§780ὦ φίλταται, τὸν χρησμὸν εἰ προδώσομεν.
[Lysistrata]...O my dearest friends, if we are to betray the oracle!
[Leader of Men] I want to tell you a story, which once I heard myself when I was still a boy.
§785οὕτως ἦν νεανίσκος Μελανίων τις, §786ὃς φεύγων γάμον ἀφίκετʼ ἐς ἐρημίαν, §787κἀν τοῖς ὄρεσιν ᾤκει·
There was once a certain young man, Melanion, who, fleeing marriage, came to the wilderness, and lived in the mountains.
§788κᾆτʼ ἐλαγοθήρει §790πλεξάμενος ἄρκυς, §791καὶ κύνα τινʼ εἶχεν, §792κοὐκέτι κατῆλθε πάλιν οἴκαδʼ ὑπὸ μίσους.
And then he hunted hares, having woven nets, and he had a dog, and he never came back home again because of his hatred.
In this way he loathed women, and we, the sensible ones, loathe them no less than Melanion.
[Leader of Men] I want to kiss you, old woman— [Leader of Women] Then do not eat onions.
§799κἀνατείνας λακτίσαι.
[Leader of Men] And to raise my foot and kick you.
§800τὴν λόχμην πολλὴν φορεῖς.
[Leader of Women] You carry a thick thicket.
§801καὶ Μυρωνίδης γὰρ ἦν §802τραχὺς ἐντεῦθεν μελάμπυγός §803τε τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἅπασιν, §804ὥς δὲ καὶ Φορμίων.
[Leader of Men] For Myronides too was rough from that part, and black-buttocked to all his enemies, and so also was Phormio.
[Leader of Women] And I want to tell you a story in opposition to Melanion.
There was a certain unsettled Timon, surrounded with impassable thorns on his face, an offshoot of the Erinyes.
This Timon, then, went away because of his hatred, having cursed wicked men many times.
In this way he hated in return your wicked men always, but to women he was dearest.
§821τὴν γνάθον βούλει θένω;
[Leader of Women] Do you want me to strike your jaw?
§822μηδαμῶς· †ἔδεισά γε. †
[Leader of Men] By no means; I am indeed afraid.
§823ἀλλὰ κρούσω τῷ σκέλει;
[Leader of Women] But shall I kick you with my leg?
§824τὸν σάκανδρον ἐκφανεῖς.
[Leader of Men] You will expose your private parts.
§825ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἂν οὐκ ἴδοις §826καίπερ οὔσης γραὸς ὄντʼ αὐτὸν §827κομήτην, ἀλλʼ ἀπεψιλωμένον §828τῷ λύχνῳ.
[Leader of Women] But nonetheless you would not see, even though I am an old woman, it being hairy, but rather plucked by the lamp.
[Lysistrata] Ho there! Ho there! Women, come here to me quickly.
§830bτί δʼ ἔστιν;
[Women] What is it?
εἰπέ μοι τίς ἡ βοή;
Tell me, what is the shouting?
[Lysistrata] I see a man, a man approaching, driven mad, seized by the rites of Aphrodite.
O lady who rules over Cyprus and Cythera and Paphos, go straight on the very path you are going.
§835ποῦ δʼ ἐστὶν ὅστις ἐστί;
[Women] But where is he, whoever he is?
§835bπαρὰ τὸ τῆς Χλόης.
[Lysistrata] Near the temple of Chloe.
§836ὢ νὴ Δίʼ ἔστι δῆτα.
[Women] Oh, by Zeus, he is indeed there.
τίς κἀστίν ποτε;
Who on earth is he?
§837ὁρᾶτε· γιγνώσκει τις ὑμῶν;
[Lysistrata] Look; does any of you know him?
[Myrrhine] By Zeus, I do; he is my husband, Cinesias.
§839σὸν ἔργον ἤδη τοῦτον ὀπτᾶν καὶ στρέφειν §840κἀξηπεροπεύειν καὶ φιλεῖν καὶ μὴ φιλεῖν, §841καὶ πάνθʼ ὑπέχειν πλὴν ὧν σύνοιδεν ἡ κύλιξ.
[Lysistrata] Your task now is to roast him and turn him, and tease him and love him and not love him, and to grant him everything except what the cup knows.
§842ἀμέλει ποιήσω ταῦτʼ ἐγώ.
[Myrrhine] Don't worry, I will do this.
[Lysistrata] And indeed I will help you tease him, remaining here, and will help roast him.
ἀλλʼ ἀπέλθετε.
But go away, you others.
[Cinesias] Oh, wretched me, what a spasm possesses me, and what tension, as if being tortured on a wheel!
§847τίς οὗτος οὑντὸς τῶν φυλάκων ἑστώς;
[Lysistrata] Who is this who stands inside the guards?
§847bἐγώ.
[Cinesias] Me.
§848ἀνήρ;
[Lysistrata] A man?
§848bἀνὴρ δῆτʼ.
[Cinesias] A man indeed.
§848cοὐκ ἄπει δῆτʼ ἐκποδών;
[Lysistrata] Will you not then go out of the way?
§849σὺ δʼ εἶ τίς ἡκβάλλουσά μʼ;
[Cinesias] And who are you who casts me out?
§849bἡμεροσκόπος.
[Lysistrata] A day-watchman.
§850πρὸς τῶν θεῶν νυν ἐκκάλεσόν μοι Μυρρίνην.
[Cinesias] By the gods, call Myrrhine out to me.
§851ἰδοὺ καλέσω ʼγὼ Μυρρίνην σοι;
[Lysistrata] Lo, shall I call Myrrhine for you?
σὺ δὲ τίς εἶ;
And who are you?
§852ἀνὴρ ἐκείνης, Παιονίδης Κινησίας.
[Cinesias] Her husband, Cinesias of Paeonidae.
§853ὦ χαῖρε φίλτατʼ·
[Lysistrata] Oh, welcome, dearest!
οὐ γὰρ ἀκλεὲς τοὔνομ §854τὸ σὸν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἐστιν οὐδʼ ἀνώνυμον.
For your name is not without fame among us, nor anonymous.
§855ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡ γυνή σʼ ἔχει διὰ στόμα.
For your wife always has you in her mouth.
And if she takes an egg or an apple, "Let this be for Cinesias," she says.
§857bὢ πρὸς τῶν θεῶν.
[Cinesias] Oh, by the gods!
§858νὴ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην·
[Lysistrata] By Aphrodite!
κἂν περὶ ἀνδρῶν γʼ ἐμπέσῃ §859λόγος τις, εἴρηκʼ εὐθέως ἡ σὴ γυνὴ §860ὅτι λῆρός ἐστι τἄλλα πρὸς Κινησίαν.
And if any talk of men comes up, your wife says immediately that all the rest are nonsense compared to Cinesias.
§861ἴθι νυν κάλεσον αὐτήν.
[Cinesias] Go then, call her.
§861bτί οὖν;
[Lysistrata] What then?
δώσεις τί μοι;
Will you give me something?
[Cinesias] I indeed will, by Zeus, if you wish; I have this; what indeed I have, I give to you.
§864φέρε νυν καλέσω καταβᾶσά σοι.
[Lysistrata] Well then, I will go down and call her for you.
§864bταχύ νυν πάνυ.
[Cinesias] Quickly now, by all means.
§865ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἔχω γε τῷ βίῳ χάριν, §866ἐξ οὗπερ αὕτη ʼξῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας· §867ἀλλʼ ἄχθομαι μὲν εἰσιών, ἔρημα δὲ §868εἶναι δοκεῖ μοι πάντα, τοῖς δὲ σιτίοις §869χάριν οὐδεμίαν οἶδʼ ἐσθίων· ἔστυκα γάρ.
For I have no pleasure in life, since she went out of the house; but I am grieved when I go in, and everything seems to be empty to me, and I find no pleasure in eating my food; for I have an erection.
[Myrrhine] I love, I love him; but he does not want to be loved by me.
σὺ δʼ ἐμὲ τούτῳ μὴ κάλει.
Do not call me for him.
§872ὦ γλυκύτατον Μυρρινίδιον τί ταῦτα δρᾷς;
[Cinesias] O my sweetest little Myrrhine, why do you do this?
§873κατάβηθι δεῦρο.
Come down here.
§873bμὰ Δίʼ ἐγὼ μὲν αὐτόσʼ οὔ.
[Myrrhine] By Zeus, I will not go there.
§874ἐμοῦ καλοῦντος οὐ καταβήσει Μυρρίνη;
[Cinesias] When I call, will you not come down, Myrrhine?
§875οὐ γὰρ δεόμενος οὐδὲν ἐκκαλεῖς ἐμέ.
[Myrrhine] For you call me, though not needing me at all.
§876ἐγὼ οὐ δεόμενος;
[Cinesias] I not needing you?
ἐπιτετριμμένος μὲν οὖν.
I am utterly worn out indeed.
§877ἄπειμι.
[Myrrhine] I am going away.
[Cinesias] Do not indeed, but at least to the child listen; you there, won't you call your mommy?
§879μαμμία, μαμμία, μαμμία.
[Child] Mommy, mommy, mommy!