§154ἐντεῦθεν αὐλῶν τίς σε περίεισιν πνοή, §155ὄψει τε φῶς κάλλιστον ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε, §156καὶ μυρρινῶνας καὶ θιάσους εὐδαίμονας §157ἀνδρῶν γυναικῶν καὶ κρότον χειρῶν πολύν. §158οὗτοι δὲ δὴ τίνες εἰσίν; §158bοἱ μεμυημένοι— §159νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἐγὼ γοῦν ὄνος ἄγω μυστήρια. §160ἀτὰρ οὐ καθέξω ταῦτα τὸν πλείω χρόνον. §161οἵ σοι φράσουσʼ ἁπαξάπανθʼ ὧν ἂν δέῃ. §162οὗτοι γὰρ ἐγγύτατα παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν ὁδὸν §163ἐπὶ ταῖσι τοῦ Πλούτωνος οἰκοῦσιν θύραις. §164καὶ χαῖρε πόλλʼ ὦδελφέ. §164bνὴ Δία καὶ σύ γε §165ὑγίαινε.
From there a breath of flutes will surround you, and you will see a most beautiful light, just as here, and myrtle groves, and happy bands of men and women, and a great clapping of hands. D: And who on earth are these? H: The initiated— X: By Zeus, I at least am like the donkey carrying the sacred mysteries. X: But I will not hold these things any longer. H:...who will tell you absolutely everything you may need. For they live closest, right along the road, at the very doors of Pluto. H: And fare you very well, brother. D: By Zeus, and you too keep well.
σὺ δὲ τὰ στρώματʼ αὖθις λάμβανε. §166πρὶν καὶ καταθέσθαι; §166bκαὶ ταχέως μέντοι πάνυ. §167μὴ δῆθʼ, ἱκετεύω σʼ, ἀλλὰ μίσθωσαί τινα §168τῶν ἐκφερομένων, ὅστις ἐπὶ τοῦτʼ ἔρχεται. §169ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εὕρω; §169bτότε μʼ ἄγειν. §169cκαλῶς λέγεις. §170καὶ γάρ τινʼ ἐκφέρουσι τουτονὶ νεκρόν, §171οὗτος, σὲ λέγω μέντοι, σὲ τὸν τεθνηκότα· §172ἄνθρωπε βούλει σκευάριʼ εἰς Ἅιδου φέρειν; §173πόσʼ ἄττα; §173bταυτί. §173cδύο δραχμὰς μισθὸν τελεῖς; §174μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἔλαττον. §174bὑπάγεθʼ ὑμεῖς τῆς ὁδοῦ. §175ἀνάμεινον ὦ δαιμόνιʼ, ἐὰν ξυμβῶ τί σοι. §176εἰ μὴ καταθήσεις δύο δραχμάς, μὴ διαλέγου. §177λάβʼ ἐννέʼ ὀβολούς. §177bἀναβιοίην νυν πάλιν. §178ὡς σεμνὸς ὁ κατάρατος·
And you, take up the baggage again. X: Before I've even laid them down? D: Yes, and very quickly indeed. X: No, indeed, I beg you, but hire someone of those being carried out for burial, who is going for this purpose. D: And if I don't find one? X: Then let me carry them. D: Well said. For look, they are carrying out a certain dead man here. Hey you, I mean you indeed, the dead man! Fellow, do you want to carry some baggage down to Hades? Corpse: How much is it? D: Just these here. Corpse: Will you pay two drachmas as wage? D: By Zeus, no, but less. Corpse: You men, move on along the road. D: Wait, my good fellow, see if I can agree with you on something. Corpse: Unless you lay down two drachmas, do not talk. D: Take nine obols. Corpse: I'd rather come back to life again! D: How grand the cursed fellow is!
Won't he go to hell? X: I will walk. D: You are a good and noble fellow. Let's go to the boat. Charon: Oop!
λίμνη νὴ Δία §182αὕτη ʼστὶν ἣν ἔφραζε, καὶ πλοῖόν γʼ ὁρῶ. §183νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ κἄστι γʼ ὁ Χάρων οὑτοσί.
By Zeus, this is the lake he was telling of, and indeed I see a boat. D: By Poseidon, and indeed there is Charon himself! Both: Hail, Charon!
§184χαῖρʼ ὦ Χάρων, χαῖρʼ ὦ Χάρων, χαῖρʼ ὦ Χάρων. §185τίς εἰς ἀναπαύλας ἐκ κακῶν καὶ πραγμάτων; §186τίς ἐς τὸ Λήθης πεδίον, ἢ σʼ Ὄνου πόκας, §187ἢ σʼ Κερβερίους, ἢ σʼ κόρακας, ἢ ʼπὶ Ταίναρον; §188ἐγώ. §188bταχέως ἔμβαινε. §188cποῖ σχήσειν δοκεῖς; §189ἐς κόρακας ὄντως; §189bναὶ μὰ Δία σοῦ γʼ οὕνεκα. §190ἔσβαινε δή. §190bπαῖ δεῦρο. §190cδοῦλον οὐκ ἄγω, §191εἰ μὴ νεναυμάχηκε τὴν περὶ τῶν κρεῶν. §192μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ γὰρ ἀλλʼ ἔτυχον ὀφθαλμιῶν. §193οὔκουν περιθρέξει δῆτα τὴν λίμνην κύκλῳ; §194ποῦ δῆτʼ ἀναμενῶ; §194bπαρὰ τὸν Αὑαίνου λίθον §195ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀναπαύλαις. §195bμανθάνεις; §195cπάνυ μανθάνω.
Hail, Charon! Hail, Charon! Charon: Who is for resting-places from evils and troubles? Who is for the plain of Lethe, or to the "Donkey's Shearings," or to the Cerberians, or to the crows, or to Taenarum? D: I am. Charon: Step in quickly. D: Where do you think you'll put in? D: Really to the crows? Charon: Yes, by Zeus, as far as you're concerned. Charon: Step in then. D: Boy, come here. Charon: I don't carry a slave, unless he has fought in the sea-battle for the "meat." X: By Zeus, no indeed, but I happened to have sore eyes. Charon: Then won't you run around the lake in a circle? X: Where then shall I wait? Charon: By the Stone of Auainos, at the resting-places. Do you understand? X: I understand perfectly. X: Oh, poor wretch!
What did I meet when leaving the house? Charon: Sit at the oar.
If anyone else is sailing, let them hurry. Hey you, what are you doing? D: What am I doing?
§199ἵζω ʼπὶ κώπην, οὗπερ ἐκέλευές με σύ; §200οὔκουν καθεδεῖ δῆτʼ ἐνθαδὶ γάστρων; §200bἰδού. §201οὔκουν προβαλεῖ τὼ χεῖρε κἀκτενεῖς; §201bἰδού. §202οὐ μὴ φλυαρήσεις ἔχων ἀλλʼ ἀντιβὰς §203ἐλᾷς προθύμως; §203bκᾆτα πῶς δυνήσομαι §204ἄπειρος ἀθαλάττωτος ἀσαλαμίνιος §205ὢν εἶτʼ ἐλαύνειν; §205bῥᾷστʼ· ἀκούσει γὰρ μέλη §206κάλλιστʼ, ἐπειδὰν ἐμβάλῃς ἅπαξ, §206bτίνων; §207βατράχων κύκνων θαυμαστά. §207bκατακέλευε δή. §208ὦ ὀπὸπ ὦ ὀπόπ. §209βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ, §210βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ. §211λιμναῖα κρηνῶν τέκνα, §212ξύναυλον ὕμνων βοὰν §213φθεγξώμεθʼ, εὔγηρυν ἐμὰν ἀοιδάν, §214κοὰξ κοάξ, §215ἣν ἀμφὶ Νυσήιον §216Διὸς Διόνυσον ἐν §217Λίμναισιν ἰαχήσαμεν, §218ἡνίχʼ ὁ κραιπαλόκωμος §219τοῖς ἱεροῖσι Χύτροισι §220χωρεῖ κατʼ ἐμὸν τέμενος λαῶν ὄχλος. §221βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ. §222ἐγὼ δέ γʼ ἀλγεῖν ἄρχομαι §223τὸν ὄρρον ὦ κοὰξ κοάξ· §224ὑμῖν δʼ ἴσως οὐδὲν μέλει. §225βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ. §226ἀλλʼ ἐξόλοισθʼ αὐτῷ κοάξ· §227οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστʼ ἀλλʼ ἢ κοάξ. §228εἰκότως γʼ ὦ πολλὰ πράττων. §229ἐμὲ γὰρ ἔστερξαν εὔλυροί τε Μοῦσαι §230καὶ κεροβάτας Πὰν ὁ καλαμόφθογγα παίζων· §231προσεπιτέρπεται δʼ ὁ φορμικτὰς Ἀπόλλων, §232ἕνεκα δόνακος, ὃν ὑπολύριον §233ἔνυδρον ἐν λίμναις τρέφω. §235βρεκεκεκὲξ κοάξ κοάξ. §236ἐγὼ δὲ φλυκταίνας γʼ ἔχω, §237χὠ πρωκτὸς ἰδίει πάλαι, §238κᾆτʼ αὐτίκʼ ἐκκύψας ἐρεῖ— §239βρεκεκεκὲξ κοὰξ κοάξ. §240ἀλλʼ ὦ φιλῳδὸν γένος §241παύσασθε. §241bμᾶλλον μὲν οὖν §242φθεγξόμεσθʼ, εἰ δή ποτʼ εὐηλίοις §243ἐν ἁμέραισιν §244ἡλάμεσθα διὰ κυπείρου §244aκαὶ φλέω, χαίροντες ᾠδῆς
What else but sitting on the oar, just where you ordered me? Charon: Won't you sit down here, then, you fat-guts? D: There you go. Charon: Won't you put forward your hands and stretch them out? D: There you go. Charon: Stop playing the fool, but brace your feet and row with some spirit! D: And then how shall I be able, being inexperienced, un-nautical, and un-Salaminian, to row? Charon: Very easily; for you will hear most beautiful songs, once you once strike the water. D: Whose? Charon: Frogs and swans, wonderful ones. D: Give the stroke, then. Charon: Oop op, oop op! Frogs: Brekekekex koax koax! Brekekekex koax koax! Marshy children of the springs, let us utter a harmonious cry of hymns, our sweet-toned song, koax koax, which we shouted around Nysaean Dionysus, son of Zeus, in the Marshes, when the hangover-reveling crowd of people, for the holy Pots, went through my precinct. Brekekekex koax koax! D: But I am beginning to be sore in the rump, o koax koax! But to you, perhaps, it is no concern. Frogs: Brekekekex koax koax! D: May you perish, koax and all! For you are nothing but koax. Frogs: Quite naturally, you busybody! For the sweet-lyred Muses loved me, and horn-footed Pan, who plays the reed-pipe; and Apollo the lyre-player delights in me also, on account of the reed, which as a bridge for the lyre I nurture in the waters of the marshes. Brekekekex koax koax! D: But I've got blisters, and my backside has been sweating for a long time, and then at any moment, popping out, it will say— Brekekekex koax koax! But, O song-loving race, do stop! Frogs: Rather indeed we will sing, if ever on sunny days we leaped through galingale and reed, rejoicing in song.