§403νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ τὸν ἁλυκὸν δίκαιά γε.
Magistrate: By salty Poseidon, it's only fair!
§404ὅταν γὰρ αὐτοὶ ξυμπονηρευώμεθα §405ταῖσιν γυναιξὶ καὶ διδάσκωμεν τρυφᾶν, §406τοιαῦτʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν βλαστάνει βουλεύματα.
For when we ourselves join in wickedness with the women and teach them to be luxurious, such counsels sprout from them.
§407οἳ λέγομεν ἐν τῶν δημιουργῶν τοιαδί· §408ὦ χρυσοχόε τὸν ορμον ὃν ἐπεσκεύασας, §409ὀρχουμένης μου τῆς γυναικὸς ἑσπέρας §410ἡ βάλανος ἐκπέπτωκεν ἐκ τοῦ τρήματος.
We who say such things in the artisans' shops: "O goldsmith, the necklace which you repaired, while my wife was dancing in the evening, the peg has fallen out of the hole.
§411ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν ἔστʼ ἐς Σαλαμῖνα πλευστέα· §412σὺ δʼ ἢν σχολάσῃς, πάσῃ τέχνῃ πρὸς ἑσπέραν §413ἐλθὼν ἐκείνῃ τὴν βάλανον ἐνάρμοσον. §414ἕτερος δέ τις πρὸς σκυτοτόμον ταδὶ λέγει §415νεανίαν καὶ πέος ἔχοντʼ οὐ παιδικόν· §416ὦ σκυτοτόμε μου τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ ποδὸς §417τὸ δακτυλίδιον ξυμπιέζει τὸ ζυγὸν §418ἅθʼ ἁπαλὸν ὄν· τοῦτʼ οὖν σὺ τῆς μεσημβρίας §419ἐλθὼν χάλασον, ὅπως ἂν εὐρυτέρως ἔχῃ. §420τοιαῦτʼ ἀπήντηκʼ ἐς τοιαυτὶ πράγματα, §421ὅτε γʼ ὢν ἐγὼ πρόβουλος, ἐκπορίσας ὅπως §422κωπῆς ἔσονται, τἀργυρίου νυνὶ δέον, §423ὑπὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἀποκέκλῃμαι ταῖς πύλαις.
Now, I indeed must sail to Salamis; but you, if you have leisure, by all means towards evening go and fit the peg into the hole for her." And another says this to a shoemaker, a youth with no childish member: "O shoemaker, of my wife's foot the little toe is pinched by the strap, since it is tender; so do you at midday go and loosen it, so that she may have it wider." Such things have resulted in such affairs, since I, being a commissioner, having provided how there should be oars, money being needed now, am shut out from the gates by the women.
§424ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ἔργον ἑστάναι.
But there's no use standing.
φέρε τοὺς μοχλούς, §425ὅπως ἂν αὐτὰς τῆς ὕβρεως ἐγὼ σχέθω.
Bring the crowbars, so that I may check them from their insolence.
§426τί κέχηνας ὦ δύστηνε;
Why are you gaping, you wretch?
ποῖ δʼ αὖ σὺ βλέπεις, §427οὐδὲν ποιῶν ἀλλʼ ἢ καπηλεῖον σκοπῶν;
And where are you looking, doing nothing but looking at a tavern?
Won't you put the crowbars under the gates and pry them open from there?
ἐνθενδὶ δʼ ἐγὼ §430ξυνεκμοχλεύσω.
And from here I will help pry them open.
§430bμηδὲν ἐκμοχλεύετε·
Lysistrata: Do not pry anything open.
§431ἐξέρχομαι γὰρ αὐτομάτη.
For I am coming out of my own accord.
τί δεῖ μοχλῶν;
What need of crowbars?
§432οὐ γὰρ μοχλῶν δεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ νοῦ καὶ φρενῶν.
For there is need not of crowbars, but rather of sense and wits.
§433ἄληθες ὦ μιαρὰ σύ;
Magistrate: Really, you filthy woman?
ποῦ ʼσθʼ ὁ τοξότης;
Where is the archer?
§434ξυλλάμβανʼ αὐτὴν κὠπίσω τὼ χεῖρε δεῖ.
Seize her and bind her hands behind her back.
Lysistrata: By Artemis, if indeed he, being a public slave, so much as lays a hand on me, he will regret it.
§437ἔδεισας οὗτος;
Magistrate: Did you get scared, you?
οὐ ξυναρπάσει μέσην §438καὶ σὺ μετὰ τούτου κἀνύσαντε δήσετον;
Won't you grab her by the waist, and you with him, and both of you bind her quickly?
First Woman: By Pandrosos, if you lay so much as a hand on her, you'll be trampled and defecate.
§441ἰδού γʼἐπιχεσεῖ.
Magistrate: "Defecate," indeed.
ποῦ ʼστιν ἕτερος τοξότης;
Where is the other archer?
§442ταύτην προτέραν ξύνδησον, ὁτιὴ καὶ λαλεῖ.
Bind this one first, because she is babbling too.
Second Woman: By Phosphoros, if you lay a hand on her, you will soon be asking for a cup.
§445τουτὶ τί ἦν;
Magistrate: What was this?
ποῦ τοξότης;
Where is an archer?
ταύτης ἔχου.
Grab this one.
§446παύσω τινʼ ὑμῶν τῆσδʼ ἐγὼ τῆς ἐξόδου.
I'll stop one of you from this sallying out.
Third Woman: By Tauropolos, if you come near this one, I will pluck out your hairs till you scream.
§449οἴμοι κακοδαίμων·
Magistrate: Alas, wretch that I am!
ἐπιλέλοιφʼ ὁ τοξότης.
The archers have run out.
ὁμόσε χωρῶμεν αὐταῖς ὦ Σκύθαι §452ξυνταξάμενοι.
Let us march against them, O Scythians, in formation.
§452bνὴ τὼ θεὼ γνώσεσθʼ ἄρα §453ὅτι καὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν εἰσι τέτταρες λόχοι §454μαχίμων γυναικῶν ἔνδον ἐξωπλισμένων.
Lysistrata: By the two goddesses, you will soon know that we too have four cohorts of fighting women inside, fully armed!
§455ἀποστρέφετε τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ὦ Σκύθαι.
Magistrate: Twist back their hands, O Scythians!
§456ὦ ξύμμαχοι γυναῖκες ἐκθεῖτʼ ἔνδοθεν, §457ὦ σπερμαγοραιολεκιθολαχανοπώλιδες, §458ὦ σκοροδοπανδοκευτριαρτοπώλιδες, §459οὐχ ἕλξετʼ, οὐ παιήσετʼ, οὐκ ἀράξετε;
Lysistrata: O ally women, run out from within, O grain-market-egg-vegetable-sellers, O garlic-innkeeping-bread-sellers, won't you drag them, won't you beat them, won't you smash them?
§460οὐ λοιδορήσετʼ, οὐκ ἀναισχυντήσετε;
won't you insult them, won't you be shameless?
§461παύσασθʼ, ἐπαναχωρεῖτε, μὴ σκυλεύετε.
Stop, retreat, do not despoil!
§462οἴμʼ ὡς κακῶς πέπραγέ μου τὸ τοξικόν.
Magistrate: Alas, how wretchedly my archer force has fared!
§463ἀλλὰ τί γὰρ ᾤου;
Lysistrata: But what did you expect?
Did you think you were coming against some slaves, or do you not think that in women there is anger?
Magistrate: By Apollo, indeed, and very much of it, if only a tavern is nearby.
§467ὦ πόλλʼ ἀναλώσας ἔπη πρόβουλε τῆσδε τῆς γῆς, §468τί τοῖσδε σαυτὸν ἐς λόγους τοῖς θηρίοις συνάπτεις;
Leader of Old Men: O commissioner of this land, who have wasted many words, why do you join yourself in words with these wild beasts?
Do you not know what kind of bath these women just washed us with in our garments, and that without soap?
§471ἀλλʼ ὦ μέλʼ οὐ χρὴ προσφέρειν τοῖς πλησίοισιν εἰκῇ §472τὴν χεῖρʼ· ἐὰν δὲ τοῦτο δρᾷς, κυλοιδιᾶν ἀνάγκη.
Leader of Women: But, my good man, one must not lightly lay a hand on one's neighbors; but if you do this, you must get a black eye.
§473ἐπεὶ ʼθέλω ʼγὼ σωφρόνως ὥσπερ κόρη καθῆσθαι, §474λυποῦσα μηδένʼ ἐνθαδί, κινοῦσα μηδὲ κάρφος, §475ἢν μή τις ὥσπερ σφηκιὰν βλίττῃ με κἀρεθίζῃ.
For I wish to sit modestly like a maiden, annoying no one here, moving not even a straw, unless someone robs me like a wasp's nest and provokes me.
§476ὦ Ζεῦ τί ποτε χρησόμεθα τοῖσδε τοῖς κνωδάλοις;
Magistrate: O Zeus, what on earth shall we do with these monsters?
§477ουʼ γὰρ ἔτʼ ἀνεκτὰ τάδε γʼ, ἀλλὰ βασανιστέον §478τόδε σοι τὸ πάθος μετʼ ἐμοῦ §480ὅ τι βουλόμεναί ποτε τὴν §481Κραναὰν κατέλαβον, ἐφʼ ὅ τι τε §482μεγαλόπετρον ἄβατον ἀκρόπολιν §483ἱερὸν τέμενος.
For these things are no longer tolerable, but we must investigate this misfortune with me, what indeed they wanted when they seized the Cranaus land, and for what purpose the great-cliffed, inaccessible Acropolis, the sacred precinct.