§7Κλωθώ
ποῦ δʼ ὁ φιλόσοφος Κυνίσκος, ὃν ἔδει τῆς Ἑκάτης τὸ δεῖπνον φαγόντα καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῶν καθαρσίων ᾠὰ καὶ πρὸς τούτοις γε σηπίαν ὠμὴν ἀποθανεῖν; Κυνίσκος
πάλαι σοι παρέστηκα, ὦ βελτίστη Κλωθοῖ.
Clotho "And where is the philosopher Cyniscus, who was destined to die after eating Hecate's supper, the eggs from the purification rites, and moreover, raw cuttlefish?" Cyniscus "I have been standing by you for a long time, best Clotho.
τί δέ με ἀδικήσαντα τοσοῦτον εἴας ἄνω τὸν χρόνον;
And for what wrong done have you left me above for so long?
σχεδὸν γὰρ ὅλον μοι τὸν ἄτρακτον ἐπέκλωσας.
For you have spun almost my entire spindle.
καίτοι πολλάκις ἐπειράθην τὸ νῆμα διακόψας ἐλθεῖν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἄρρηκτον ἦν. Κλωθώ
ἔφορόν σε καὶ ἰατρὸν εἶναι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἁμαρτημάτων ἀπελίμπανον.
Indeed, I often tried to break the thread and come, but I know not how it was unbreakable." Clotho "I left you behind to be an overseer and a physician of human sins.
ἀλλὰ ἔμβαινε ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ. Κυνίσκος
μὰ Δίʼ, ἢν μὴ πρότερόν γε τουτονὶ τὸν δεδεμένον ἐμβιβασώμεθα· δέδια γὰρ μή σε παραπείσῃ δεόμενος. §8Κλωθώ
φέρʼ ἴδω τίς ἐστι. Κυνίσκος
Μεγαπένθης ὁ Λακύδου, τύραννος. Κλωθώ
Ἐπίβαινε σύ. Μεγαπένθης
μηδαμῶς, ὦ δέσποινα Κλωθοῖ, ἀλλά με πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔασον ἀνελθεῖν. εἶτά σοι αὐτόματος ἥξω καλοῦντος μηδενός. Κλωθώ
τί δὲ ἔστιν οὗ χάριν ἀφικέσθαι θέλεις; Μεγαπένθης
τὴν οἰκίαν ἐκτελέσαι μοι πρότερον ἐπίτρεψον· ἡμιτελὴς γὰρ ὁ δόμος καταλέλειπται. Κλωθώ
ληρεῖς· ἀλλὰ ἔμβαινε. Μεγαπένθης
οὐ πολὺν χρόνον, ὦ Μοῖρα, αἰτῶ· μίαν με ἔασον μεῖναι τήνδε ἡμέραν, ἄχρι ἄν τι ἐπισκήψω τῇ γυναικὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων, ἔνθα τὸν μέγαν εἶχον θησαυρὸν κατορωρυγμένον.
But embark, and may good fortune go with you." Cyniscus "By Zeus, not unless we first embark this fellow who is bound; for I fear he may win you over by begging." Clotho "Let us see who he is." Cyniscus "Megapenthes, the son of Lacydes, the tyrant." Clotho "Embark, you." Megapenthes "By no means, mistress Clotho, but let me go back up for a little while; then I will come to you of my own accord, without anyone calling me." Clotho "And what is the purpose for which you wish to return?" Megapenthes "Permit me first to finish my house; for the dwelling has been left half-completed." Clotho "You are talking nonsense; embark." Megapenthes "I ask for no long time, Fate; let me remain this single day, until I can give some instructions to my wife about my money, where I had my great treasure buried." Clotho "It is fixed; you shall not obtain it." Megapenthes "Will so much gold then be lost?" Clotho "It will not be lost.
Κλωθώ
Ἄραρεν· οὐκ ἂν τύχοις. Μεγαπένθης
ἀπολεῖται οὖν χρυσὸς τοσοῦτος; Κλωθώ
οὐκ ἀπολεῖται. θάρρει τούτου γε ἕνεκα· Μεγακλῆς γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ σὸς ἀνεψιὸς παραλήψεται.
Take heart as far as this is concerned; for Megacles, your cousin, will receive it." Megapenthes "Oh, what insolence!
Μεγαπένθης
ὢ τῆς ὕβρεως. ὁ ἐχθρός, ὃν ὑπὸ ῥᾳθυμίας ἔγωγε οὐ προαπέκτεινα; Κλωθώ
ἐκεῖνος αὐτός· καὶ ἐπιβιώσεταί σοι ἔτη τετταράκοντα καὶ μικρόν τι πρός, τὰς παλλακίδας καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν ὅλον σου παραλαβών. Μεγαπένθης
ἀδικεῖς, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, τἀμὰ τοῖς πολεμιωτάτοις διανέμουσα. Κλωθώ
σὺ γὰρ οὐχὶ Κυδιμάχου αὐτὰ ὄντα, ὦ γενναιότατε, παρειλήφεις ἀποκτείνας τε αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ παιδία ἔτι ἐμπνέοντι ἐπισφάξας; Μεγαπένθης
ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐμὰ ἦν. Κλωθώ
οὐκοῦν ἐξήκει σοι ὁ χρόνος ἤδη τῆς κτήσεως. §9Μεγαπένθης
ἄκουσον, ὦ Κλωθοῖ, ἅ σοι ἰδίᾳ μηδενὸς ἀκούοντος εἰπεῖν βούλομαι· ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀπόστητε πρὸς ὀλίγον.
My enemy, whom I, through negligence, did not kill beforehand?" Clotho "That very man; and he will outlive you by forty years and a little more besides, taking possession of your concubines, your clothing, and all your gold." Megapenthes "You do wrong, Clotho, distributing my possessions to my bitterest enemies." Clotho "Did you not, most noble sir, take possession of them when they belonged to Cydimachus, after killing him and slaughtering his children while he was still breathing?" Megapenthes "But now they were mine." Clotho "Therefore your time of possession has now expired." Megapenthes "Listen, Clotho, to what I wish to say to you in private, with no one listening; and you others, stand back for a little.
ἄν με ἀφῇς ἀποδρᾶναι, χίλιά σοι τάλαντα χρυσίου ἐπισήμου δώσειν ὑπισχνοῦμαι τήμερον. Κλωθώ
ἔτι γὰρ χρυσόν, ὦ γελοῖε, καὶ τάλαντα διὰ μνήμης ἔχεις; Μεγαπένθης
καὶ τοὺς δύο δὲ κρατῆρας, εἰ βούλει, προσθήσω οὓς ἔλαβον ἀποκτείνας Κλεόκριτον, ἕλκοντας ἑκάτερον χρυσοῦ ἀπέφθου τάλαντα ἑκατόν. Κλωθώ
ἕλκετε αὐτόν· ἔοικε γὰρ οὐκ ἐπεμβήσεσθαι ἡμῖν ἑκών. Μεγαπένθης
μαρτύρομαι ὑμᾶς, ἀτελὲς μένει τὸ τεῖχος καὶ τὰ νεώρια· ἐξετέλεσα γὰρ ἂν αὐτὰ ἐπιβιοὺς πέντε μόνας ἡμέρας. Κλωθώ
Ἀμέλησον· ἄλλος τειχιεῖ. Μεγαπένθης
καὶ μὴν τοῦτό γε πάντως εὔγνωμον αἰτῶ. Κλωθώ
τὸ ποῖον; Μεγαπένθης
εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐπιβιῶναι, μέχρι ἂν ὑπαγάγωμαι Πισίδας καὶ Λυδοῖς ἐπιθῶ τοὺς φόρους καὶ μνῆμα ἑαυτῷ παμμέγεθες ἀναστήσας ἐπιγράψω ὁπόσα ἔπραξα μεγάλα καὶ στρατηγικὰ παρὰ τὸν βίον. Κλωθώ
οὗτος, οὐκέτι μίαν ἡμέραν ταύτην αἰτεῖς, ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν εἴκοσιν ἐτῶν διατριβήν.
If you let me escape, I promise to give you today a thousand talents of coined gold." Clotho "Do you still, ridiculous man, keep gold and talents in your memory?" Megapenthes "And I will add, if you wish, the two mixing-bowls which I took after killing Cleocritus, each weighing a hundred talents of refined gold." Clotho "Drag him; for it seems he will not embark with us willingly." Megapenthes "I call you to witness, the wall and the dockyards remain unfinished; for I would have completed them had I lived only five more days." Clotho "Do not worry; another will build the wall." Megapenthes "Yet indeed I ask this as a thoroughly reasonable request." Clotho "What kind of request?" Megapenthes "To live long enough until I subdue the Pisidians and impose tribute on the Lydians, and, having erected a huge monument to myself, inscribe upon it all the great and soldierly deeds I performed during my life." Clotho "Fellow, you are no longer asking for this single day, but for a delay of almost twenty years." Megapenthes "And indeed I am ready to offer you guarantors of my speed and return.
§10Μεγαπένθης
καὶ μὴν ἐγγυητὰς ὑμῖν ἕτοιμος παρασχέσθαι τοῦ τάχους καὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου. εἰ βούλεσθε δέ, καὶ ἄντανδρον ὑμῖν ἀντʼ ἐμαυτοῦ παραδώσω τὸν ἀγαπητόν. Κλωθώ
ὦ μιαρέ, ὃν ηὔχου πολλάκις ὑπὲρ γῆς καταλιπεῖν; Μεγαπένθης
πάλαι ταῦτα ηὐχόμην· νυνὶ δὲ ὁρῶ τὸ βέλτιον. Κλωθώ
ἥξει κἀκεῖνός σοι μετʼ ὀλίγον ὑπὸ τοῦ νεωστὶ βασιλεύοντος ἀνῃρημένος.
And if you wish, I will deliver to you as a hostage my beloved one in place of myself." Clotho "You scoundrel, whom you often prayed to leave behind on earth?" Megapenthes "I used to pray for that long ago; but now I see what is better." Clotho "He too will come to you in a little while, having been put to death by the newly reigning king."