For what else than preparing to bring their property are they doing?
§772bἀλλʼ ἰδὼν ἐπειθόμην.
But I would believe it when I saw it.
§773λέγουσι γοῦν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς.
At any rate they say so in the streets.
§77bλέξουσι γάρ.
For they will say so.
§774καί φασιν οἴσειν ἀράμενοι.
And they say they will bring them, having lifted them.
§774bφήσουσι γάρ.
For they will say so.
§775ἀπολεῖς ἀπιστῶν πάντʼ.
You will ruin me by doubting everything.
§775bἀπιστήσουσι γάρ.
For they will doubt.
§776ὁ Ζεύς σέ γʼ ἐπιτρίψειεν.
May Zeus destroy you!
§776bἐπιτρίψουσι γάρ.
For they will destroy.
§777οἴσειν δοκεῖς τινʼ ὅστις αὐτῶν νοῦν ἔχει;
Do you think anyone of them who has sense will bring them?
For this is not our ancestral custom, but we must only receive, by Zeus.
καὶ γὰρ οἱ θεοί·
For even the gods...
§780γνώσει δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν γε τῶν ἀγαλμάτων·
And you will know it from the hands of their statues.
§781ὅταν γὰρ εὐχώμεσθα διδόναι τἀγαθά, §782ἕστηκεν ἐκτείνοντα τὴν χεῖρʼ ὑπτίαν §783οὐχ ὥς τι δώσοντʼ ἀλλʼ ὅπως τι λήψεται.
For when we pray for them to give good things, they stand stretching out their hand palm upwards, not as if to give anything but to receive something.
§784ὦ δαιμόνιʼ ἀνδρῶν ἔα με τῶν προὔργου τι δρᾶν.
My dear fellow, let me do some of my urgent work.
§785ταυτὶ γάρ ἐστι συνδετέα.
For these must be tied together.
ποῦ μοὔσθʼ ἱμάς;
Where is my strap?
§786ὄντως γὰρ οἴσεις;
Are you really going to bring them?
Yes, by Zeus, and indeed right now I am tying these two tripods together.
§787bτῆς μωρίας,
What foolishness!
Not even to wait for the others to see what they will do, and then, at that very moment— To do what?
§790ἐπαναμένειν, ἔπειτα διατρίβειν ἔτι.
To wait, and then to delay still longer.
§791ἵνα δὴ τί;
To what end?
§791bσεισμὸς εἰ γένοιτο πολλάκις §792ἢ πῦρ ἀπότροπον, ἢ διᾴξειεν γαλῆ, §793παύσαιντʼ ἂν ἐσφέροντες ὦμβρόντητε σύ.
If a sudden earthquake should happen, or an averted fire, or a weasel should dart across, they would stop bringing them in, you thunderstruck fool!
At any rate, I would experience a fine thing if I didn't have anywhere to deposit these.
Don't worry about not having a place to deposit them; take heart, you will deposit them even if you go the day after tomorrow.
§796bτιή;
Why?
I know these people, they are quick to vote by show of hands, but whatever they decide, they deny it again.
§799οἴσουσιν ὦ τᾶν.
They will bring them, my good sir.
§799bἢν δὲ μὴ κομίσωσι, τί;
And if they don't bring them, what?
§800ἀμέλει κομιοῦσιν.
Never mind, they will bring them.
§800bἢν δὲ μὴ κομίσωσι, τί;
And if they don't bring them, what?
§801μαχούμεθʼ αὐτοῖς.
We will fight them.
§801bἢν δὲ κρείττους ὦσι, τί;
And if they are stronger, what?
§802ἄπειμʼ ἐάσας.
I'll leave them alone and go away.
§802bἢν δὲ πωλῶσʼ αὐτά, τί;
And if they sell them, what?
§803διαρραγείης.
May you burst!
§803bἢν διαρραγῶ δέ, τί;
And if I burst, what?
§804καλῶς ποιήσεις.
You will do well.
§804bσὺ δʼ ἐπιθυμήσεις φέρειν;
And will you still desire to bring them?
I will indeed; for I see my neighbors bringing theirs.
πολὺ γὰρ ἐμμελέστερον §808πρότερον χέσαι πλεῖν ἢ τριάκονθʼ ἡμέρας.
For it is much more congenial to him to shit beforehand for more than thirty days.
§809οἴμωζε.
Go weep!
And will Callimachus the chorus-director bring in anything for them?
§810bπλείω Καλλίου.
More than Callias!
§811ἅνθρωπος οὗτος ἀποβαλεῖ τὴν οὐσίαν.
This fellow will throw away his property.
§812δεινά γε λέγεις.
You say terrible things.
§812bτί δεινόν;
What is terrible?
ὥσπερ οὐχ ὁρῶν §813ἀεὶ τοιαῦτα γιγνόμενα ψηφίσματα.
As if you don't always see such decrees being made.
§814οὐκ οἶσθʼ ἐκεῖνʼ οὕδοξε τὸ περὶ τῶν ἁλῶν;
Don't you know that decree about salt which was passed?
§815ἔγωγε.
I do.
And when we voted for those bronze coins, don't you know?
For having sold grapes, I went away with my jaw full of bronze coins, and then I went to the marketplace for barley-meal.
§820ἔπειθʼ ὑπέχοντος ἄρτι μου τὸν θύλακον, §821ἀνέκραγʼ ὁ κῆρυξ μὴ δέχεσθαι μηδένα §822χαλκοῦν τὸ λοιπόν· ἀργύρῳ γὰρ χρώμεθα.
Then, just as I was holding out my sack, the herald cried out that no one should receive bronze anymore; for we use silver.
§823τὸ δʼ ἔναγχος οὐχ ἅπαντες ἡμεῖς ὤμνυμεν §824τάλαντʼ ἔσεσθαι πεντακόσια τῇ πόλει §825τῆς τετταρακοστῆς, ἣν ἐπόρισʼ Εὐριπίδης;
And lately, did we not all swear that there would be five hundred talents for the city from the one-fortieth tax, which Euripides proposed?
§826κεὐθὺς κατεχρύσου πᾶς ἀνὴρ Εὐριπίδην· §827ὅτε δὴ δʼ ἀνασκοπουμένοις ἐφαίνετο §828ὁ Διὸς Κόρινθος καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμʼ οὐκ ἤρκεσεν, §829πάλιν κατεπίττου πᾶς ἀνὴρ Εὐριπίδην.
And immediately every man gilded Euripides; but when on examination it appeared to be 'Corinthus, son of Zeus' and the thing was not sufficient, again every man pitched Euripides.
§830οὐ ταὐτὸν ὦ τᾶν. τότε μὲν ἡμεῖς ἤρχομεν,
It's not the same, my good sir.
§831νῦν δʼ αἱ γυναῖκες.
At that time we ruled, but now the women do.
Whom I shall be on my guard against, by Poseidon, lest they piss on me.
§833οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι ληρεῖς.
I don't know what you are babbling.
φέρε σὺ τἀνάφορον ὁ παῖς.
Bring the carrying-pole, boy.
§834ὦ πάντες ἀστοί, νῦν γὰρ οὕτω ταῦτʼ ἔχει,
O all citizens!
§835χωρεῖτʼ ἐπείγεσθʼ εὐθὺ τῆς στρατηγίδος, §836ὅπως ἂν ὑμῖν ἡ τύχη κληρουμένοις §837φράσῃ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἄνδρʼ ὅποι δειπνήσετε·
For now things are so, go, hasten straight to the female general's, so that fortune, as you draw lots, may tell each man where you will dine.
§838ὡς αἱ τράπεζαί γʼ εἰσὶν ἐπινενησμέναι §839ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων καὶ παρεσκευασμέναι, §840κλῖναί τε σισυρῶν καὶ δαπίδων †νενασμέναι†, §841κρατῆρα συγκιρνᾶσιν, αἱ μυροπώλιδες §842ἑστᾶσʼ ἐφεξῆς, τὰ τεμάχη ῥιπίζεται, §843λαγῷʼ ἀναπηγνύασι, πόπανα πέττεται, §844στέφανοι πλέκονται, φρύγεται τραγήματα, §845χύτρας ἔτνους ἕψουσιν αἱ νεώταται.
For the tables are piled high with all good things and prepared, and couches are stuffed with sheepskins and carpets, they are mixing the mixing-bowl, the perfume-sellers stand in order, the fish-slices are being fanned, they are spitting hare-meat, cakes are being baked, wreaths are being woven, sweetmeats are being toasted, the youngest women are boiling pots of porridge.
And Smoeus among them, wearing a cavalry outfit, is cleaning out the women's bowls.