Iacchus, O Iacchus, light-bearing star of the nocturnal rite.
§343φλογὶ φέγγεται δὲ λειμών· §345γόνυ πάλλεται γερόντων· §346ἀποσείονται δὲ λύπας §347χρονίους τʼ ἐτῶν παλαιῶν ἐνιαυτοὺς §350ἱερᾶς ὑπὸ τιμᾶς.
And the meadow is illuminated with flame; the knee of the old men leaps; and they shake off griefs and the long cycles of ancient years, under the power of the sacred rite.
And you, blazing with your torch, lead forward to the flowery marshy plain the dancing youth, O blessed one.
§354εὐφημεῖν χρὴ κἀξίστασθαι τοῖς ἡμετέροισι χοροῖσιν, §355ὅστις ἄπειρος τοιῶνδε λόγων ἢ γνώμῃ μὴ καθαρεύει, §356ἢ γενναίων ὄργια Μουσῶν μήτʼ εἶδεν μήτʼ ἐχόρευσεν, §357μηδὲ Κρατίνου τοῦ ταυροφάγου γλώττης Βακχεῖʼ ἐτελέσθη, §358ἢ βωμολόχοις ἔπεσιν χαίρει μὴ ʼν καιρῷ τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν, §359ἢ στάσιν ἐχθρὰν μὴ καταλύει μηδʼ εὔκολός ἐστι πολίταις, §360ἀλλʼ ἀνεγείρει καὶ ῥιπίζει κερδῶν ἰδίων ἐπιθυμῶν, §361ἢ τῆς πόλεως χειμαζομένης ἄρχων καταδωροδοκεῖται, §362ἢ προδίδωσιν φρούριον ἢ ναῦς, ἢ τἀπόρρητʼ ἀποπέμπει §363ἐξ Αἰγίνης Θωρυκίων ὢν εἰκοστολόγος κακοδαίμων, §364ἀσκώματα καὶ λίνα καὶ πίτταν διαπέμπων εἰς Ἐπίδαυρον, §365ἢ χρήματα ταῖς τῶν ἀντιπάλων ναυσὶν παρέχειν τινὰ πείθει, §366ἢ κατατιλᾷ τῶν Ἑκαταίων κυκλίοισι χοροῖσιν ὑπᾴδων, §367ἢ τοὺς μισθοὺς τῶν ποιητῶν ῥήτωρ ὢν εἶτʼ ἀποτρώγει, §368κωμῳδηθεὶς ἐν ταῖς πατρίοις τελεταῖς ταῖς τοῦ Διονύσου· §369τούτοις αὐδῶ καὖθις ἀπαυδῶ καὖθις τὸ τρίτον μάλʼ ἀπαυδῶ §370ἐξίστασθαι μύσταισι χοροῖς· ὑμεῖς δʼ ἀνεγείρετε μολπὴν §371καὶ παννυχίδας τὰς ἡμετέρας αἳ τῇδε πρέπουσιν ἑορτῇ.
It is necessary to keep holy silence and stand aside from our dances, whoever is uninitiated in such words or is not pure in mind, or has neither seen nor danced the rites of the noble Muses, nor has been initiated into the Bacchic rites of the tongue of Cratinus the bull-eater, or delights in buffoonish words when they do this out of season, or does not put down hateful factional strife nor is good-tempered toward the citizens, but rouses and fans it, desiring private gains, or when the city is storm-tossed, being a ruler, takes bribes, or betrays a fortress or ships, or sends away prohibited goods from Aegina, being a wretched twenty-percent tax-collector like Thorycion, sending rowlock-pads and sails and pitch to Epidaurus, or persuades someone to provide money for the enemy's ships, or defiles the shrine of Hecate while singing accompaniment to the dithyrambic choruses, or, being an orator, then nibbles away the pay of the poets, because he was lampooned in our ancestral rites of Dionysus; To these I speak, and again I forbid, and again for the third time I strictly forbid, to stand aside from the initiates' dances; but you, raise up the song and our all-night revels which are fitting for this festival.
§372χώρει νυν πᾶς ἀνδρείως §373ἐς τοὺς εὐανθεῖς κόλπους §374λειμώνων ἐγκρούων §375κἀπισκώπτων §376καὶ παίζων καὶ χλευάζων, §377ἠρίστηται δʼ ἐξαρκούντως.
Go now, everyone, courageously into the flowery valleys of the meadows, stamping and mocking and playing and jesting, for we have feasted sufficiently.
§378ἀλλʼ ἔμβα χὤπως ἀρεῖς §379τὴν Σώτειραν γενναίως §380τῇ φωνῇ μολπάζων, §381ἣ τὴν χώραν §382σῴζειν φήσʼ ἐς τὰς ὥρας, §383κἂν Θωρυκίων μὴ βούληται.
But go on, and see that you raise the Savior Goddess nobly, singing with your voice, who says she will save this land forever, even if Thorycion does not wish it.
§384ἄγε νυν ἑτέραν ὕμνων ἰδέαν τὴν καρποφόρον βασίλειαν §385Δήμητρα θεὰν ἐπικοσμοῦντες ζαθέαις μολπαῖς κελαδεῖτε.
Come now, praise another form of hymns, the fruit-bearing queen, the goddess Demeter, adorning her, sound forth with divine songs.
§386Δήμητερ ἁγνῶν ὀργίων §387ἄνασσα συμπαραστάτει, §388καὶ σῷζε τὸν σαυτῆς χορόν, §389καί μʼ ἀσφαλῶς πανήμερον §390παῖσαί τε καὶ χορεῦσαι· §391καὶ πολλὰ μὲν γέλοιά μʼ εἰ- §392πεῖν, πολλὰ δὲ σπουδαῖα, καὶ §393τῆς σῆς ἑορτῆς ἀξίως §394παίσαντα καὶ σκώψαντα νι- §395κήσαντα ταινιοῦσθαι.
Demeter, queen of pure rites, stand beside us, and save your own chorus, and let me safely all day long play and dance; and let me say many funny things, and many serious things, and worthily of your festival, having played and mocked, and winning, be crowned with ribbons.
§396ἄγʼ εἶα §397νῦν καὶ τὸν ὡραῖον θεὸν παρακαλεῖτε δεῦρο §398ᾠδαῖσι, τὸν ξυνέμπορον τῆσδε τῆς χορείας.
Come now, now also summon the beautiful god here with songs, the traveling companion of this dance.
§399Ἴακχε πολυτίμητε, μέλος ἑορτῆς §400ἥδιστον εὑρών, δεῦρο συνακολούθει §401πρὸς τὴν θεὸν §402καὶ δεῖξον ὡς ἄνευ πόνου §403πολλὴν ὁδὸν περαίνεις.
Iacchus, highly honored, who found the sweetest song of the festival, follow along here to the goddess, and show how without labor you accomplish a long journey.
§404Ἴακχε φιλοχορευτὰ συμπρόπεμπέ με.
Iacchus, lover of the dance, escort me.
§405σὺ γὰρ κατεσχίσω μὲν ἐπὶ γέλωτι §406κἀπʼ εὐτελείᾳ τόδε τὸ σανδαλίσκον §407καὶ τὸ ῥάκος, §408κἀξηῦρες ὥστʼ ἀζημίους §409παίζειν τε καὶ χορεύειν.
For you tore to shreds, for laughter and cheapness, this little sandal and this rag, and you found a way so that without loss we may play and dance.
§410Ἴακχε φιλοχορευτὰ συμπρόπεμπέ με.
Iacchus, lover of the dance, escort me.
§411καὶ γὰρ παραβλέψας τι μειρακίσκης §412νῦν δὴ κατεῖδον καὶ μάλʼ εὐπροσώπου §413συμπαιστρίας §414χιτωνίου παραρραγέν- §415τος τιτθίον προκύψαν.
For indeed, looking askance, I just now saw a young girl, and a very comely one, playmate, whose tunic having torn, a little breast peeped out.
§416Ἴακχε φιλοχορευτὰ συμπρόπεμπέ με.
Iacchus, lover of the dance, escort me.
And I am always somehow a lover of following along, and with her I want to play and dance.
§419bκἄγωγε πρός.
And I too besides!
§422ὃς ἑπτέτης ὢν οὐκ ἔφυσε φράτερας.
Who, being seven years old, did not grow his clansmen.
And now he plays the demagogue among the dead above, and is the foremost of the rascals there.
§426τὸν Κλεισθένους δʼ ἀκούω §427ἐν ταῖς ταφαῖσι πρωκτὸν §428τίλλειν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ σπαράττειν τὰς γνάθους· §429κἀκόπτετʼ ἐγκεκυφώς, §430κἄκλαε κἀκεκράγει §431Σεβῖνον ὅστις ἐστὶν ἁναφλύστιος.
And I hear that the son of Cleisthenes at the graves is plucking his own backside and tearing his cheeks; and he beat his breast, bending over, and wept and shrieked for Sebinus, whoever he is, the Anaphlystian.
And indeed they say that Callias, this son of Hippobinus, fought a sea-battle clad in a lion-skin of pudenda.
Could you then tell the two of us where Pluto dwells here?
§437ξένω γάρ ἐσμεν ἀρτίως ἀφιγμένω.
For we are strangers recently arrived.
Do not go far away, nor ask me again, but know that you have arrived at his very door.
§441αἴροιʼ ἂν αὖθις ὦ παῖ.
Take them up again, boy.
§442τουτὶ τί ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα;
What indeed was this business?
§443ἀλλʼ ἢ Διὸς Κόρινθος ἐν τοῖς στρώμασιν.
Nothing but the "Corinth of Zeus" in the bedding.
§444χωρεῖτε §445νῦν ἱερὸν ἀνὰ κύκλον θεᾶς, ἀνθοφόρον ἀνʼ ἄλσος §446παίζοντες οἷς μετουσία θεοφιλοῦς ἑορτῆς· §447ἐγὼ δὲ σὺν ταῖσιν κόραις εἶμι καὶ γυναιξίν, §448οὗ παννυχίζουσιν θεᾷ, φέγγος ἱερὸν οἴσων.
Go now through the sacred circle of the goddess, through the flowery grove, playing, you who have a share in the god-beloved festival; and I will go with the girls and women, where they hold the all-night vigil for the goddess, to carry the sacred light.