§243bτί θαρρῶ καταπεπυρπολημένος; §244ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔτʼ οἰδὲν πρᾶγμά σοι· τὰ πλεῖστα γὰρ §245ἀποπεπόνηκας.
Mnesilochus: "How can I take heart, being scorched all over?" Euripides: "But there is no longer any trouble for you; for the most part" you have worked through." Mnesilochus: "Phoo!
§245bφῦ ἰοὺ τῆς ἀσβόλου.
Bah!
§246αἰθὸς γεγένημαι πάντα τὰ περὶ τὴν τράμιν. §247μὴ φροντίσῃς· ἕτερος γὰρ αὐτὰ σφογγιεῖ. §248οἰμώξετἄρʼ εἴ τις τὸν ἐμὸν πρωκτὸν πλυνεῖ. §249Ἀγάθων, ἐπειδὴ σαυτὸν ἐπιδοῦναι φθονεῖς, §250ἀλλʼ ἱμάτιον γοῦν χρῆσον ἡμῖν τουτῳὶ §251καὶ στρόφιον· οὐ γὰρ ταῦτά γʼ ὡς οὐκ ἔστʼ ἐρεῖς. §252λαμβάνετε καὶ χρῆσθʼ· οὐ φθονῶ.
What soot!" "I have become burnt black all around my crotch." Euripides: "Do not worry; for someone else will sponge it." Mnesilochus: "He'll regret it, then, if anyone washes my backside!" Euripides: "Agathon, since you grudge giving yourself," "at least lend a cloak to this fellow here," "and a breast-band; for you won't say that you don't have these." Agathon: "Take and use them; I don't grudge them." Mnesilochus: "What should I take then?" Euripides: "What?
§252bτί οὖν λάβω; §253ὅ τι; τὸν κροκωτὸν πρῶτον ἐνδύου λαβών. §254νὴ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ἡδύ γʼ ὄζει ποσθίου.
First take and put on the saffron robe." Mnesilochus: "By Aphrodite, it smells sweet of a little prick." Euripides: "Gird it quickly.
§255σύζωσον ἀνύσας. αἶρε νῦν στρόφιον. §255bἰδού. §256ἴθι νυν κατάστειλόν με τὰ περὶ τὼ σκέλει. §257κεκρυφάλου δεῖ καὶ μίτρας. §257bἡδὶ μὲν οὖν §258κεφαλὴ περίθετος, ἣν ἐγὼ νύκτωρ φορῶ. §259νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀλλὰ κἀπιτηδεία πάνυ. §260ἆρʼ ἁρμόσει μοι; §260bνὴ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἄριστʼ ἔχει. §261φέρʼ ἔγκυκλον· §261bτουτὶ λάβʼ ἀπὸ τῆς κλινίδος. §262ὑποδημάτων δεῖ. §262bτἀμὰ ταυτὶ λάμβανε. §263ἆρʼ ἁρμόσει μοι; §263bχαλαρὰ γοῦν χαίρεις φορῶν.
Now lift the breast-band." Mnesilochus: "Here." Mnesilochus: "Come now, arrange the folds around my legs." Euripides: "We need a hairnet and a headband." Agathon: "Rather, here is" "a wig, which I wear at night." Euripides: "By Zeus, indeed it is very suitable." Mnesilochus: "Will it fit me?" Euripides: "By Zeus, it fits perfectly." Mnesilochus: "Bring a mantle." Agathon: "Take this one from the couch." Mnesilochus: "We need shoes." Agathon: "Take these of mine." Mnesilochus: "Will they fit me?" Agathon: "At any rate, you enjoy wearing loose ones." Euripides: "You decide that.
§264σὺ τοῦτο γίγνωσκʼ· ἀλλʼ ἔχεις γὰρ ὧν δέει, §265εἴσω τις ὡς τάχιστά μʼ ἐσκυκλησάτω. §266ἁνὴρ μὲν ἡμῖν οὑτοσὶ καὶ δὴ γυνὴ
But since you have what you need," Agathon: "let someone roll me inside as quickly as possible." Euripides: "This man of ours is now indeed a woman," "in appearance at least.
§267τό γʼ εἶδος· ἢν λαλῇς δʼ, ὅπως τῷ φθέγματι §268γυναικιεῖς εὖ καὶ πιθανῶς. §268bπειράσομαι. §269βάδιζε τοίνυν. §269bμὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω οὔκ, ἤν γε μὴ §270ὀμόσῃς ἐμοί— §270bτί χρῆμα; §270cσυσσώσειν ἐμὲ §271πάσαις τέχναις, ἤν μοί τι περιπίπτῃ κακόν. §272ὄμνυμι τοίνυν αἰθέρʼ οἴκησιν Διός. §273τί μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν Ἱπποκράτους ξυνοικίαν; §274ὄμνυμι τοίνυν πάντας ἄρδην τοὺς θεούς. §275μέμνησο τοίνυν ταῦθʼ, ὅτι ἡ φρὴν ὤμοσεν, §276ἡ γλῶττα δʼ οὐκ ὀμώμοκʼ· οὐδʼ ὥρκωσʼ ἐγώ. §277ἔκσπευδε ταχέως· ὡς τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας §278σημεῖον ἐν τῷ Θεσμοφορείῳ φαίνεται. §279ἐγὼ δʼ ἄπειμι. §279bδεῦρό νυν ὦ Θρᾷτθʼ ἕπου. §280ὦ Θρᾷττα θέασαι, καομένων τῶν λαμπάδων §281ὅσον τὸ χρῆμʼ ἀνέρχεθʼ ὑπὸ τῆς λιγνύος. §282ἀλλʼ ὦ περικαλλεῖ Θεσμοφόρω δέξασθέ με §283ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ καὶ δεῦρο καὶ πάλιν οἴκαδε. §284ὦ Θρᾷττα τὴν κίστην κάθελε, κᾆτʼ ἔξελε §285τὸ πόπανον, ὅπως λαβοῦσα θύσω τοῖν θεοῖν. §286δέσποινα πολυτίμητε Δήμητερ φίλη §287καὶ Φερρέφαττα, πολλὰ πολλάκις μέ σοι §288θύειν ἔχουσαν, εἰ δὲ μἀλλὰ νῦν λαθεῖν. §289καὶ τοῦ θυγατρίου χοῖρον ἀνδρός μοι τυχεῖν §290πλουτοῦντος, ἄλλως δʼ ἠλιθίου κἀβελτέρου, §291καὶ ποσθαλίσκον νοῦν ἔχειν μοι καὶ φρένας. §292ποῦ ποῦ καθίζωμʼ ἐν καλῷ, τῶν ῥητόρων §293ἵνʼ ἐξακούω; σὺ δʼ ἄπιθʼ ὦ Θρᾷττʼ ἐκποδών.
But if you speak, see that with your voice" "you play the woman well and convincingly." Mnesilochus: "I will try." Euripides: "Walk then." Mnesilochus: "No, by Apollo, unless" "you swear to me—" Euripides: "What?" Mnesilochus: "that you will help save me" "by every means, if any trouble befalls me." Euripides: "I swear then by the Aether, the dwelling of Zeus." Mnesilochus: "Why that rather than the tenement of Hippocrates?" Euripides: "I swear then by all the gods together." Mnesilochus: "Remember then this: that 'my mind has sworn,'" "but 'my tongue has not sworn'; nor did I make it swear." Euripides: "Hurry out quickly; for the signal of the assembly" "is visible at the Thesmophorion." "And I am departing." Mnesilochus: "Come here then, Thratta, follow." "O Thratta, behold, as the torches burn," "what a great mass of soot rises up from the smoke!" "But, O beautiful pair of Thesmophoroi, receive me" "with good fortune both here and back home." "O Thratta, set down the basket, and then take out" "the cake, so that I may take it and sacrifice to the two goddesses." "Highly honored mistress, dear Demeter," "and Pherephatta, grant that I may often" "sacrifice to you, being rich, or if not that, at least now to escape notice." "And grant that my little daughter may find a husband" "who is rich, but otherwise silly and foolish," "and that my little son may have sense and brains." "Where, where shall I sit in a good spot, so that of the speakers" "I may hear clearly?
§295εὐφημία ʼστω, εὐφημία ʼστω.
But you, Thratta, get out of the way." Herald: "Silence, silence!
εὔχεσθε τοῖν §296Θεσμοφόροιν τῇ Δήμητρι καὶ τῇ Κόρῃ καὶ τῷ §297Πλούτῳ καὶ τῇ Καλλιγενείᾳ καὶ τῇ Κουροτρόφῳ §300τῇ Γῇ καὶ τῷ Ἑρμῇ καὶ Χάρισιν ἐκκλησίαν §301τήνδε καὶ σύνοδον τὴν νῦν κάλλιστα καὶ ἄριστα §302ποιῆσαι, πολυωφελῶς μὲν πόλει τῇ Ἀθηναίων §305τυχηρῶς δʼ ἡμῖν αὐταῖς.
Pray to the two" "Thesmophoroi, to Demeter and to Kore, and to" "Plutus, and to Kalligeneia, and to Kourotrophos" "the Earth, and to Hermes, and the Graces, that this assembly" "and present meeting may be conducted most beautifully and best," "most beneficially indeed for the city of the Athenians" "and fortunately for ourselves.
καὶ τὴν δρῶσαν §306τήν τʼ ἀγορεύουσαν τὰ βέλτιστα περὶ τὸν δῆμον §307τὸν Ἀθηναίων καὶ τὸν τῶν γυναικῶν ταύτην §310νικᾶν.
And that the woman who does" "and says the best things concerning the people" "of the Athenians and that of the women, she" "may win.
ταῦτʼ εὔχεσθε, καὶ ὑμῖν αὐταῖς τἀγαθά. §311ἰὴ παιὼν ἰὴ παιών.
Pray for these things, and for good things for yourselves." Chorus: "Ie Paian, ie Paian!
χαίρωμεν. §312δεχόμεθα καὶ θεῶν γένος §313λιτόμεθα ταῖσδʼ ἐπʼ εὐχαῖς §314φανέντας ἐπιχαρῆναι. §315Ζεῦ μεγαλώνυμε χρυσολύρα τε §316Δῆλον ὃς ἔχεις ἱεράν, §317καὶ σὺ παγκρατὲς κόρα γλαυκῶπι §318χρυσόλογχε πόλιν οἰκοῦσα §319περιμάχητον, ἐλθὲ δεῦρο. §320καὶ πολυώνυμε θηροφόνη παῖ §321Λατοῦς χρυσώπιδος ἔρνος, §322σύ τε πόντιε σεμνὲ Πόσειδον §323ἁλιμέδον προλιπὼν §324μυχὸν ἰχθυόεντʼ οἰστροδόνητον, §325Νηρέος ἐναλίου τε κόραι §326Νύμφαι τʼ ὀρείπλαγκτοι. §327χρυσέα τε φόρμιγξ §328ἰαχήσειεν ἐπʼ εὐχαῖς §329ἡμετέραις· τελέως δʼ
Let us rejoice." "We accept, and the race of the gods" "we entreat upon these prayers" "to appear and rejoice with us." "O Zeus of great name, and you of the golden lyre," "who hold sacred Delos," "and you, all-powerful maiden of the flashing eyes," "of the golden spear, who dwell in the city" "much-fought-over, come here." "And you of many names, beast-slayer, child" "offspring of golden-faced Leto," "and you, revered Poseidon of the sea," "ruler of the sea, leaving behind" "the fishy gulf stirred by storm," "and you daughters of sea Nereus," "and Nymphs who wander on the mountains." "And may the golden lyre" "sound in harmony with our prayers" "perfectly..."