§939καὶ μὴ δʼει πρότερον διασποδῆσαι §940ἀνάσιμον ἢ πρεσβυτέραν· §941οὐ γὰρ ἀνασχετὸν τοῦτό γʼ ἐλευθέρῳ.
(Young Man) And that there should be no need first to mate with a snub-nosed or an older woman; for that is not to be tolerated by a free man.
§942οἰμώζων ἄρα νὴ Δία σποδήσεις.
(Old Woman) By Zeus, you shall mate and weep for it!
§943οὐ γὰρ τἀπὶ Χαριξένης τάδʼ ἐστίν.
For these are not the times of Charixene.
To do these things according to the law is just, if we live in a democracy.
§946ἀλλʼ εἶμι τηρήσουσʼ ὅ τι καὶ δράσει ποτέ.
Well, I will go to watch what on earth he will do.
(Young Man) Oh gods, if only I could catch the beautiful girl alone, for whom I come, having drunk, desiring her for a long time.
I have deceived that cursed old hag; for she is gone, thinking that I am staying inside.
§951ἀλλʼ οὑτοσὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς οὗ ʼμεμνήμεθα.
But look, here is the very girl we were talking about.
§952δεῦρο δὴ δεῦρο δή, §952aφίλον ἐμόν, δεῦρό μοι §953πρόσελθε καὶ ξύνευνος §953aτὴν εὐφρόνην ὅπως ἔσει.
(Young Girl) Come here, oh come here, my love, come to me, come close and as my bedfellow so that you will be for the night.
For a terrible desire shakes me for these curls of yours.
A strange longing has come upon me, a longing which has worn me away.
Release me, I beseech you, Eros, and make him come to my bed, to my bed.
§960δεῦρο δὴ δεῦρο δή, §961καὶ σύ μοι καταδραμοῦσα §961aτὴν θύραν ἄνοιξον §962τήνδʼ· εἰ δὲ μή, καταπεσὼν κείσομαι.
(Young Man) Come here, oh come here, and you, running down to me, open the door, this one; otherwise, I shall fall down and lie here.
My love, but on your bosom I want to play, together with your buttocks.
§966Κύπρι τί μʼ ἐκμαίνεις ἐπὶ ταύτῃ;
Cypris, why do you drive me mad for her?
Release me, I beseech you, Eros, and make her come to my bed, to my bed.
And indeed these things have been said moderately enough in relation to my necessity.
But you, my dearest, oh I beseech you, open and embrace me; it is because of you that I suffer pains.
§972ὦ χρυσοδαίδαλτον ἐμὸν μέλημα, Κύπριδος ἔρνος, §973μέλιττα Μούσης, Χαρίτων θρέμμα, Τρυφῆς πρόσωπον, §974ἄνοιξον ἀσπάζου με· §975διά τοι σὲ πόνους ἔχω.
Oh my gold-embroidered darling, sprout of Cypris, bee of the Muse, nursling of the Graces, face of Delight, open and embrace me; it is because of you that I suffer pains.
§976οὗτος τί κόπτεις;
(Old Woman) You there! Why are you knocking?
μῶν ἐμὲ ζητεῖς;
Are you looking for me?
§976bπόθεν;
No way!
§977καὶ τὴν θύραν γʼ ἤραττες.
And yet you were banging on the door.
§977bἀποθάνοιμʼ ἄρα.
If I did, may I die!
§978τοῦ δαὶ δεόμενος δᾷδʼ ἔχων ἐλήλυθας;
Then what do you need, coming here with a torch?
§979Ἀναφλύστιον ζητῶν τινʼ ἄνθρωπον.
I am looking for a certain Anaphlystian man.
§979bτίνα;
Who?
§980οὐ τὸν Σεβῖνον, ὃν σὺ προσδοκᾷς ἴσως.
Not Sebinus, whom you perhaps expect.
§981νὴ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην, ἤν τε βούλῃ γʼ ἤν τε μή.
By Aphrodite, whether you want to or not!
But we do not now admit women over sixty; we have postponed them for another time.
§984τὰς ἐντὸς εἴκοσιν γὰρ ἐκδικάζομεν.
For we are judging those under twenty.
That was under the former government, my sweet; but now it is decreed that we are admitted first.
§987τῷ βουλομένῳ γε κατὰ τὸν ἐν πεττοῖς νόμον.
For those who wish, according to the rule of checkers.
§988ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ δειπνεῖς κατὰ τὸν ἐν πεττοῖς νόμον.
But you don't even dine according to the rule of checkers!
§989οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι λέγεις· τηνδεδί μοι κρουστέον.
I don't know what you are saying; I must knock on this door.
§990ὅταν γε κρούσῃς τὴν ἐμὴν πρῶτον θύραν.
When you knock on my door first!
§991ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ νυνὶ κρησέραν αἰτούμεθα.
But we are not now asking for a sieve.
I know that I am loved; and now you are surprised that you found me at the door; but bring your mouth here.
§994ἀλλʼ ὦ μέλʼ ὀρρωδῶ τὸν ἐραστήν σου.
But, my good woman, I dread your lover.
§994bτίνα;
Which one?
§995τὸν τῶν γραφέων ἄριστον.
The best of painters.
§995bοὗτος δʼ ἔστι τίς;
And who is he?
§996ὃς τοῖς νεκροῖσι ζωγραφεῖ τὰς ληκύθους.
The one who paints oil-flasks for the dead.
§997ἀλλʼ ἄπιθʼ, ὅπως μή σʼ ἐπὶ θύραισιν ὄψεται.
Well, go away, so he won't see you at the door!
§998οἶδʼ οἶδʼ ὅ τι βούλει.
I know, I know what you want.
§998bκαὶ γὰρ ἐγώ σε νὴ Δία.
And by Zeus, so do I know what you want!
By Aphrodite, who fell to my lot, You are out of your mind, old hag!
§1001ληρεῖς· ἐγὼ δʼ ἄξω σʼ ἐπὶ τἀμὰ στρώματα.
You are talking nonsense; I will drag you to my bed!
§1002τί δῆτα κρεάγρας τοῖς κάδοις ὠνούμεθα, §1003ἐξὸν καθέντα γρᾴδιον τοιουτονὶ §1004ἐκ τῶν φρεάτων τοὺς κάδους ξυλλαμβάνειν;
Why on earth do we buy meat-hooks for our buckets, when we could let down an old hag like this and grab the buckets out of the wells?
§1005μὴ σκῶπτέ μʼ ὦ τάλαν ἀλλʼ ἕπου δεῦρʼ ὡς ἐμέ.
Don't mock me, you wretch, but follow me here to my place.
But there is no necessity for me, unless you have paid the five-hundredth tax of my goods to the state.
§1008νὴ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην δεῖ γε μέντοι σʼ.
By Aphrodite, you must indeed!
ὡς ἐγὼ §1009τοῖς τηλικούτοις ξυγκαθεύδουσʼ ἥδομαι.
Because I delight in sleeping with young men of your age.
But I am vexed by women of your age, and I will never comply.
§1012bτοῦτο δʼ ἔστι τί;
And what is this?
§1013ψήφισμα, καθʼ ὅ σε δεῖ βαδίζειν ὡς ἐμέ.
A decree, according to which you must come to me.
§1014λέγʼ αὐτὸ τί ποτε κἄστι.
Read it, whatever it is.
§1014bκαὶ δή σοι λέγω.
And indeed I am reading it to you.
§1015ἔδοξε ταῖς γυναιξίν, ἢν ἀνὴρ νέος §1016νέας ἐπιθυμῇ, μὴ σποδεῖν αὐτὴν πρὶν ἂν §1017τὴν γραῦν προκρούσῃ πρῶτον· ἢν δὲ μὴ ʼθέλῃ §1018πρότερον προκρούειν ἀλλʼ ἐπιθυμῇ τῆς νέας,
"It has pleased the women: if a young man desires a young woman, he shall not mate with her until he has first banged the old woman; and if he does not wish to bang her first but desires the young woman..."