§1Χάρων
Εἶεν, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, τὸ μὲν σκάφος τοῦτο ἡμῖν πάλαι εὐτρεπὲς καὶ πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν εὖ μάλα παρεσκευασμένον· ὅ τε γὰρ ἄντλος ἐκκέχυται καὶ ὁ ἱστὸς ὤρθωται καὶ ἡ ὀθόνη παρακέκρουσται καὶ τῶν κωπῶν ἑκάστη τετρόπωται, κωλύει τε οὐδέν, ὅσον ἐπʼ ἐμοί, τὸ ἀγκύριον ἀνασπάσαντας ἀποπλεῖν.
Charon Well, Clotho, this boat of ours has long been ready and very well prepared for putting to sea; for the bilge-water has been pumped out, the mast is raised, the sail is sheeted home, and each of the oars is fastened with its thong, and nothing prevents us, as far as I am concerned, from weighing anchor and sailing away.
ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς βραδύνει, πάλαι παρεῖναι δέον· κενὸν γοῦν ἐπιβατῶν, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἔστι τὸ πορθμεῖον τρὶς ἤδη τήμερον ἀναπεπλευκέναι δυνάμενον· καὶ σχεδὸν ἀμφὶ βουλυτόν ἐστιν, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδέπω οὐδὲ ὀβολὸν ἐμπεπολήκαμεν.
But Hermes is late, though he ought to have been here long ago; at any rate, the ferry-boat is empty of passengers, though, as you see, it could have sailed across three times already today; and it is almost time for unyoking the oxen, yet we have not earned even a single obol.
εἶτα ὁ Πλούτων εὖ οἶδα ὅτι ἐμὲ ῥᾳθυμεῖν ἐν τούτοις ὑπολήψεται, καὶ ταῦτα παρʼ ἄλλῳ οὔσης τῆς αἰτίας.
And then Pluto, I know well, will suppose that I am idling in these matters, and that too when the blame lies with another.
ὁ δὲ καλὸς ἡμῖν κἀγαθὸς νεκροπομπὸς ὥσπερ τις ἄλλος καὶ αὐτὸς ἄνω τὸ τῆς Λήθης ὕδωρ πεπωκὼς ἀναστρέψαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐπιλέλησται, καὶ ἤτοι παλαίει μετὰ τῶν ἐφήβων ἢ κιθαρίζει ἢ λόγους τινὰς διεξέρχεται ἐπιδεικνύμενος τὸν λῆρον τὸν αὑτοῦ, ἢ τάχα που καὶ κλωπεύει ὁ γεννάδας παρελθών· μία γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὕτη τῶν τεχνῶν.
But our fine and noble conductor of the dead, like anyone else, seems to have drunk the water of Lethe himself up there and forgotten to return to us, and is either wrestling with the youths, or playing the cithara, or spinning some yarns to display his own nonsense, or perhaps the noble fellow is even thieving somewhere on his way; for this also is one of his arts.
ὁ δʼ οὖν ἐλευθεριάζει πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ταῦτα ἐξ ἡμισείας ἡμέτερος ὤν.
At any rate, he behaves with free-and-easy independence toward us, and that too though he is ours by half.
§2Κλωθώ
τί δὲ οἶδας, ὦ Χάρων, εἴ τις ἀσχολία προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ, τοῦ Διὸς ἐπὶ πλέον δεηθέντος ἀποχρήσασθαι πρὸς τὰ ἄνω πράγματα;
Clotho But how do you know, Charon, whether some business did not fall upon him, because Zeus needed to use him further for affairs up above?
δεσπότης δὲ κἀκεῖνός ἐστιν.
He too is a master, after all.
Χάρων
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὥστε, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, πέρα τοῦ μέτρου δεσπόζειν κοινοῦ κτήματος, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ποτε αὐτόν, ἀπιέναι δέον, κατεσχήκαμεν.
Charon But not so as, Clotho, to lord it over a common possession beyond measure, since we too have never detained him when he ought to depart.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ οἶδα τὴν αἰτίαν· παρʼ ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ ἀσφόδελος μόνον καὶ χοαὶ καὶ πόπανα καὶ ἐναγίσματα, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα ζόφος καὶ ὁμίχλη καὶ σκότος, ἐν δὲ τῷ οὐρανῷ φαιδρὰ πάντα καὶ ἥ τε ἀμβροσία πολλὴ καὶ τὸ νέκταρ ἄφθονον· ὥστε ἥδιον παρʼ ἐκείνοις βραδύνειν ἔοικε.
But I know the reason; for with us there is only asphodel and libations and funeral cakes and offerings, and all the rest is gloom and mist and darkness, while in heaven everything is bright, and ambrosia is plenteous and nectar abundant; so it seems he prefers to linger with them.
καὶ παρʼ ἡμῶν μὲν ἀνίπταται καθάπερ ἐκ δεσμωτηρίου τινὸς ἀποδιδράσκων· ἐπειδὰν δὲ καιρὸς κατιέναι, σχολῇ καὶ βάδην μόγις ποτὲ κατέρχεται.
And from us he flies away as if escaping from some prison; but when it is time to come down, he descends slowly and at a walking pace, with difficulty and at last.
§3Κλωθώ
μηκέτι χαλέπαινε, ὦ Χάρων· πλησίον γὰρ αὐτὸς οὗτος, ὡς ὁρᾷς, πολλούς τινας ἡμῖν ἄγων, μᾶλλον δὲ ὥσπερ τι αἰπόλιον ἀθρόους αὐτοὺς τῇ ῥάβδῳ σοβῶν.
Clotho Do not be angry any longer, Charon; for here he is himself close by, as you see, bringing a good many people to us, or rather driving them all together with his rod like a flock of goats.
ἀλλὰ τί τοῦτο;
But what is this?
δεδεμένον τινὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἄλλον γελῶντα ὁρῶ, ἕνα δέ τινα καὶ πήραν ἐξημμένον καὶ ξύλον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἔχοντα, δριμὺ ἐνορῶντα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπισπεύδοντα.
I see one bound among them, and another laughing, and a certain one with a wallet slung about him and holding a staff in his hand, looking sharp and urging the others on.
οὐχ ὁρᾷς δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἑρμῆν αὐτὸν ἱδρῶτι ῥεόμενον καὶ τὼ πόδε κεκονιμένον καὶ πνευστιῶντα;
And do you not see Hermes himself dripping with sweat, his feet covered with dust, and panting?
μεστὸν γοῦν ἄσθματος αὐτῷ τὸ στόμα.
At any rate, his mouth is full of breathlessness.
τί ταῦτα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;
What is this, Hermes?
τίς ἡ σπουδή;
What is the haste?
τεταραγμένῳ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἔοικας.
For you seem to us to be troubled.
Ἑρμῆς
τί δʼ ἄλλο, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, ἢ τουτονὶ τὸν ἀλιτήριον ἀποδράντα μεταδιώκων ὀλίγου δεῖν λιπόνεως ὑμῖν τήμερον ἐγενόμην;
Hermes What else, Clotho, than that by chasing this scoundrel who ran away, I was within a little of being a ship-deserter for you today?
Κλωθώ
τίς δʼ ἐστίν;
Clotho Who is he?
ἢ τί βουλόμενος ἀπεδίδρασκε;
Or what did he want that he ran away?
Ἑρμῆς
τουτὶ μὲν πρόδηλον, ὅτι ζῆν μᾶλλον ἐβούλετο.
Hermes That is obvious: he wanted to live.
ἔστι δὲ βασιλεύς τις ἢ τύραννος, ἀπὸ γοῦν τῶν ὀδυρμῶν καὶ ὧν ἀνακωκύει, πολλῆς τινος εὐδαιμονίας ἐστερῆσθαι λέγων.
He is some king or tyrant, to judge at least from his lamentations and what he wails about, saying that he has been deprived of some great happiness.
Κλωθώ
εἶθʼ ὁ μάταιος ἀπεδίδρασκεν, ὡς ἐπιβιῶναι δυνάμενος, ἐπιλελοιπότος ἤδη τοῦ ἐπικεκλωσμένου αὐτῷ νήματος;
Clotho And then did the fool run away, as though he could survive when the thread spun for him had already run out?