and quietly slip away from this path.
§1012τί δʼ ἐστὶ δεινόν;
Meton: What is the danger?
Pisthetaerus: Just like in Lacedaemon, Pisthetaerus: strangers are being expelled, and some have been set in motion; Pisthetaerus: there are many blows throughout the town.
§1014bμῶν στασιάζετε;
Meton: You aren't having a faction-fight, are you?
§1015μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ δῆτʼ.
Pisthetaerus: By Zeus, certainly not.
§1015bἀλλὰ πῶς;
Meton: Then how is it?
Pisthetaerus: With one accord, Pisthetaerus: it has been decided to thrash all the impostors.
§1017ὑπάγοιμί τἄρʼ ἄν.
Meton: Then I had better be going.
Pisthetaerus: By Zeus, yes, though I don't know if Pisthetaerus: you will be in time; for they are pressing close right here.
§1019οἴμοι κακοδαίμων.
Meton: Oh, wretched me!
§1019bοὐκ ἔλεγον ἐγὼ πάλαι;
Pisthetaerus: Didn't I tell you long ago?
§1020οὐκ ἀναμετρήσεις σαυτὸν ἀπιὼν ἀλλαχῇ;
Pisthetaerus: Won't you measure yourself off and go away elsewhere?
Inspector: Where are the proxenoi? Pisthetaerus: Who is this Sardanapalus here?
Inspector: I have come here as inspector, chosen by lot Inspector: to Cloudcuckooland.
§1023bἐπίσκοπος;
Pisthetaerus: Inspector?
§1024ἔπεμψε δὲ τίς σε δεῦρο;
Pisthetaerus: And who sent you here?
§1025bτί;
Pisthetaerus: What?
βούλει δῆτα τὸν μισθὸν λαβὼν §1026μὴ πράγματʼ ἔχειν ἀλλʼ ἀπιέναι;
Do you want to take your pay and go away without causing trouble?
§1026bνὴ τοὺς θεούς.
Inspector: By the gods, yes.
§1027ἐκκλησιάσαι δʼ οὖν ἐδεόμην οἴκοι μένων.
Inspector: Indeed, I wanted to stay at home and attend the assembly.
§1028ἔστιν γὰρ ἃ διʼ ἐμοῦ πέπρακται Φαρνάκῃ.
Inspector: For there are matters that have been transacted by me for Pharnaces.
§1029ἄπιθι λαβών· ἔστιν δʼ ὁ μισθὸς οὑτοσί.
Pisthetaerus: Take this and go; here is your pay.
§1030τουτὶ τί ἦν;
Inspector: What was this?
§1030bἐκκλησία περὶ Φαρνάκου.
Pisthetaerus: An assembly concerning Pharnaces.
§1031μαρτύρομαι τυπτόμενος ὢν ἐπίσκοπος.
Inspector: I protest, being beaten while being an inspector.
§1032οὐκ ἀποσοβήσεις;
Pisthetaerus: Won't you clear off?
οὐκ ἀποίσεις τὼ κάδω;
Won't you take your two ballot boxes away?
§1033οὐ δεινά;
Pisthetaerus: Isn't it terrible?
καὶ πέμπουσιν ἤδη ʼπισκόπους §1034ἐς τὴν πόλιν, πρὶν καὶ τεθύσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς;
They are already sending inspectors to the city, even before we have sacrificed to the gods!
Decree-seller: And if the Cloudcuckoolander wrongs the Athenian— Pisthetaerus: What is this evil book again?
Decree-seller: I am a decree-seller, and I have come here to sell you new laws.
§1038bτὸ τί;
Pisthetaerus: Such as what?
§1040χρῆσθαι Νεφελοκοκκυγιᾶς τοῖσδε τοῖς μέτροισι καὶ §1041σταθμοῖσι καὶ ψηφίσμασι καθάπερ Ὀλοφύξιοι. §1042σὺ δέ γʼ οἷσπερ ὡτοτύξιοι χρήσει τάχα.
Decree-seller: 'The Cloudcuckoolanders shall use the same measures, weights, and decrees as the Olophyxians.' Pisthetaerus: And you will soon use the same as those of the weeping village.
§1043οὗτος τί πάσχεις;
Decree-seller: You there, what are you doing?
§1044οὐκ ἀποίσεις τοὺς νόμους;
Pisthetaerus: Won't you take your laws away?
§1045πικροὺς ἐγώ σοι τήμερον δείξω νόμους.
Pisthetaerus: I will show you some bitter laws today.
§1046καλοῦμαι Πισθέταιρον ὕβρεως ἐς τὸν Μουνιχιῶνα μῆνα.
Decree-seller: I summon Pisthetaerus for assault in the month of Munychion.
§1047ἄληθες οὗτος;
Pisthetaerus: Really?
ἔτι γὰρ ἐνταῦθʼ ἦσθα σύ;
Are you still here?
§1050ἐὰν δέ τις ἐξελαύνῃ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ μὴ δέχηται §1051κατὰ τὴν στήλην — §1052οἴμοι κακοδαίμων, καὶ σὺ γὰρ ἐνταῦθʼ ἦσθʼ ἔτι;
Decree-seller: 'And if anyone expels the magistrates and does not receive them according to the pillar—' Pisthetaerus: Oh, wretched me, are you also still here?
§1052aἀπολῶ σε καὶ γράφω σε μυρίας δραχμάς.
Inspector: I will ruin you, and I prosecute you for ten thousand drachmas.
§1053ἐγὼ δὲ σοῦ γε τὼ κάδω διασκεδῶ.
Pisthetaerus: And I will scatter your two ballot boxes.
§1054μέμνησʼ ὅτε τῆς στήλης κατετίλας ἑσπέρας;
Decree-seller: Do you remember when you fouled the pillar in the evening?
§1055αἰβοῖ·
Pisthetaerus: Yuck!
λαβέτω τις αὐτόν.
Let someone grab him.
οὗτος οὐ μενεῖς;
You there, won't you stop?
Pisthetaerus: Let us depart from here as quickly as possible, Pisthetaerus: to sacrifice the goat to the gods inside.
Chorus: Now indeed, to me, the all-seeing and all-ruling, shall all mortals sacrifice with prayerful vows.
§1061πᾶσαν μὲν γὰρ γᾶν ὀπτεύω, §1062σῴζω δʼ εὐθαλεῖς καρποὺς §1063κτείνων παμφύλων γένναν §1064θηρῶν, ἂ πάντʼ ἐν γαίᾳ §1065ἐκ κάλυκος αὐξανόμενον γένυσι παμφάγοις §1066δένδρεσί τʼ ἐφημένα καρπὸν ἀποβόσκεται·
For I watch over the whole earth, and preserve the flourishing fruits, slaying the brood of all kinds of beasts, which on the earth with all-devouring jaws, destroy everything growing from the bud, and sitting on the trees, feed upon their fruit.
§1067κτείνω δʼ οἳ κήπους εὐώδεις §1068φθείρουσιν λύμαις ἐχθίσταις, §1069ἑρπετά τε καὶ δάκετα πάνθʼ ὅσαπερ §1070ἔστιν ὑπʼ ἐμᾶς πτέρυγος ἐν φοναῖς ὄλλυται.
And I slay those who ruin the fragrant gardens with most hateful destruction, and all crawling and biting things, as many as there are, perish by slaughter under my wing.