§549ἀλλʼ ὦ τηθῶν ἀνδρειοτάτων καὶ μητριδίων ἀκαληφῶν, §550χωρεῖτʼ ὀργῇ καὶ μὴ τέγγεσθʼ· ἔτι γὰρ νῦν οὔρια θεῖτε.
But O, of bravest grandmothers and motherly nettles, go on with anger and do not soften; for even now you run before a fair wind.
§551ἀλλʼ ἤνπερ ὅ τε γλυκύθυμος Ἔρως χἠ Κυπρογένειʼ Ἀφροδίτη §552ἵμερον ἡμῶν κατὰ τῶν κόλπων καὶ τῶν μηρῶν καταπνεύσῃ, §553κᾆτʼ ἐντήξῃ τέτανον τερπνὸν τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ ῥοπαλισμούς, §554οἶμαί ποτε Λυσιμάχας ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι καλεῖσθαι.
But if sweet-spirited Eros and Cyprus-born Aphrodite breathe desire upon our breasts and thighs, and then melt a delightful tension and stiffness into the men, I think we will one day be called "Lysimachas" (loosers of war) among the Greeks.
§555τί ποιησάσας;
Magistrate: For having done what?
Lysistrata: If we stop them from, first of all, with weapons going to market and raging like madmen.
§556bνὴ τὴν Παφίαν Ἀφροδίτην.
First Woman: By Paphian Aphrodite, indeed.
§557νῦν μὲν γὰρ δὴ κἀν ταῖσι χύτραις κἀν τοῖς λαχάνοισιν ὁμοίως §558περιέρχονται κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ξὺν ὅπλοις ὥσπερ Κορύβαντες.
For now indeed, both by the pots and by the vegetables alike, they go around the market with weapons like Corybantes.
§559νὴ Δία·
Magistrate: By Zeus!
χρὴ γὰρ τοὺς ἀνδρείους.
For it is fitting for the brave.
Lysistrata: And yet indeed the sight is ridiculous, when someone with a shield and a Gorgon then buys small fish.
§561νὴ Δίʼ ἐγὼ γοῦν ἄνδρα κομήτην φυλαρχοῦντʼ εἶδον ἐφʼ ἵππου §562ἐς τὸν χαλκοῦν ἐμβαλλόμενον πῖλον λέκιθον παρὰ γραός· §563ἕτερος δʼ αὖ Θρᾷξ πέλτην σείων κἀκόντιον ὥσπερ ὁ Τηρεύς, §564ἐδεδίσκετο τὴν ἰσχαδόπωλιν καὶ τὰς δρυπεπεῖς κατέπινεν.
First Woman: By Zeus, I indeed saw a long-haired man, a cavalry leader on a horse, having porridge put into his bronze helmet by an old woman; and another, a Thracian, shaking a light shield and a javelin like Tereus, was terrifying the fig-selling woman and swallowing down the ripe figs.
Magistrate: How then are you able to stop many confused matters in the lands and dissolve them?
§566bφαύλως πάνυ.
Lysistrata: Very easily.
§566cπῶς;
Magistrate: How?
ἀπόδειξον.
Demonstrate.
§567ὥσπερ κλωστῆρʼ, ὅταν ἡμῖν ᾖ τεταραγμένος, ὧδε λαβοῦσαι, §568ὑπενεγκοῦσαι τοῖσιν ἀτράκτοις τὸ μὲν ἐνταυθοῖ τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖσε, §569οὕτως καὶ τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον διαλύσομεν, ἤν τις ἐάσῃ, §570διενεγκοῦσαι διὰ πρεσβειῶν τὸ μὲν ἐνταυθοῖ τὸ δʼ ἐκεῖσε.
Lysistrata: Just like a skein of yarn, when it is tangled for us, taking it thus, drawing it through with the spindles, this way and that, so also we will dissolve this war, if anyone lets us, drawing it through via embassies, this way and that.
Magistrate: From wool, indeed, and skeins and spindles, do you think you will stop terrible matters, O foolish ones?
Lysistrata: And yet, if there were any sense in you, from our wool you would have managed all state affairs.
§574πῶς δή;
Magistrate: How indeed?
φέρʼ ἴδω.
Let me see.
§574bπρῶτον μὲν ἐχρῆν, ὥσπερ πόκου ἐν βαλανείῳ §575ἐκπλύναντας τὴν οἰσπώτην, ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ κλίνης §576ἐκραβδίζειν τοὺς μοχθηροὺς καὶ τοὺς τριβόλους ἀπολέξαι, §577καὶ τούς γε συνισταμένους τούτους καὶ τοὺς πιλοῦντας ἑαυτοὺς §578ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀρχαῖσι διαξῆναι καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀποτῖλαι· §579εἶτα ξαίνειν ἐς καλαθίσκον κοινὴν εὔνοιαν, ἅπαντας §580καταμιγνύντας τούς τε μετοίκους κεἴ τις ξένος ἢ φίλος ὑμῖν, §581κεἴ τις ὀφείλει τῷ δημοσίῳ, καὶ τούτους ἐγκαταμεῖξαι· §582καὶ νὴ Δία τάς γε πόλεις, ὁπόσαι τῆς γῆς τῆσδʼ εἰσὶν ἄποικοι, §583διαγιγνώσκειν ὅτι ταῦθʼ ἡμῖν ὥσπερ τὰ κατάγματα κεῖται §584χωρὶς ἕκαστον· κᾆτʼ ἀπὸ τούτων πάντων τὸ κάταγμα λαβόντας §585δεῦρο ξυνάγειν καὶ συναθροίξειν εἰς ἕν, κἄπειτα ποιῆσαι §586τολύπην μεγάλην κᾆτʼ ἐκ ταύτης τῷ δήμῳ χλαῖναν ὑφῆναι.
Lysistrata: First, it was necessary, just as someone washes the grease from a fleece in a bath, to beat the scoundrels out of the city upon a bed, and to pick out the burrs, and these men who conspire and pack themselves together for offices, to card them out and pluck off their heads; then to card into a basket common goodwill, mixing everyone together, both the resident aliens, and if there is any guest or friend to you, and if anyone owes the public treasury, to mix these in as well; and, by Zeus, as for the cities, as many as are colonies of this land, to understand that these lie for us like scraps of wool, each one separate; and then, taking the wool from all of these, to gather them here and assemble them into one, and then to make a great ball of yarn, and then from this to weave a cloak for the people.
Magistrate: Is it not terrible then for these women to beat and wind into balls these matters, to whom there was no share at all in the war?
§588bκαὶ μὴν ὦ παγκατάρατε §589πλεῖν ἤ γε διπλοῦν αὐτὸν φέρομεν, πρώτιστον μέν γε τεκοῦσαι §590κἀκπέμψασαι παῖδας ὁπλίτας.
Lysistrata: And yet, O most accursed one, we bear more than double of it; first of all, by bearing sons and sending them out as hoplites.
§590bσίγα, μὴ μνησικακήσῃς.
Magistrate: Silence, do not remind me of grievances.
Lysistrata: Then when it was necessary to be glad and enjoy our youth, we sleep alone on account of the military campaigns.
καὶ θἠμέτερον μὲν ἐᾶτε, §593περὶ τῶν δὲ κορῶν ἐν τοῖς θαλάμοις γηρασκουσῶν ἀνιῶμαι.
And let our case go, but I grieve for the girls growing old in their chambers.
§594οὔκουν χἄνδρες γηράσκουσιν;
Magistrate: Do not men also grow old?
§594bμὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ οὐκ εἶπας ὅμοιον.
Lysistrata: By Zeus, but you do not speak of a similar thing.
§595ὁ μὲν ἥκων γάρ, κἂν ᾖ πολιός, ταχὺ παῖδα κόρην γεγάμηκεν· §596τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς σμικρὸς ὁ καιρός, κἂν τούτου μὴ ʼπιλάβηται, §597οὐδεὶς ἐθέλει γῆμαι ταύτην, ὀττευομένη δὲ κάθηται.
For a man who returns, even if he is gray, quickly marries a young girl; but for a woman the season is short, and if she does not seize upon this, no one wishes to marry her, and she sits foreboding.
Magistrate: But whoever is still able to get an erection— Lysistrata: But you indeed, what has possessed you that you do not die?
There is a place; you will buy a coffin; I will indeed knead a honey cake for you right now.
§602λαβὲ ταυτὶ καὶ στεφάνωσαι.
Take these and crown yourself.
§603καὶ ταυτασὶ δέξαι παρʼ ἐμοῦ.
First Woman: And receive these from me.
§604καὶ τουτονγὶ λαβὲ τὸν στέφανον.
Second Woman: And take this crown.
§605τοῦ δεῖ;
Lysistrata: What is lacking?
τί ποθεῖς;
What do you desire?
Go to the boat; Charon is calling you, and you are preventing him from putting to sea.
§608εἶτʼ οὐχὶ ταῦτα δεινὰ πάσχειν ἔστʼ ἐμέ;
Magistrate: Then is it not a terrible thing for me to suffer these things?
By Zeus, indeed, but to the commissioners directly I will show myself, walking just as I am.
§611μῶν ἐγκαλεῖς ὅτι οὐχὶ προὐθέμεσθά σε;
Lysistrata: You are not complaining, are you, that we did not lay you out for burial?