§4Ἑρμῆς
ἀπεδίδρασκε, λέγεις;
Hermes "He ran away," you say?
εἰ γὰρ μὴ ὁ γενναιότατος οὗτος, ὁ τὸ ξύλον, συνήργησέ μοι καὶ συλλαβόντες αὐτὸν ἐδήσαμεν, κἂν ᾤχετο ἡμᾶς ἀποφυγών·
If this most noble fellow, the one with the staff, had not helped me and if we had not caught and bound him, he would have gone, escaping us.
ἀφʼ οὗ γάρ μοι παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ἡ Ἄτροπος, παρʼ ὅλην τὴν ὁδὸν ἀντέτεινε καὶ ἀντέσπα, καὶ τὼ πόδε ἀντερείδων πρὸς τὸ ἔδαφος οὐ παντελῶς εὐάγωγος ἦν·
For ever since Atropos delivered him to me, he resisted and pulled back throughout the whole journey, and pressing his feet against the ground, he was by no means easy to lead.
ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ ἱκέτευε καὶ κατελιπάρει, ἀφεθῆναι πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀξιῶν καὶ πολλὰ δώσειν ὑπισχνούμενος.
Sometimes he would beg and entreat, asking to be let go for a little while and promising to give many things.
ἐγὼ δέ, ὥσπερ εἰκός, οὐκ ἀνίειν ὁρῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐφιέμενον.
But I, as was natural, did not let him go, seeing him desiring the impossible.
ἐπεὶ δὲ κατʼ αὐτὸ ἤδη τὸ στόμιον ἦμεν, ἐμοῦ τοὺς νεκρούς, ὡς ἔθος, ἀπαριθμοῦντος τῷ Αἰακῷ κἀκείνου λογιζομένου αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ παρὰ τῆς σῆς ἀδελφῆς πεμφθὲν αὐτῷ σύμβολον, λαθὼν οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ὁ τρισκατάρατος ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο.
And when we were already at the very entrance, while I, as usual, was counting the dead for Aeacus, and he was calculating them against the token sent to him by your sister, the thrice-cursed fellow went off, escaping notice I know not how.
ἐνέδει οὖν νεκρὸς εἷς τῷ λογισμῷ, καὶ ὁ Αἰακὸς ἀνατείνας τὰς ὀφρῦς,
μὴ ἐπὶ πάντων, ὦ Ἑρμῆ,
φησί,
χρῶ τῇ κλεπτικῇ, ἅλις σοι αἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ παιδιαί·
Therefore, one dead man was lacking in the calculation, and Aeacus, raising his eyebrows, said: "Do not, Hermes, use your thievery in all matters; your pranks in heaven are enough for you.
τὰ νεκρῶν δὲ ἀκριβῆ καὶ οὐδαμῶς λαθεῖν δυνάμενα.
But the affairs of the dead are precise and can in no way escape notice.
τέτταρας, ὡς ὁρᾷς, πρὸς τοῖς χιλίοις ἔχει τὸ σύμβολον ἐγκεχαραγμένους, σὺ δέ μοι παρʼ ἕνα ἥκεις ἄγων, εἰ μὴ τοῦτο φής, ὡς παραλελόγισταί σε ἡ Ἄτροπος. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐρυθριάσας πρὸς τὸν λόγον ταχέως ὑπεμνήσθην τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, κἀπειδὴ περιβλέπων οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτον εἶδον, συνεὶς τὴν ἀπόδρασιν ἐδίωκον ὡς εἶχον τάχους κατὰ τὴν ἄγουσαν πρὸς τὸ φῶς·
The token, as you see, has one thousand and four engraved on it, but you have come bringing one short, unless you say that Atropos has miscalculated." And I, blushing at his words, quickly remembered the events on the road, and when looking around I saw him nowhere, realizing his escape, I pursued him as fast as I could along the way leading to the light.
εἵπετο δὲ αὐθαίρετός μοι ὁ βέλτιστος οὗτος, καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ ὕσπληγγος θέοντες καταλαμβάνομεν αὐτὸν ἤδη ἐν Ταινάρῳ· παρὰ τοσοῦτον ἦλθε διαφυγεῖν.
And this excellent fellow followed me voluntarily, and running as if from a starting gate, we caught him already in Taenarum; he came within so much of escaping.
§5Κλωθώ
ἡμεῖς δέ, ὦ Χάρων, ὀλιγωρίαν ἤδη τοῦ Ἑρμοῦ κατεγινώσκομεν.
Clotho And we, Charon, were already condemning Hermes for negligence.
Χάρων
τί οὖν ἔτι διαμέλλομεν ὡς οὐχ ἱκανῆς ἡμῖν γεγενημένης διατριβῆς;
Charon Why then do we still delay, as though not enough time has been wasted?
Κλωθώ
εὖ λέγεις· ἐμβαινέτωσαν.
Clotho You speak well; let them embark.
ἐγὼ δὲ προχειρισαμένη τὸ βιβλίον καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀποβάθραν καθεζομένη, ὡς ἔθος, ἐπιβαίνοντα ἕκαστον αὐτῶν διαγνώσομαι, τίς καὶ πόθεν καὶ ὅντινα τεθνεὼς τὸν τρόπον·
And I, having prepared the ledger and sitting by the gangway, as is the custom, will examine each of them as they embark—who he is, where he comes from, and in what manner he died.
σὺ δὲ παραλαμβάνων στοίβαζε καὶ συντίθει·
And you, receiving them, stack and arrange them.
σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὰ νεογνὰ ταυτὶ πρῶτα ἐμβαλοῦ· τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἀποκρίναιντό μοι;
And you, Hermes, throw in these infants first; for what could they even answer to me?
Ἑρμῆς
ἰδού σοι, ὦ πορθμεῦ, τὸν ἀριθμὸν οὗτοι τριακόσιοι μετὰ τῶν ἐκτιθεμένων.
Hermes Here you are, ferryman, three hundred in number, including those exposed.
Χάρων
βαβαὶ τῆς εὐαγρίας.
Charon My, what a fine catch!
ὀμφακίας ἡμῖν νεκροὺς ἥκεις ἄγων.
You have come bringing us unripe dead.
Ἑρμῆς
βούλει, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, τοὺς ἀκλαύστους ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐμβιβασώμεθα;
Hermes Do you wish, Clotho, that we embark the unwept after these?
Κλωθώ
τοὺς γέροντας λέγεις;
Clotho You mean the old men?
οὕτω ποίει.
Do so.
τί γάρ με δεῖ πράγματα ἔχειν τὰ πρὸ Εὐκλείδου νῦν ἐξετάζουσαν;
For why should I have trouble now examining things from before Euclides?
οἱ ὑπὲρ ἑξήκοντα ὑμεῖς πάριτε ἤδη.
You who are over sixty, pass along now.
τί τοῦτο;
What is this?
οὐκ ἐπακούουσί μου βεβυσμένοι τὰ ὦτα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐτῶν.
They do not hear me, their ears stuffed up by their years.
δεήσει τάχα καὶ τούτους ἀράμενον παραγαγεῖν.
It will probably be necessary to carry these too and bring them along.
Ἑρμῆς
ἰδοὺ πάλιν οὗτοι δυεῖν δέοντες τετρακόσιοι, τακεροὶ πάντες καὶ πέπειροι καὶ καθʼ ὥραν τετρυγημένοι.
Hermes Here again are three hundred and ninety-eight of them, all shriveled, ripe, and harvested in due season.
Χάρων
νὴ Δίʼ, ἐπεὶ ἀσταφίδες γε πάντες ἤδη εἰσί.
Charon By Zeus, since they are all raisins by now!
§6Κλωθώ
τοὺς τραυματίας ἐπὶ τούτοις, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, παράγαγε· καὶ πρῶτόν μοι εἴπατε ὅπως ἀποθανόντες ἥκετε·
Clotho Bring along the wounded after these, Hermes; and first tell me how you died to come here.
μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴ πρὸς τὰ γεγραμμένα ὑμᾶς ἐπισκέψομαι.
Or rather, I will examine you myself according to the written record.
πολεμοῦντας ἀποθανεῖν ἔδει χθὲς ἐν Μηδίᾳ τέτταρας ἐπὶ τοῖς ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ τὸν Ὀξυάρτου υἱὸν μετʼ αὐτῶν Γωβάρην.
Eighty-four were to die yesterday fighting in Media, and with them Gobares the son of Oxyartes.
Ἑρμῆς
πάρεισι.
Hermes They are present.
Κλωθώ
διʼ ἔρωτα αὑτοὺς ἀπέσφαξαν ἑπτά, καὶ ὁ φιλόσοφος Θεαγένης διὰ τὴν ἑταίραν τὴν Μεγαρόθεν.
Clotho Seven killed themselves because of love, and the philosopher Theagenes because of the courtesan from Megara.
Ἑρμῆς
οὑτοιὶ πλησίον.
Hermes These are nearby.
Κλωθώ
ποῦ δʼ οἱ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων ἀποθανόντες;
Clotho And where are those who died at one another's hands for the kingdom?
Ἑρμῆς
Παρεστᾶσιν.
Hermes They stand by.
Κλωθώ
ὁ δʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ μοιχοῦ καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς φονευθείς;
Clotho And the one murdered by the adulterer and his wife?
Ἑρμῆς
ἰδού σοι πλησίον.
Hermes Here he is nearby.
Κλωθώ
τοὺς ἐκ δικαστηρίων δῆτα παράγαγε, λέγω δὲ τοὺς ἐκ τυμπάνου καὶ τοὺς ἀνεσκολοπισμένους.
Clotho Bring along then those from the law courts, I mean those from the torture-frame and those crucified.
οἱ δʼ ὑπὸ λῃστῶν ἀποθανόντες ἑκκαίδεκα ποῦ εἰσιν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;
And where are the sixteen killed by robbers, Hermes?
Ἑρμῆς
πάρεισιν οἵδε οἱ τραυματίαι οὓς ὁρᾷς.
Hermes These wounded whom you see are present.
τὰς δὲ γυναῖκας ἅμα βούλει παραγάγω;
Do you wish me to bring the women along at the same time?
Κλωθώ
μάλιστα, καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ ναυαγίων γε ἅμα· καὶ γὰρ τεθνᾶσι τὸν ὅμοιον τρόπον.
Clotho By all means, and those from shipwrecks too at the same time; for they died in a similar manner.
καὶ τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρετοῦ δέ, καὶ τούτους ἅμα, καὶ τὸν ἰατρὸν μετʼ αὐτῶν Ἀγαθοκλέα.
And those from the fever too, bring them at the same time, and the physician Agathocles with them.