§44Λυκῖνος
ἐκεῖνος δὲ μέσον ἑαυτὸν ἐφύλαττεν.
Lycinus But he kept himself neutral.
οἱ δʼ ἐμάχοντο συμπλακέντες, καὶ ὁ μὲν Ζηνόθεμις σκύφον ἀράμενος ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης κείμενον πρὸ τοῦ Ἀρισταινέτου ῥίπτει ἐπὶ τὸν Ἕρμωνα,
"κἀκείνου μὲν ἅμαρτε, παραὶ δέ οἱ ἐτράπετʼ ἄλλῃ,"
διεῖλε δὲ τοῦ νυμφίου τὸ κρανίον ἐς δύο χρηστῷ μάλα καὶ βαθεῖ τῷ τραύματι.
The others fought, grappling with one another, and Zenothemis, taking up a cup that was lying on the table in front of Aristaenetus, threw it at Hermon, "and missed him, and it turned aside from him another way," but it split the skull of the bridegroom in two, with a very clean and deep wound.
βοὴ οὖν παρὰ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐγένετο καὶ κατεπήδησαν ἐς τὸ μεταίχμιον αἱ πολλαί, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ μειρακίου, ἐπεὶ τὸ αἷμα εἶδε· καὶ ἡ νύμφη δὲ ἀνεπήδησε φοβηθεῖσα περὶ αὐτοῦ.
Therefore a shout arose from the women, and most of them leaped down into the space between the combatants, and especially the mother of the youth, when she saw the blood; and the bride also leaped up, fearing for him.
ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ ὁ Ἀλκιδάμας ἠρίστευσε τῷ Ζηνοθέμιδι συμμαχῶν, καὶ πατάξας τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τοῦ Κλεοδήμου μὲν τὸ κρανίον, τοῦ Ἕρμωνος δὲ τὴν σιαγόνα ἐπέτριψε καὶ τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐνίους βοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειροῦντας κατέτρωσεν·
Meanwhile, Alcidamas distinguished himself in battle by allied with Zenothemis; and striking with his staff, he crushed the skull of Cleodemus and the jaw of Hermon, and wounded some of the servants who were attempting to help them.
οὐ μὴν ἀπετράποντο ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν Κλεόδημος ὀρθῷ τῷ δακτύλῳ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ Ζηνοθέμιδος ἐξώρυττε καὶ τὴν ῥῖνα προσφὺς ἀπέτραγεν, ὁ δὲ Ἕρμων τὸν Δίφιλον ἐπὶ ξυμμαχίαν ἥκοντα τοῦ Ζηνοθέμιδος ἀφῆκεν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ κλιντῆρος.
Nevertheless, they did not back down, but Cleodemus, with his finger straight, tried to gouge out Zenothemis' eye and, clinging to his nose, bit it off; and Hermon cast Diphilus, who had come to the alliance of Zenothemis, headlong from the couch.
§45Λυκῖνος
ἐτρώθη δὲ καὶ Ἱστιαῖος ὁ γραμματικὸς διαλύειν αὐτοὺς ἐπιχειρῶν, λάξ, οἶμαι, εἰς τοὺς ὀδόντας ὑπὸ τοῦ Κλεοδήμου Δίφιλον εἶναι οἰηθέντος.
Lycinus And Histiaeus the grammarian was also wounded while attempting to separate them, being kicked, I suppose, in the teeth by Cleodemus, who thought he was Diphilus.
ἔκειτο γοῦν ὁ ἄθλιος κατὰ τὸν αὑτοῦ Ὅμηρον
αἷμʼ ἐμέων. πλὴν ταραχῆς γε καὶ δακρύων μεστὰ ἦν πάντα.
At any rate, the wretched man lay there, in the words of his own Homer, "vomiting blood." In short, everything was full of confusion and tears.
καὶ αἱ μὲν γυναῖκες ἐκώκυον τῷ Χαιρέᾳ περιχυθεῖσαι, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι κατέπαυον.
And the women were wailing, gathered around Chaereas, while the others were trying to stop the fight.
μέγιστον δὲ ἦν ἁπάντων κακῶν ὁ Ἀλκιδάμας, ἐπεὶ ἅπαξ τὸ καθʼ αὑτὸν ἐτρέψατο, παίων τὸν προστυχόντα· καὶ πολλοὶ ἄν, εὖ ἴσθι, ἔπεσον εἰ μὴ κατέαξε τὴν βακτηρίαν.
But Alcidamas was the greatest of all evils, since once he had turned to his own bent, he beat whoever happened to be near; and many, you may be sure, would have fallen if he had not broken his staff.
ἐγὼ δὲ παρὰ τὸν τοῖχον ὀρθὸς ἐφεστὼς ἑώρων ἕκαστα οὐκ ἀναμιγνὺς ἑαυτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἱστιαίου διδαχθείς, ὡς ἔστιν ἐπισφαλὲς διαλύειν τὰ τοιαῦτα.
But I, standing upright by the wall, watched everything without involving myself, having been taught by Histiaeus how risky it is to separate such combatants.
Λαπίθας οὖν καὶ Κενταύρους εἶπες ἄν, εἰ εἶδες τραπέζας ἀνατρεπομένας καὶ αἷμα ἐκκεχυμένον καὶ σκύφους ῥιπτομένους.
You would indeed have said they were Lapiths and Centaurs, if you had seen tables overturned, blood spilt, and cups thrown.
§46Λυκῖνος
τέλος δὲ ὁ Ἀλκιδάμας ἀνατρέψας τὸ λυχνίον σκότος μέγα ἐποίησε, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, μακρῷ χαλεπώτερον ἐγεγένητο· καὶ γὰρ οὐ ῥᾳδίως εὐπόρησαν φωτὸς ἄλλου, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ ἐπράχθη καὶ δεινὰ ἐν τῷ σκότῳ.
Lycinus Finally, Alcidamas, overturning the lampstand, made a great darkness, and the situation naturally became far worse; for they did not easily obtain another light, but many terrible things were done in the darkness.
καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆν τις λύχνον ποτὲ κομίζων, κατελήφθη Ἀλκιδάμας μὲν τὴν αὐλητρίδα ἀπογυμνῶν καὶ πρὸς βίαν συνενεχθῆναι αὐτῇ σπουδάζων, Διονυσόδωρος δὲ ἄλλο τι γελοῖον ἐφωράθη πεποιηκώς· σκύφος γὰρ ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τοῦ κόλπου ἐξαναστάντος αὐτοῦ.
And when someone finally came carrying a lamp, Alcidamas was caught stripping the flute-girl and eagerly striving to have forced intercourse with her, and Dionysodorus was caught having done another ridiculous thing: for a cup fell out of his garment when he stood up.
εἶτʼ ἀπολογούμενος Ἴωνα ἔφη ἀνελόμενον ἐν τῇ ταραχῇ δοῦναι αὐτῷ, ὅπως μὴ ἀπόλοιτο, καὶ ὁ Ἴων κηδεμονικῶς ἔλεγε τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι.
Then, in his defense, he said that Ion, having picked it up in the confusion, had given it to him so that it might not be lost, and Ion said that he had done this out of concern.
§47Λυκῖνος
ἐπὶ τούτοις διελύθη τὸ συμπόσιον τελευτῆσαν ἐκ τῶν δακρύων αὖθις ἐς γέλωτα ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀλκιδάμαντι καὶ Διονυσοδώρῳ καὶ Ἴωνι.
Lycinus Upon this, the banquet broke up, ending from tears back into laughter at Alcidamas, Dionysodorus, and Ion.
καὶ οἵ τε τραυματίαι φοράδην ἐξεκομίζοντο πονήρως ἔχοντες, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ πρεσβύτης ὁ Ζηνόθεμις ἀμφοτέραις τῇ μὲν τῆς ῥινός, τῇ δὲ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἐπειλημμένος, βοῶν ἀπόλλυσθαι ὑπʼ ἀλγηδόνων, ὥστε καὶ τὸν Ἕρμωνα καίπερ ἐν κακοῖς ὄντα — δύο γὰρ ὀδόντας ἐξεκέκοπτο — ἀντιμαρτύρεσθαι λέγοντα,
Μέμνησο μέντοι, ὦ Ζηνόθεμι, ὡς οὐκ ἀδιάφορον ἡγῇ τὸν πόνον· καὶ ὁ νυμφίος δὲ ἀκεσαμένου τὸ τραῦμα τοῦ Διονίκου ἀπήγετο ἐς τὴν οἰκίαν ταινίαις κατειλημένος τὴν κεφαλήν, ἐπὶ τὸ ζεῦγος ἀνατεθεὶς ἐφʼ οὗ τὴν νύμφην ἀπάξειν ἔμελλε, πικροὺς ὁ ἄθλιος τοὺς γάμους ἑορτάσας· καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ ὁ Διόνικος ἐπεμελεῖτο δὴ τὰ δυνατά, καὶ καθευδήσοντες ἀπήγοντο ἐμοῦντες οἱ πολλοὶ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς.
And the wounded were carried out on stretchers, being in a bad way, and especially the old man Zenothemis, holding with both hands, one to his nose and the other to his eye, crying out that he was dying from the pains, so that even Hermon, although he was in a bad plight—for he had had two teeth knocked out—protested against him, saying, "Remember, however, Zenothemis, that you do not think pain is an indifferent thing!" And the bridegroom too, after Dionicus had dressed his wound, was led away to his house, his head wrapped in bandages, placed upon the carriage on which he was to have carried away the bride, having celebrated a bitter marriage, wretched man; and Dionicus took care of the others indeed as far as possible, and most of them were led away to sleep, vomiting in the streets.
ὁ μέντοι Ἀλκιδάμας αὐτοῦ ἔμεινεν· οὐ γὰρ ἠδυνήθησαν ἐκβαλεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα, ἐπεὶ ἅπαξ καταβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης πλαγίως ἐκάθευδε.
However, Alcidamas remained there; for they could not throw the man out, since once he had thrown himself down on the couch, he slept crosswise.
§48Λυκῖνος
τοῦτό σοι τέλος, ὦ καλὲ Φίλων, ἐγένετο τοῦ συμποσίου, ἢ ἄμεινον τὸ τραγικὸν ἐκεῖνο ἐπειπεῖν,
"
πολλαὶ μορφαὶ τῶν δαιμονίων,
πολλὰ δʼ ἀέλπτως κραίνουσι θεοί,
καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντʼ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη·
Lycinus This was the end of the banquet for you, my good Philon, or is it better to add that tragic verse: "Many are the forms of things divine, and many things the gods accomplish unexpectedly, and what was expected was not fulfilled"?
"
ἀπροσδόκητα γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀπέβη καὶ ταῦτα.
For these things too turned out truly unexpected.
ἐκεῖνό γε μὴν μεμάθηκα ἤδη, ὡς οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς ἄπρακτον ὄντα συνεστιᾶσθαι τοιούτοις σοφοῖς.
At any rate, I have already learned this: that it is not safe for a man of peace to feast with such wise men.