§524κινδυνεύων περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς αὑτοῦ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι;
risking his own life to do this?
§525ὥστʼ αὐτὸς ἀροῦν ἐπαναγκασθεὶς καὶ σκάπτειν τἄλλα τε μοχθεῖν §526ὀδυνηρότερον τρίψεις βίοτον πολὺ τοῦ νῦν.
so that you yourself, forced to plow and dig and toil at other things, will spend a life much more painful than the present one.
§526bἐς κεφαλὴν σοί.
Upon your own head!
§527ἔτι δʼ οὐχ ἕξεις οὔτʼ ἐν κλίνῃ καταδαρθεῖν, οὐ γὰρ ἔσονται, §528οὔτʼ ἐν δάπισιν· τίς γὰρ ὑφαίνειν ἐθελήσει χρυσίου ὄντος;
Furthermore, you will not even have a bed to lie down on—for there won't be any— nor blankets; for who will wish to weave when there is gold?
§529οὔτε μύροισιν μυρίσαι στακτοῖς ὁπόταν νύμφην ἀγάγησθον. §530οὔθʼ ἱματίων βαπτῶν δαπάναις κοσμῆσαι ποικιλομόρφων.
Nor to anoint yourselves with liquid perfumes, whenever you two lead home a bride, nor to adorn her with the expense of dyed garments of varied shapes.
§531καίτοι τί πλέον πλουτεῖν ἐστιν τούτων πάντων ἀποροῦντας;
And yet, what benefit is it to be rich, if you are in lack of all these things?
§532παρʼ ἐμοῦ δʼ ἔστιν ταῦτʼ εὔπορα πάνθʼ ὑμῖν ὧν δείσθον· ἐγὼ γὰρ §533τὸν χειροτέχνην ὥσπερ δέσποινʼ ἐπαναγκάζουσα κάθημαι §534διὰ τὴν χρείαν καὶ τὴν πενίαν ζητεῖν ὁπόθεν βίον ἕξει.
But from me, all these things which you two need are easily provided; for I, sitting like a mistress, compel the craftsman by reason of need and poverty, to seek from where he will have his livelihood.
§535σὺ γὰρ ἂν πορίσαι τί δύναιʼ ἀγαθὸν φῴδων ἐκ βαλανείου §536καὶ παιδαρίων ὑποπεινώντων καὶ γραι· δίων κολοσυρτόν;
For what good could you provide, except a crowd of blisters from the bathhouse and of starving little children and of old crones?
§537φθειρῶν τʼ ἀριθμὸν καὶ κωνώπων καὶ ψυλλῶν οὐδὲ λέγω σοι §538ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, αἳ βομβοῦσαι περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνιῶσιν, §539ἐπεγείρουσαι καὶ φράζουσαι,
πεινήσεις, ἀλλʼ ἐπανίστω. §540πρὸς δέ γε τούτοις ἀνθʼ ἱματίου μὲν ἔχειν ῥάκος· ἀντὶ δὲ κλίνης §541στιβάδα σχοίνων κόρεων μεστήν, ἣ τοὺς εὕδοντας ἐγείρει· §542καὶ φορμὸν ἔχειν ἀντὶ τάπητος σαπρόν· ἀντὶ δὲ προσκεφαλαίου §543λίθον ἐυμεγέθη πρὸς τῇ κεφαλῇ· σιτεῖσθαι δʼ ἀντὶ μὲν ἄρτων §544μαλάχης πτόρθους, ἀντὶ δὲ μάζης φυλλεῖʼ ἰσχνῶν ῥαφανίδων, §545ἀντὶ δὲ θράνους στάμνου κεφαλὴν κατεαγότος, ἀντὶ δὲ μάκτρας §546φιδάκνης πλευρὰν ἐρρωγυῖαν καὶ ταύτην.
And as for the number of lice, gnats, and fleas, I do not even tell you, because of their multitude, which buzzing about your head annoy you, waking you up and saying, 'You will starve, so get up!' And in addition to these, having a rag instead of a cloak; and instead of a bed, a mattress of rushes full of bedbugs, which wakes those who sleep; and having a rotten mat instead of a carpet; and instead of a pillow, a large stone at your head; and eating instead of bread shoots of mallow, and instead of barley-cake, leaves of withered radishes; and instead of a stool, the broken head of a jar; and instead of a kneading trough, the side of a cask, and this too broken.
ἆρά γε πολλῶν §547ἀγαθῶν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀνθρὠποις ἀποφαίνω σʼ αἴτιον οὖσαν;
Do I indeed show that you are the cause of many goods for all men?
§548σὺ μὲν οὐ τὸν ἐμὸν βίον εἴρηκας, τὸν τῶν πτωχῶν δʼ ὑπεκρούσω.
You have not described my life, but you have harped on that of beggars.
§549οὐκοῦν δήπου τῆς Πτωχείας Πενίαν φαμὲν εἶναι ἀδελφήν.
And yet, we surely say that Poverty is the sister of Beggary.
§550ὑμεῖς γʼ οἵπερ καὶ Θρασυβούλῳ Διονύσιον εἶναι ὅμοιον.
Yes, you who also say that Dionysius is like Thrasybulus!
§551ἀλλʼ οὐχ οὑμὸς τοῦτο πέπονθεν βίος οὐ μὰ Δίʼ, οὐδέ γε μέλλει.
But my life has not suffered this, no by Zeus, nor is it going to.
§552πτωχοῦ μὲν γὰρ βίος, ὃν σὺ λέγεις, ζῆν ἐστιν μηδὲν ἔχοντα· §553τοῦ δὲ πένητος ζῆν φειδόμενον καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις προς έχοντα, §554περιγίγνεσθαι δʼ αὐτῷ μηδέν, μὴ μέντοι μηδʼ ἐπιλείπειν.
For the beggar's life, which you speak of, is to live having nothing; but the poor man's is to live sparingly and attending to his tasks, and for nothing to be left over for him, yet indeed nothing to be lacking either.
§555ὡς μακαρίτην ὦ Δάματερ τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ κατέλεξας, §556εἰ φεισάμενος καὶ μοχθήσας καταλείψει μηδὲ ταφῆναι.
By Demeter, what a blessed life of his you have described, if, after living sparingly and toiling, he will leave behind not even enough to be buried!
§557σκώπτειν πειρᾷ καὶ κωμῳδεῖν τοῦ σπουδάζειν ἀμελήσας, §558οὐ γιγνώσκων ὅτι τοῦ Πλούτου παρέχω βελτίονας ἄνδρας §559καὶ τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὴν ἰδέαν.
You try to mock and make jokes, neglecting to be serious, not knowing that I provide better men than Plutus does, both in mind and in appearance.
παρὰ τῷ μὲν γὰρ ποδαγρῶντες §560καὶ γαστρώδεις καὶ παχύκνημοι καὶ πίονές εἰσιν ἀσελγῶς, §561παρʼ ἐμοὶ δʼ ἰσχνοὶ καὶ σφηκώδεις καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀνιαροί.
For with him they are gouty, and fat-bellied, thick-legged, and outrageously fat, but with me they are thin, wasp-waisted, and annoying to their enemies.
§562ἀπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ γὰρ ἴσως αὐτοῖς τὸ σφηκῶδες σὺ πορίζεις.
Probably from hunger you provide them with that wasp-like shape!
§563περὶ σωφροσύνης ἤδη τοίνυν περανῶ σφῷν κἀναδιδάξω §564ὅτι κοσμιότης οἰκεῖ μετʼ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ Πλούτου δʼ ἐστὶι ὑβρίζειν.
Now then, concerning self-control I will explain to you two and teach you that decency dwells with me, but insolence belongs to Plutus.
§565πάνυ γοῦν κλέπτειν κόσμιόν ἐστιν καὶ τοὺς τοίχους διορύττειν.
Certainly, to steal is very decent, and to dig through walls!
§566†νὴ τὸν Δίʼ, εἰ δεῖ λαθεῖν αὐτόν, πῶς οὐχὶ κόσμιόν ἐστι; †
By Zeus, if he must keep hidden, how is that not decent?
§567σκέψαι τοίνυν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν τοὺς ῥήτορας, ὡς ὁπόταν μὲν §568ὦσι πένητες, περὶ τὸν δῆμον καὶ τὴν πόλιν εἰσὶ δίκαιοι, §569πλουτήσαντες δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν παραχρῆμʼ ἄδικοι γεγένηνται, §570ἐπιβουλεύουσί τε τῷ πλήθει καὶ τῷ δήμῳ πολεμοῦσιν.
Observe then the orators in the cities, how whenever they are poor, they are just towards the people and the city, but having become rich from public funds, they immediately become unjust, and they plot against the multitude and make war on the people.
§571ἀλλʼ οὐ ψεύδει τούτων γʼ οὐδέν, καίπερ σφόδρα βάσκανος οὖσα.
Well, none of these things indeed is a lie, although you are extremely slanderous.
§572ἀτὰρ οὐχ ἧττόν γʼ οὐδὲν κλαύσει, μηδὲν ταύτῃ γε κομήσῃς, §573ὁτιὴ ζητεῖς τοῦτʼ ἀναπείθειν ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἔστιν ἄμεινον §574Πενία Πλούτου.
But none the less you shall suffer for it; do not give yourself airs in this, because you seek to persuade us of this: that Poverty is better than Wealth.
And you are not yet able to refute me on this, but you babble and flap your wings.
§575bκαὶ πῶς φεύγουσί σʼ ἅπαντες;
And how is it that everyone flees you?
§576ὅτι βελτίους αὐτοὺς ποιῶ.
Because I make them better.
σκέψασθαι δʼ ἔστι μάλιστα §577ἀπὸ τῶν παίδων· τοὺς γὰρ πατέρας φεύγουσι φρονοῦντας ἄριστα §578αὐτοῖς.
And one can observe this best from children; for they flee their fathers, who think what is best for them.
οὕτω διαγιγνώσκειν χαλεπὸν πρᾶγμʼ ἐστὶ δίκαιον.
Thus, to discern what is right is a difficult matter.