§853οὐκοῦν βαδιοῦμαι δῆτα.
Then I will indeed go.
τί γὰρ ἕστηκʼ ἔχων §854ἐνταῦθʼ, ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα τῇ πόλει δοκεῖ;
For why do I stand here lingering, since this is what the city has decided?
§855καὶ ποῖ βαδιεῖ σὺ μὴ καταθεὶς τὴν οὐσίαν;
And where will you go without having deposited your property?
§856ἐπὶ δεῖπνον.
To dinner.
Certainly not, if indeed they have any sense, at least not until you bring it in.
§857bἀλλʼ ἀποίσω.
But I will bring it.
§857cπηνίκα;
When?
§858οὐ τοὐμὸν ὦ τᾶν ἐμποδὼν ἔσται.
My part will not be an obstacle, my good sir.
§858bτί δή;
Why so?
§859ἑτέρους ἀποίσειν φήμʼ ἔθʼ ὑστέρους ἐμοῦ.
I say that others will bring theirs even later than I.
§860βαδιεῖ δὲ δειπνήσων ὅμως;
And will you go to dine anyway?
§860bτί γὰρ πάθω;
For what else can I do?
For those who are wise must help the city with what is in their power.
§862bἢν δὲ κωλύσωσι, τί;
And if they prevent you, what?
§863ὁμόσʼ εἶμι κύψας.
I will charge straight in, head down.
§863bἢν δὲ μαστιγῶσι, τί;
And if they whip you, what?
§864καλούμεθʼ αὐτάς.
I will summon them to court.
§864bἢν δὲ καταγελῶσι, τί;
And if they laugh at you, what?
εἰπέ μοι.
Tell me.
§866τῶν ἐσφερόντων ἁρπάσομαι τὰ σιτία.
I will snatch the food from those who are bringing it in.
§867βάδιζε τοίνυν ὕστερος·
Go then, after me.
σὺ δʼ ὦ Σίκων §868καὶ Παρμένων αἴρεσθε τὴν παμπησίαν.
And you, Sikon, and Parmenon, lift up all my property.
§869φέρε νυν ἐγώ σοι ξυμφέρω.
Come now, let me help you carry them.
§869bμὴ μηδαμῶς.
By no means!
For I fear that even before the female general, when I deposit them, you will lay claim to the property.
§872νὴ τὸν Δία δεῖ γοῦν μηχανήματός τινος, §873ὅπως τὰ μὲν ὄντα χρήμαθʼ ἕξω, τοισδεδὶ §874τῶν ματτομένων κοινῇ μεθέξω πως ἐγώ.
By Zeus, there is certainly need of some device, so that I may keep my existing property, and yet somehow share in these things that are being kneaded in common.
That seems right to me, at least; I must go straight to dine, and there must be no delay.
§877τί ποθʼ ἅνδρες οὐχ ἥκουσιν;
Why on earth haven't the men come?
ὥρα δʼ ἦν πάλαι·
It was time long ago.
§878ἐγὼ δὲ καταπεπλασμένη ψιμυθίῳ §879ἕστηκα καὶ κροκωτὸν ἠμφιεσμένη §880ἀργός, μινυρομένη τι πρὸς ἐμαυτὴν μέλος, §881παίζουσα.
And I stand here plastering myself with white lead and dressed in a saffron gown, idle, humming some tune to myself, playing.
πῶς ἂν περιλάβοιμʼ αὐτῶν τινὰ §882παριόντα;
How might I catch one of them as he passes by?
Μοῦσαι δεῦρʼ ἴτʼ ἐπὶ τοὐμὸν στόμα, §883μελύδριον εὑροῦσαί τι τῶν Ἰωνικῶν.
Muses, come hither to my mouth, having found some sweet little Ionian song.
§884νῦν μέν με παρακύψασα προὔφθης ὦ σαπρά.
Now you have forestalled me by peeping out, you rotten old hag!
Did you think you would gather the vintage in my absence, while I was not here, and attract someone by singing?
ἐγὼ δʼ ἢν τοῦτο δρᾷς ἀντᾴσομαι.
But if you do this, I will sing against you.
For even if this is annoying to the spectators, nevertheless it has something pleasant and comical.
§890τούτῳ διαλέγου κἀποχώρησον· σὺ δὲ
Talk to him and go away!
And you, my sweet little flute-player, take your flutes and play a tune worthy of me and you.
If anyone wishes to experience something good, he must sleep with me.
For wisdom is not in young women, but in those who are ripe.
§897οὐδέ τις στέργειν ἂν ἐθέλοι μᾶλλον ἢ ʼγὼ §898τὸν φίλον ᾧπερ ξυνείην, §899ἀλλʼ ἐφʼ ἕτερον ἂν πέτοιτο.
And no one would love a friend with whom she slept more than I; but a young woman would fly off to another.
§900μὴ φθόνει ταῖσιν νέαισι.
Do not envy the young women.
For tenderness is bred in soft thighs, and blooms upon their breasts.
But you, old hag, have had your hair plucked and are painted over, a darling of death.
§906ἐκπέσοι σου τὸ τρῆμα §907τό τʼ ἐπίκλιντρον ἀποβάλοιο §908βουλομένη σποδεῖσθαι, §909κἀπὶ τῆς κλίνης ὄφιν εὕροις §910καὶ προσελκύσαιο §910aβουλομένη φιλῆσαι.
May your bed-socket fall out, and may you lose the headrest when you wish to be embraced, and may you find a snake on your bed and draw it to you, wishing to kiss it.
§911αἰαῖ τί ποτε πείσομαι;
Alas, what will become of me?
My companion has not come, and I am left here alone.
For my mother has gone elsewhere, and there is no need to say the rest after this.
But, nurse, I beseech you, call Orthagoras, so that you may benefit from yourself, I entreat you.
Already, you wretched girl, in the Ionian fashion you are itching; and you seem to me to act the 'labda' after the manner of the Lesbians.
But you shall never snatch away my playthings; you will not destroy my prime of youth, nor will you take it away.
Sing as much as you like, and peep out like a weasel; for no one will enter to you first instead of me.
§926οὔκουν ἐπʼ ἐκφοράν γε.
Not unless it is for your funeral, at least.
§926bκαινόν γʼ ὦ σαπρά.
A novel joke, you rotten girl!
§927οὐ δῆτα.
Not at all.
§927bτί γὰρ ἂν γραῒ καινά τις λέγοι;
Indeed, for what new thing could anyone say to an old crone?
§928οὐ τοὐμὸν ὀδυνήσει σε γῆρας.
My old age will not pain you.
§928bἀλλὰ τί;
Then what will?
§929ἥγχουσα μᾶλλον καὶ τὸ σὸν ψιμύθιον;
Rather your alkanet and your white lead?
§930τί μοι διαλέγει;
Why do you talk to me?
§930bσὺ δὲ τί διακύπτεις;
And why do you peep out?
§930cἐγώ;
I?
§931ᾄδω πρὸς ἐμαυτὴν Ἐπιγένει τὠμῷ φίλῳ.
I am singing to myself for Epigenes, my boyfriend.
§932σοὶ γὰρ φίλος τίς ἐστιν ἄλλος ἢ Γέρης;
For who else is a friend to you but Geres?
§933δείξει γε καὶ σοί.
He will show you too!
τάχα γὰρ εἶσιν ὡς ἐμέ.
For he will soon come to me.
§934ὁδὶ γὰρ αὐτός ἐστιν.
For here he is in person.
By Zeus, you withered hag, you will soon see it yourself, as I am going inside.
§937κἄγωγʼ, ἵνα γνῷς ὡς πολύ σου μεῖζον φρονῶ.
And I too, so that you may know that I have a much higher mind than you.
§938εἴθʼ ἐξῆν παρὰ τῇ νέᾳ καθεύδειν,
Would that it were possible to sleep beside the young girl,