§1ὡς ἀργαλέον πρᾶγμʼ ἐστὶν ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοὶ
What a tiresome thing it is, O Zeus and gods, to become the slave of a crazy master.
§2δοῦλον γενέσθαι παραφρονοῦντος δεσπότου. §3ἢν γὰρ τὰ βέλτισθʼ ὁ θεράπων λέξας τύχῃ, §4δόξῃ δὲ μὴ δρᾶν ταῦτα τῷ κεκτημένῳ,
For if the servant happens to say what is best, but his owner decides not to do these things, the servant must share in the misfortunes.
§5μετέχειν ἀνάγκη τὸν θεράποντα τῶν κακῶν. §6τοῦ σώματος γὰρ οὐκ ἐᾷ τὸν κύριον §7κρατεῖν ὁ δαίμων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐωνημένον.
For the divinity does not allow the master of the body to rule over it, but rather the one who bought it.
§8καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ταῦτα.
And indeed, so much for that.
τῷ δὲ Λοξίᾳ, §9ὃς θεσπιῳδεῖ τρίποδος ἐκ χρυσηλάτου, §10μέμψιν δικαίαν μέμφομαι ταύτην, ὅτι §11ἰατρὸς ὢν καὶ μάντις, ὥς φασιν, σοφὸς §12μελαγχολῶντʼ ἀπέπεμψέ μου τὸν δεσπότην, §13ὅστις ἀκολουθεῖ κατόπιν ἀνθρώπου τυφλοῦ, §14τοὐναντίον δρῶν ἢ προσῆκʼ αὐτῷ ποιεῖν.
But to Loxias, who prophesies from his gold-wrought tripod, I bring this just complaint, because, being a wise physician and seer, as they say, he sent my master away in a state of madness, who now follows behind a blind man, doing the opposite of what is proper for him to do.
§15οἱ γὰρ βλέποντες τοῖς τυφλοῖς ἡγούμεθα, §16οὗτος δʼ ἀκολουθεῖ, κἀμὲ προσβιάζεται, §17καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀποκρινομένῳ τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲ γρῦ.
For we who can see guide the blind, but this man follows, and forces me to do so too, and that too when the other does not utter a single grunt in answer.
§18ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως σιγήσομαι, §19ἢν μὴ φράσῃς ὅ τι τῷδʼ ἀκολουθοῦμέν ποτε §20ὦ δέσποτʼ, ἀλλά σοι παρέξω πράγματα.
Therefore I will certainly not keep silent, unless you tell me why on earth we are following this man, O master, but I will make trouble for you.
§21οὐ γάρ με τυπτήσεις στέφανον ἔχοντά γε.
For you will not beat me while I am wearing this wreath, at least.
No, by Zeus, but I will snatch away your wreath, if you trouble me at all, so that you may suffer all the more.
§23bλῆρος· οὐ γὰρ παύσομαι §24πρὶν ἂν φράσῃς μοι τίς ποτʼ ἐστὶν οὑτοσί· §25εὔνους γὰρ ὤν σοι πυνθάνομαι πάνυ σφόδρα.
Nonsense; for I will not stop until you tell me who on earth this man is; for out of goodwill to you, I ask most eagerly.
Well, I will not hide it from you; for of my servants I consider you the most faithful and the biggest thief.
When I was a god-fearing and just man, I fared badly and was poor.
§29bοἶδά τοι.
I know it, indeed.
While others grew rich—temple-robbers, public speakers, sycophants, and wicked men.
§31bπείθομαι.
I believe you.
§32ἐπερησόμενος οὖν ᾠχόμην ὡς τὸν θεόν, §33τὸν ἐμὸν μὲν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου σχεδὸν §34ἤδη νομίζων ἐκτετοξεῦσθαι βίον, §35τὸν δʼ υἱόν, ὅσπερ ὢν μόνος μοι τυγχάνει, §36πευσόμενος εἰ χρὴ μεταβαλόντα τοὺς τρόπους §37εἶναι πανοῦργον, ἄδικον, ὑγιὲς μηδὲ ἕν, §38ὡς τῷ βίῳ τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ νομίσας συμφέρειν.
So I went to consult the god, thinking that my own life, that of this wretched self, had already been almost shot away, but about my son, who happens to be my only one, to ask whether, changing his ways, he should become a rascal, unjust, with nothing wholesome in him, thinking this very thing to be advantageous for his life.
§39τί δῆτα Φοῖβος ἔλακεν ἐκ τῶν στεμμάτων;
What then did Phoebus utter from his garlands?
§40πεύσει. σαφῶς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς εἶπέ μοι τοδί·
You shall hear.
§41ὅτῳ ξυναντήσαιμι πρῶτον ἐξιών, §42ἐκέλευε τούτου μὴ μεθίεσθαί μʼ ἔτι, §43πείθειν δʼ ἐμαυτῷ ξυνακολουθεῖν οἴκαδε.
For the god spoke this clearly to me: whomever I should meet first as I went out, he ordered me never to let go of him, but to persuade him to accompany me home.
§44καὶ τῷ ξυναντᾷς δῆτα πρώτῳ;
And whom, indeed, do you meet first?
§44bτουτῳί.
This man here.
§45εἶτʼ οὐ ξυνίης τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ θεοῦ §46φράζουσαν ὦ σκαιότατέ σοι σαφέστατα §47ἀσκεῖν τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἐπιχώριον τρόπον;
Then do you not understand the intention of the god, which tells you most clearly, O most foolish man, to train your son in the local fashion?
§48τῷ τοῦτο κρίνεις;
By what do you judge this?
§48bδῆλον ὁτιὴ καὶ τυφλῷ §49γνῶναι δοκεῖ τοῦθʼ, ὡς σφόδρʼ ἐστὶ συμφέρον §50τὸ μηδὲν ἀσκεῖν ὑγιὲς ἐν τῷ νῦν χρόνῳ.
It is clear that even to a blind man it seems easy to understand this, that to practice nothing wholesome is highly advantageous in these present times.
It is impossible that the oracle inclines to this, but rather to something else, greater.
ἢν δʼ ἡμῖν φράσῃ §53ὅστις ποτʼ ἐστὶν οὑτοσὶ καὶ τοῦ χάριν §54καὶ τοῦ δεόμενος ἦλθε μετὰ νῷν ἐνθαδί, §55πυθοιμεθʼ ἂν τὸν χρησμὸν ἡμῶν ὅ τι νοεῖ.
But if he tells us who on earth he is and for what purpose and needing what he came here with us, we might learn what our oracle means.
Come now, will you tell us who you are, or shall I do what follows?
λέγειν χρὴ ταχὺ πάνυ.
You must speak very quickly.
§58ἐγὼ μὲν οἰμώζειν λέγω σοι.
I tell you to go howl.
He says this to you, not to me; for you question him clumsily and harshly.
But if you take any pleasure in the ways of an honest man, tell me.
§62bκλάειν ἔγωγέ σοι λέγω.
I tell you to go weep.
§63δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ὄρνιν τοῦ θεοῦ.
Take the man and the god's omen.
§64οὔ τοι μὰ τὴν Δήμητρα χαιρήσεις ἔτι.
By Demeter, you shall not get away with this any longer.
For if you do not tell— I will destroy you, villain that you are, in a villainous way.
§66cπώμαλα.
Not at all.
§67καὶ μὴν ὃ λέγω βέλτιστόν ἐστʼ ὦ δέσποτα.
And indeed what I say is best, O master.
§68ἀπολῶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον κάκιστα τουτονί.
I will destroy this man in the worst possible way.
For carrying him up to some cliff and leaving him, I will go away, so that he may fall from there and break his neck.
§71ἀλλʼ αἶρε ταχέως.
But pick him up quickly.
§71bμηδαμῶς.
By no means!
§71cοὔκουν ἐρεῖς;
Will you not speak then?
But if you learn who I am, I know well you will do me some harm and not let me go.
§74νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἡμεῖς γʼ, ἐὰν βούλῃ γε σύ.
By the gods, we will indeed, if you wish.
§75μέθεσθε νῦν μου πρῶτον.
Let me go first now.
§75bἤν, μεθίεμεν.
There, we let you go.
§76ἀκούετον δή· δεῖ γὰρ ὡς ἔοικέ με
Listen then; for it seems I must...