§17Μίκυλλος
οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν δανειστὴν Γνίφωνα ἰδὼν στένοντα καὶ μεταγινώσκοντα ὅτι μὴ ἀπέλαυσε τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλʼ ἄγευστος αὐτῶν ἀπέθανε τῷ ἀσώτῳ Ῥοδοχάρει τὴν οὐσίαν ἀπολιπών, — οὗτος γὰρ ἄγχιστα ἦν αὐτῷ γένους καὶ πρῶτος ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον ἐκαλεῖτο κατὰ τὸν νόμον — οὐκ εἶχον ὅπως καταπαύσω τὸν γέλωτα, καὶ μάλιστα μεμνημένος ὡς ὠχρὸς ἀεὶ καὶ αὐχμηρὸς ἦν, φροντίδος τὸ μέτωπον ἀνάπλεως καὶ μόνοις τοῖς δακτύλοις πλουτῶν, οἷς τάλαντα καὶ μυριάδας ἐλογίζετο, κατὰ μικρὸν συλλέγων τὰ μετʼ ὀλίγον ἐκχυθησόμενα πρὸς τοῦ μακαρίου Ῥοδοχάρους.
Micyllus And not only this man, but also when I saw the usurer Gniphon groaning and repenting that he did not enjoy his money, but died without tasting it, leaving his estate to the spendthrift Rhodochares — for this man was his nearest of kin and was called first to the inheritance according to the law — I could not stop my laughter, especially remembering how pale and dirty he always was, his forehead full of worry, and wealthy only with his fingers, with which he counted talents and tens of thousands, gathering little by little what would shortly be poured out by the blessed Rhodochares.
ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἀπερχόμεθα ἤδη;
But why do we not depart already?
καὶ μεταξὺ γὰρ πλέοντες τὰ λοιπὰ γελασόμεθα οἰμώζοντας αὐτοὺς ὁρῶντες.
For while sailing we shall laugh at the rest, seeing them wailing.
Κλωθώ
ἔμβαινε, ἵνα καὶ ἀνιμήσηται ὁ πορθμεὺς τὸ ἀγκύριον.
Clotho Step in, so that the ferryman may also haul up the anchor.
§18Χάρων
οὗτος, ποῖ φέρῃ;
Charon Hey you, where are you rushing to?
πλῆρες ἤδη τὸ σκάφος·
The boat is already full.
αὐτοῦ περίμενε εἰς αὔριον· ἕωθέν σε διαπορθμεύσομεν.
Wait here until tomorrow; we will ferry you across at dawn.
Μίκυλλος
ἀδικεῖς, ὦ Χάρων, ἕωλον ἤδη νεκρὸν ἀπολιμπάνων·
Micyllus You do me wrong, Charon, leaving behind a corpse that is already stale.
ἀμέλει γράψομαί σε παρανόμων ἐπὶ τοῦ Ῥαδαμάνθυος.
I will certainly indict you for illegal conduct before Rhadamanthus.
οἴμοι τῶν κακῶν·
Alas for my woes!
ἤδη πλέουσιν· ἐγὼ δὲ μόνος ἐνταῦθα περιλελείψομαι.
They are already sailing, and I alone shall be left behind here.
καίτοι τί οὐ διανήχομαι κατʼ αὐτούς;
And yet, why do I not swim after them?
οὐ γὰρ δέδια μὴ ἀπαγορεύσας ἀποπνιγῶ ἤδη τεθνεώς· ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ τὸν ὀβολὸν ἔχω τὰ πορθμεῖα καταβαλεῖν.
For I do not fear that I shall grow exhausted and drown, being already dead; besides, I do not even have the obol to pay the fare.
Κλωθώ
τί τοῦτο;
Clotho What is this?
περίμεινον, ὦ Μίκυλλε·
Wait, Micyllus!
οὐ θέμις οὕτω σε διελθεῖν.
It is not lawful for you to cross over in this way.
Μίκυλλος
καὶ μὴν ἴσως ὑμῶν καὶ προκαταχθήσομαι.
Micyllus And indeed, I shall probably even land before you.
§19Κλωθώ
μηδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ προσελάσαντες ἀναλάβωμεν αὐτόν·
Clotho By no means, but let us row near and take him in.
καὶ σύ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, συνανάσπασον.
And you, Hermes, help haul him up.
ΧΑΡΩΝ ποῦ νῦν καθεδεῖται;
Charon Where will he sit now?
μεστὰ γὰρ πάντα, ὡς ὁρᾷς.
For everything is full, as you see.
Ἑρμῆς
ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους, εἰ δοκεῖ, τοῦ τυράννου.
Hermes On the shoulders, if it seems good, of the tyrant.
Κλωθώ
καλῶς ὁ Ἑρμῆς ἐνενόησεν.
Clotho Hermes has thought of a good plan.
Χάρων
ἀνάβαινε οὖν καὶ τὸν τένοντα τοῦ ἀλιτηρίου καταπάτει· ἡμεῖς δὲ εὐπλοῶμεν.
Charon Mount up then, and tread on the neck of the scoundrel; and let us have a good voyage.
Κυνίσκος
ὦ Χάρων, καλῶς ἔχει σοι τὰς ἀληθείας ἐντεῦθεν εἰπεῖν.
Cyniscus Charon, it is well to tell you the truth from the start.
ἐγὼ τὸν ὀβολὸν μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμι δοῦναί σοι καταπλεύσας· πλέον γὰρ οὐδέν ἐστι τῆς πήρας ἣν ὁρᾷς καὶ τουτουὶ τοῦ ξύλου·
I would not have the obol to give you when we land; for I have nothing more than this pouch you see and this staff.
τἆλλα δὲ ἢ ἀντλεῖν, εἰ θέλεις, ἕτοιμος ἢ πρόσκωπος εἶναι· μέμψῃ δὲ οὐδέν, ἢν εὐῆρες καὶ καρτερόν μοι ἐρετμὸν δῷς μόνον.
But for the rest, I am ready either to bale out the water, if you wish, or to pull an oar; and you will find no fault, if only you give me a well-balanced and stout oar.
Χάρων
Ἔρεττε· καὶ τουτὶ γὰρ ἱκανὸν παρὰ σοῦ λαβεῖν.
Charon Row then; for even this is enough to receive from you.
Κυνίσκος
ἦ καὶ ὑποκελεῦσαι δεήσει;
Cyniscus Shall I also have to sing the rowing-chant?
Χάρων
νὴ Δία, ἤνπερ εἰδῇς κέλευσμά τι τῶν ναυτικῶν.
Charon Yes, by Zeus, if indeed you know any of the sailors' chants.
Κυνίσκος
οἶδα καὶ πολλά, ὦ Χάρων.
Cyniscus I know many, Charon.
ἀλλʼ, ὁρᾷς, ἀντεπηχοῦσιν οὗτοι δακρύοντες· ὥστε ἡμῖν τὸ ᾆσμα ἐπιταραχθήσεται.
But, you see, these people are weeping in response, so our song will be disturbed.
§20Νεκροί
οἴμοι τῶν κτημάτων. — οἴμοι τῶν ἀγρῶν. — ὀττοτοῖ, τὴν οἰκίαν οἵαν ἀπέλιπον. — ὅσα τάλαντα ὁ κληρονόμος σπαθήσει παραλαβών. — αἰαῖ τῶν νεογνῶν μοι παιδίων. — τίς ἄρα τὰς ἀμπέλους τρυγήσει, ἃς πέρυσιν ἐφυτευσάμην;
The Dead Alas for my possessions! — Alas for my fields! — Oh, what a house I have left behind! — How many talents the heir will squander when he takes over! — Alas for my newborn children! — Who, I wonder, will harvest the vines that I planted last year?
Ἑρμῆς
Μίκυλλε, σὺ δʼ οὐδὲν οἰμώζεις;
Hermes Micyllus, and do you not wail at all?
καὶ μὴν οὐ θέμις ἀδακρυτὶ διαπλεῦσαί τινα.
And indeed, it is not lawful for anyone to cross over without tears.
Μίκυλλος
ἄπαγε·
Micyllus Away with that!
οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐφʼ ὅτῳ ἂν οἰμώξαιμι εὐπλοῶν.
There is nothing for which I should wail, having a good voyage.
Ἑρμῆς
ὅμως κἂν μικρόν τι ἐς τὸ ἔθος ἐπιστέναξον.
Hermes Nevertheless, groan at least a little for the sake of custom.
Μίκυλλος
οἰμώξομαι τοίνυν, ἐπειδή, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, σοὶ δοκεῖ.
Micyllus I will wail then, since, Hermes, it seems good to you.
οἴμοι τῶν καττυμάτων·
Alas for my leather scraps!
οἴμοι τῶν κρηπίδων τῶν παλαιῶν·
Alas for my old soles!
ὀττοτοῖ τῶν σαθρῶν ὑποδημάτων.
Oh, for my rotten shoes!
οὐκέτι ὁ κακοδαίμων ἕωθεν εἰς ἑσπέραν ἄσιτος διαμενῶ, οὐδὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἀνυπόδητός τε καὶ ἡμίγυμνος περινοστήσω τοὺς ὀδόντας ὑπὸ τοῦ κρύους συγκροτῶν.
No longer, wretch that I am, shall I remain without food from morning till evening, nor shall I wander about in winter barefoot and half-naked, my teeth chattering from the cold.
τίς ἄρα μου τὴν σμίλην ἕξει καὶ τὸ κεντητήριον;
Who, I wonder, will have my knife and my awl?
Ἑρμῆς
ἱκανῶς τεθρήνηται· σχεδὸν δὲ ἤδη καταπεπλεύκαμεν.
Hermes Enough lamentation has been made; we have already nearly landed.
§21Χάρων
ἄγε δὴ τὰ πορθμεῖα πρῶτον ἡμῖν ἀπόδοτε·
Charon Come now, pay us the ferry-fares first.
καὶ σὺ δός· παρὰ πάντων ἤδη ἔχω.
You too, give; I already have it from everyone.
δὸς καὶ σὺ τὸν ὀβολόν, ὦ Μίκυλλε.
Give your obol too, Micyllus.
Μίκυλλος
παίζεις, ὦ Χάρων, ἢ καθʼ ὕδατος, φασίν, γράφεις παρὰ Μικύλλου δή τινα ὀβολὸν προσδοκῶν.
Micyllus Are you joking, Charon, or, as they say, writing on water, in expecting any obol from Micyllus?
ἀρχὴν δὲ οὐδὲ οἶδα εἰ τετράγωνόν ἐστιν ὁ ὀβολὸς ἢ στρογγύλον.
In the first place, I do not even know whether an obol is square or round.
Χάρων
Ὢ καλῆς ναυτιλίας καὶ ἐπικερδοῦς τήμερον.
Charon Oh, what a fine and profitable voyage today!
ἀποβαίνετε δʼ ὅμως·
But step out nevertheless.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἵππους καὶ βοῦς καὶ κύνας καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα μέτειμι· διαπλεῦσαι γὰρ ἤδη κἀκεῖνα δεῖ.
I will go and fetch the horses, oxen, dogs, and the rest of the animals; for those too must now be ferried across.
Κλωθώ
ἄπαγε αὐτούς, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, παραλαβών·
Clotho Take them away, Hermes, having received them.
ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὴ ἐς τὸ ἀντιπέρας ἀναπλευσοῦμαι Ἰνδοπάτην καὶ Ἡραμίθρην τοὺς Σῆρας διάξουσα· τεθνᾶσι γὰρ δὴ πρὸς ἀλλήλων περὶ γῆς ὅρων μαχόμενοι.
But I myself will sail back to the opposite shore to bring over Indopates and Heramithres the Seres; for they have indeed died at each other's hands, fighting about borders of land.
Ἑρμῆς
Προΐωμεν, ὦ οὗτοι· μᾶλλον δὲ πάντες ἑξῆς ἕπεσθέ μοι.
Hermes Let us go forward, you there; or rather, follow me all in order.