§1Ὦ λαμπρὸν ὄμμα τοῦ τροχηλάτου λύχνου §2κάλλιστʼ ἐν εὐστόχοισιν ἐζητημένον· §3γονάς τε γὰρ σὰς καὶ τύχας δηλώσομεν· §4τροχῷ γὰρ ἐλαθεὶς κεραμικῆς ῥύμης ὕπο §5μυκτῆρσι λαμπρὰς ἡλίου τιμὰς ἔχεις· §6ὅρμα φλογὸς σημεῖα τὰ ξυγκείμενα.
O bright eye of the wheeled lamp, most beautifully fashioned among clever inventions; for we shall declare your birth and fortunes; driven by the wheel under the force of the potter's clay, you hold in your nostrils the bright honors of the sun; send forth the agreed signals of your flame.
§7σοὶ γὰρ μόνῳ δηλοῦμεν εἰκότως, ἐπεὶ §8κἀν τοῖσι δωματίοισιν Ἀφροδίτης τρόπων §9πειρωμέναισι πλησίον παραστατεῖς, §10λορδουμένων τε σωμάτων ἐπιστάτην §11ὀφθαλμὸν οὐδεὶς τὸν σὸν ἐξείργει δόμων.
For to you alone, naturally, we reveal this, since also in the chambers of Aphrodite's ways you stand near us when we make trial, and as the overseer of writhing bodies, no one excludes your eye from the rooms.
§12μόνος δὲ μηρῶν εἰς ἀπορρήτους μυχοὺς §13λάμπεις ἀφεύων τὴν ἐπανθοῦσαν τρίχα· §14στοάς τε καρποῦ Βακχίου τε νάματος §15πλήρεις ὑποιγνύσαισι συμπαραστατεῖς· §16καὶ ταῦτα συνδρῶν οὐ λαλεῖς τοῖς πλησίον.
You alone shine into the secret recesses of thighs, singeing the budding hair; and when we secretly open the storehouses full of the fruit of Bacchus' stream, you stand by us; and doing these things with us, you do not babble to the neighbors.
In return for which, you shall be privy also to the present counsels, all that was decided at the Scira by my female friends.
§19ἀλλʼ οὐδεμία πάρεστιν ἃς ἥκειν ἐχρῆν.
But none of those who ought to have come is present.
§20καίτοι πρὸς ὄρθρον γʼ ἐστίν· ἡ δʼ ἐκκλησία §21αὐτίκα μάλʼ ἔσται· καταλαβεῖν δʼ ἡμᾶς ἕδρας, §22ἃς Φυρόμαχός ποτʼ εἶπεν, εἰ μέμνησθʼ ἔτι, §23δεῖ τὰς ἑτέρας πως κἀγκαθεζομένας λαθεῖν.
And yet it is near dawn; and the assembly will be held very shortly; and for us to occupy the seats, which Phyromachus once said—if you still remember— we must somehow sit down beforehand and escape the notice of the other women.
§24τί δῆτʼ ἂν εἴη;
What could it be then?
πότερον οὐκ ἐρραμμένους §25ἔχουσι τοὺς πώγωνας, οὓς εἴρητʼ ἔχειν;
Is it that they do not have the stitched beards, which it was told to have?
Or was it difficult for them to steal the men's cloaks and escape notice?
ἀλλʼ ὁρῶ τονδὶ λύχνον
But I see this lamp approaching.
Come now, let me withdraw back again, lest the approaching person should happen to be some man.
Time to march, since the herald just crowed for the second time as we were approaching.
And I indeed, expecting you, have been awake the whole night.
ἀλλὰ φέρε τὴν γείτονα §34τήνδʼ ἐκκαλέσωμαι θρυγονῶσα τὴν θύραν.
But come, let me call out this neighbor here, scratching at her door.
§35δεῖ γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρʼ αὐτῆς λαθεῖν.
For she must escape the notice of her husband.
I heard you scratching with your fingers while putting on my shoes, as I was not asleep at all.
ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ ὦ φιλτάτη, §38Σαλαμίνιος γάρ ἐστιν ᾧ ξύνειμʼ ἐγώ, §39τὴν νύχθʼ ὅλην ἤλαυνέ μʼ ἐν τοῖς στρώμασιν, §40ὥστʼ ἄρτι τουτὶ θοἰμάτιον αὐτοῦ ʼλαβον.
For my husband, my dearest, is a Salaminian indeed with whom I live, and drove me all night in the blankets, so that I only just now took this cloak of his.
And indeed I see also Cleinarete and Sostrate approaching now, and this Philainete here.
§43οὔκουν ἐπείξεσθʼ;
Will you not then hurry?
Since Glyke swore that the last one to arrive should pay three choes of wine to us and a choenix of chickpeas.
And do you not see Smikythion's Melistiche hurrying in her husband's shoes?
And yet she seems to have slipped out from her husband alone at her leisure.
And do you not see the tavern-keeper's Geusistrate holding the torch in her right hand?
§51καὶ τὴν Φιλοδωρήτου τε καὶ Χαιρητάδου §52ὁρῶ προσιούσας χἀτέρας πολλὰς πάνυ §53γυναῖκας, ὅ τι πέρ ἐστʼ ὄφελος ἐν τῇ πόλει.
And also Philodoretus' and Chairetades' wives I see approaching, and very many other women, who are indeed the strength of the city.
Indeed, with great trouble, my dearest, I ran out and slipped by.
ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ τὴν νύχθʼ ὅλην §56ἔβηττε τριχίδων ἑσπέρας ἐμπλήμενος.
For my husband the whole night coughed, having filled himself with sprats in the evening.
§57κάθησθε τοίνυν, ὡς ἂν ἀνέρωμαι τάδε §58ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ συλλελεγμένας ὁρῶ, §59ὅσα Σκίροις ἔδοξεν εἰ δεδράκατε.
Sit down then, so that I may ask you these things, since I see you assembled, whether you have done all that was decided at the Scira.
§60ἔγωγε.
I indeed have.
πρῶτον μέν γʼ ἔχω τὰς μασχάλας §61λόχμης δασυτέρας, καθάπερ ἦν ξυγκείμενον· §62ἔπειθʼ ὁπόθʼ ἁνὴρ εἰς ἀγορὰν οἴχοιτό μου, §63ἀλειψαμένη τὸ σῶμʼ ὅλον διʼ ἡμέρας §64ἐχραινόμην ἑστῶσα πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.
First of all, I have my armpits bushier than a thicket, just as was agreed; then, whenever my husband went off to the market, anointing my whole body, all day long I sunned myself standing in the sun.
§65κἄγωγε· τὸ ξυρὸν δέ γʼ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας §66ἔρριψα πρῶτον, ἵνα δασυνθείην ὅλη §67καὶ μηδὲν εἴην ἔτι γυναικὶ προσφερής.
I too; and indeed the razor from the house I threw away first, so that I might become hairy all over and not be like a woman any longer.
And do you have the beards, which it was told to have for all of us, whenever we should assemble?
§70νὴ τὴν Ἑκάτην καλόν γʼ ἔγωγε τουτονί.
By Hecate, indeed I have this beautiful one here.
§71κἄγωγʼ Ἑπικράτους οὐκ ὀλίγῳ καλλίονα.
And I, one not a little more beautiful than Epicrates'.
§72ὑμεῖς δὲ τί φατε;
And what do you say?
§72bφασί· κατανεύουσι γάρ.
They say they have; for they are nodding assent.
§73καὶ μὴν τά γʼ ἄλλʼ ὑμῖν ὁρῶ πεπραγμένα.
And indeed I see the other things done by you.
For you have Laconian shoes and walking sticks and the men's cloaks, just as we said.
I at least brought out the club of Lamios here secretly while he was sleeping.
§78τοῦτʼ ἔστʼ ἐκείνων τῶν σκυτάλων ὧν πέρδεται.
This is one of those clubs because of which he farts.
§79νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν σωτῆρʼ ἐπιτήδειός γʼ ἂν ἦν §80τὴν τοῦ πανόπτου διφθέραν ἐνημμένος §81εἴπερ τις ἄλλος βουκολεῖν τὸ δήμιον.
By Zeus the Savior, indeed he would be suitable, clad in the leather coat of the all-seeing one, if anyone else is, to herd the public flock.
§82ἀλλʼ ἄγεθʼ ὅπως καὶ τἀπὶ τούτοις δράσομεν, §83ἕως ἔτʼ ἐστὶν ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανόν· §84ἡκκλησία δʼ, εἰς ἣν παρεσκευάσμεθα §85ἡμεῖς βαδίζειν, ἐξ ἕω γενήσεται.
But come, let us act also regarding what follows, while there are still stars in the sky; and the assembly, to which we have prepared ourselves to march, will take place at dawn.