§1362λαμπάδας ὀξυτάτας χεροῖν Ἑκάτα παράφηνον §1363ἐς Γλύκης, ὅπως ἂν §1363aεἰσελθοῦσα φωράσω. §1364παύσασθον ἤδη τῶν μελῶν. §1364bκἄμοιγʼ ἅλις. §1365ἐπὶ τὸν σταθμὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀγαγεῖν βούλομαι,
(AESCHYLUS) "Hecate, show the light with extremely bright torches in your hands, to Glyke's house, so that entering, I may search for the stolen goods." (DIONYSUS) "Stop the songs now, both of you." (EURIPIDES) "And for me too, enough." (DIONYSUS) "For I want to bring you to the scale itself, which alone will test the poetry for the two of us.
§1366ὅπερ ἐξελέγξει τὴν ποίησιν νῷν μόνον. §1367τὸ γὰρ βάρος νὼ βασανιεῖ τῶν ῥημάτων. §1368ἴτε δεῦρό νυν, εἴπερ γε δεῖ καὶ τοῦτό με §1369ἀνδρῶν ποιητῶν τυροπωλῆσαι τέχνην.
For the weight of the words will test us." Come hither then, if indeed I must also do this— sell the art of poet-men like cheese.
§1370ἐπίπονοί γʼ οἱ δεξιοί.
(CHORUS) Painstaking indeed are the clever!
For here is another strange new wonder, full of absurdity, which who else would have thought of?
§1374μὰ τὸν ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδʼ ἂν εἴ τις §1375ἔλεγέ μοι τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων, §1376ἐπιθόμην, ἀλλʼ ᾠόμην ἂν §1377αὐτὸν αὐτὰ ληρεῖν.
By god, I indeed would not, even if someone of those I happened to meet told me, have believed it, but I would have thought he was talking sheer nonsense.
§1378ἴθι δὴ παρίστασθον παρὰ τὼ πλάστιγγʼ,
(DIONYSUS) Come now, stand both of you by the scale-pans.
§1378bἰδού.
(POETS) Here we are.
(DIONYSUS) And each of you, holding your line, speak, and do not let go, until I cry 'coo-coo' to you both.
§1381ἐχόμεθα.
(POETS) We are holding.
§1381bτοὔπος νῦν λέγετον ἐς τὸν σταθμόν.
(DIONYSUS) Now speak your line into the scale.
§1382εἴθʼ ὤφελʼ Ἀργοῦς μὴ διαπτάσθαι σκάφος. §1383Σπερχειὲ ποταμὲ βουνόμοι τʼ ἐπιστροφαί. §1384κόκκυ, μέθεσθε·
(EURIPIDES) 'Would that the hull of the Argo had not flown through!' (AESCHYLUS) 'Spercheius river, and pastures where cattle roam!' (DIONYSUS) Coo-coo, let go!
καὶ πολύ γε κατωτέρω §1385χωρεῖ τὸ τοῦδε.
And indeed, far lower down does his side go.
§1385bκαὶ τί ποτʼ ἐστὶ ταἴτιον;
(EURIPIDES) And whatever is the reason for this?
§1386ὅτι εἰσέθηκε ποταμόν, ἐριοπωλικῶς §1387ὑγρὸν ποιήσας τοὔπος ὥσπερ τἄρια, §1388σὺ δʼ εἰσέθηκας τοὔπος ἐπτερωμένον.
(DIONYSUS) Because he put a river in, like a wool-dealer wetting the line just like wool, while you put in a line that had wings.
§1389ἀλλʼ ἕτερον εἰπάτω τι κἀντιστησάτω.
But let each speak another and match them.
§1390λάβεσθε τοίνυν αὖθις.
Take hold again then.
§1390bἢν ἰδού.
(POETS) Here we are.
§1390cλέγε.
(DIONYSUS) Speak.
§1391οὐκ ἔστι Πειθοῦς ἱερὸν ἄλλο πλὴν λόγος. §1392μόνος θεῶν γὰρ Θάνατος οὐ δώρων ἐρᾷ. §1393μέθεσθε μέθεσθε·
(EURIPIDES) 'There is no other temple of Persuasion except speech.' (AESCHYLUS) 'For Death alone of the gods loves not gifts.' (DIONYSUS) Let go, let go!
καὶ τὸ τοῦδέ γʼ αὖ ῥέπει· §1394θάνατον γὰρ εἰσέθηκε βαρύτατον κακόν.
And his side again tips the scale; for he put in Death, the heaviest of evils.
§1395ἐγὼ δὲ πειθώ γʼ ἔπος ἄριστʼ εἰρημένον.
(EURIPIDES) But I put in Persuasion, a line most beautifully spoken!
§1396πειθὼ δὲ κοῦφόν ἐστι καὶ νοῦν οὐκ ἔχον.
(DIONYSUS) But persuasion is light and has no mind.
No, seek some other of the heavy-weighted lines, which will drag it down for you, something mighty and great.
§1399φέρε ποῦ τοιοῦτον δῆτά μοὐστί;
(EURIPIDES) Come, where then do I have such a thing?
ποῦ;
Where?
§1399bφράσω· §1400βέβληκʼ Ἀχιλλεὺς δύο κύβω καὶ τέτταρα. §1401λέγοιτʼ ἄν, ὡς αὕτη ʼστὶ λοιπὴ σφῷν στάσις.
(DIONYSUS) I will tell you— speak: 'Achilles threw two ones and a four.' Speak, since this is the remaining trial for you both.
§1402σιδηροβριθές τʼ ἔλαβε δεξιᾷ ξύλον. §1403ἐφʼ ἅρματος γὰρ ἅρμα καὶ νεκρῷ νεκρός. §1404ἐξηπάτηκεν αὖ σὲ καὶ νῦν.
(AESCHYLUS) 'And he grasped in his right hand an iron-weighted club.' (EURIPIDES) 'For chariot upon chariot, and corpse upon corpse.' (DIONYSUS) He has tricked you again, even now.
§1404bτῷ τρόπῳ;
(EURIPIDES) In what way?
(DIONYSUS) He put in two chariots and two corpses, which not even a hundred Egyptians could lift.
§1407καὶ μηκέτʼ ἔμοιγε κατʼ ἔπος, ἀλλʼ ἐς τὸν σταθμὸν
(AESCHYLUS) And no longer line by line for me!
§1408αὐτὸς τὰ παιδίʼ ἡ γυνὴ Κηφισοφῶν §1409ἐμβὰς καθήσθω, συλλαβὼν τὰ βιβλία· §1410ἐγὼ δὲ δύʼ ἔπη τῶν ἐμῶν ἐρῶ μόνον.
But into the scale-pan let him sit, his children, his wife, and Cephisophon, having stepped in, and taking all his books with them; while I will speak only two lines of mine.
§1411ἅνδρες φίλοι, κἀγὼ μὲν αὐτοὺς οὐ κρινῶ.
(DIONYSUS) My friends, I indeed will not judge them.
§1412οὐ γὰρ διʼ ἔχθρας οὐδετέρῳ γενήσομαι.
For I will not become an enemy to either of them.
§1413τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι σοφὸν τῷ δʼ ἥδομαι.
For one I think is wise, and with the other I am delighted.
§1414οὐδὲν ἄρα πράξεις ὧνπερ ἦλθες οὕνεκα;
(PLUTO) Then will you accomplish nothing of what you came for?
§1415ἐὰν δὲ κρίνω;
(DIONYSUS) But if I do judge?
(PLUTO) You shall take one of them and go, whichever you judge, so that you do not come in vain.
§1417εὐδαιμονοίης.
(DIONYSUS) Bless you!
φέρε πύθεσθέ μου ταδί.
Come then, hear this from me.
§1418ἐγὼ κατῆλθον ἐπὶ ποιητήν.
I came down for a poet.
τοῦ χάριν;
For what purpose?
§1419ἵνʼ ἡ πόλις σωθεῖσα τοὺς χοροὺς ἄγῃ.
So that the city, being saved, may hold its choruses.
Whichever of you, then, can give to the city some better advice, him I think I shall take.
First of all then, about Alcibiades, what opinion does each of you hold?
ἡ πόλις γὰρ δυστοκεῖ.
For the city is in labor over him.
§1424ἔχει δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ τίνα γνώμην;
(EURIPIDES) And what opinion does it hold of him?
§1424bτίνα;
(DIONYSUS) What indeed?
§1425ποθεῖ μέν, ἐχθαίρει δέ, βούλεται δʼ ἔχειν.
It longs for him, yet hates him, but still wishes to have him.
§1426ἀλλʼ ὅ τι νοεῖτον εἴπατον τούτου πέρι.
But speak your minds, both of you, about this.
§1427μισῶ πολίτην, ὅστις ὠφελεῖν πάτραν §1428βραδὺς πέφυκε μεγάλα δὲ βλάπτειν ταχύς, §1429καὶ πόριμον αὑτῷ τῇ πόλει δʼ ἀμήχανον. §1430εὖ γʼ ὦ Πόσειδον·
(EURIPIDES) 'I hate a citizen who to help his fatherland is slow by nature, but swift to do great harm, and is resourceful for himself but useless to the city.' (DIONYSUS) Well said, by Poseidon!
σὺ δὲ τίνα γνώμην ἔχεις;
And you, what opinion do you hold?
§1431οὐ χρὴ λέοντος σκύμνον ἐν πόλει τρέφειν, §1432ἢν δʼ ἐκτραφῇ τις, τοῖς τρόποις ὑπηρετεῖν. §1433νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρα δυσκρίτως γʼ ἔχω·
(AESCHYLUS) 'One should not rear a lion's whelp in the city, but if one is reared, one must cater to its ways.' (DIONYSUS) By Savior Zeus, I am indeed hard-pressed to judge!
§1434ὁ μὲν σοφῶς γὰρ εἶπεν, ὁ δʼ ἕτερος σαφῶς.
For one spoke wisely, and the other clearly.
But still, let each of you speak one more opinion about what salvation you have for the city.
§1437εἴ τις πτερώσας Κλεόκριτον Κινησίᾳ, §1438αἴροιεν αὖραι πελαγίαν ὑπὲρ πλάκα. §1439γέλοιον ἂν φαίνοιτο·
(EURIPIDES) 'If someone, having feathered Cleocritus with Cinesias, the breezes should lift them over the sea's expanse...' (DIONYSUS) That would look ridiculous.
νοῦν δʼ ἔχει τίνα;
But what sense does it make?