§15Ἀλεκτρυών
ὅτι ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ σὺ τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐξηπάτησαι περὶ τῶν πλουσίων·
Cock Because, Micyllus, out of ignorance you, too, have been deceived about the rich in the same way as the crowd.
οἱ δʼ εὖ ἴσθι πολὺ ὑμῶν ἀθλιώτερον τὸν βίον βιοῦσι·
Know well that they live a life far more miserable than yours.
λέγω δέ σοι καὶ πένης καὶ πλούσιος πολλάκις γενόμενος καὶ ἅπαντος βίου πεπειραμένος· μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἴσῃ ἕκαστα.
I tell you this, having often been both poor and rich and having experienced every kind of life; and after a little while you yourself will know each of these things.
Μίκυλλος
νὴ Δία, καιρὸς γοῦν ἤδη καὶ σὲ εἰπεῖν ὅπως ἠλλάγης καὶ ἃ σύνοισθα τῷ βίῳ ἑκάστῳ.
Micyllus By Zeus, then it is indeed high time for you to tell how you were changed and what you know of each life.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἄκουε τοσοῦτόν γε προειδώς, μηδένα με σοῦ εὐδαιμονέστερον βιοῦντα ἑωρακέναι.
Cock Listen, then, knowing this much beforehand: that I have seen no one living more happily than you.
Μίκυλλος
ἐμοῦ, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών;
Micyllus Happier than me, O cock?
οὕτω σοὶ γένοιτο·
May it happen so to you!
προάγῃ γάρ με λοιδορεῖσθαί σοι.
For you are egging me on to abuse you.
ἀλλὰ εἰπὲ ἀπὸ Εὐφόρβου ἀρξάμενος ὅπως ἐς Πυθαγόραν μετεβλήθης, εἶτα ἑξῆς ἄχρι τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος· εἰκὸς γάρ σε ποικίλα καὶ ἰδεῖν καὶ παθεῖν ἐν πολυειδέσι τοῖς βίοις.
But tell me, starting from Euphorbus, how you changed into Pythagoras, and then in order down to the cock; for it is likely that you both saw and experienced diverse things in your many-formed lives.
§16Ἀλεκτρυών
ὡς μὲν ἐξ Ἀπόλλωνος τὸ πρῶτον ἡ ψυχή μοι καταπταμένη ἐς τὴν γῆν ἐνέδυ ἐς ἀνθρώπου σῶμα ἥντινα τὴν καταδίκην ἐκτελοῦσα, μακρὸν ἂν εἴη λέγειν, ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ ὅσιον οὔτε ἐμοὶ εἰπεῖν οὔτε σοὶ ἀκούειν τὰ τοιαῦτα.
Cock How my soul, first flying down from Apollo to the earth, entered into a human body, performing whatever punishment—it would be a long story to tell, and besides, it is not even holy for me to speak of nor for you to hear such things.
ἐπεὶ δὲ Εὔφορβος ἐγενόμην
Μίκυλλος
ἐγὼ δὲ πρό γε τούτου, ὦ θαυμάσιε, τίς ἦν;
But when I became Euphorbus— Micyllus But before this, O wonderful one, who was I?
τοῦτό μοι πρότερον εἰπέ, εἰ κἀγώ ποτε ἠλλάγην ὥσπερ σύ.
Tell me this first, if I also was ever changed like you.
Ἀλεκτρυών
καὶ μάλα.
Cock Indeed you were.
Μίκυλλος
τίς οὖν ἦν, εἴ τι ἔχεις εἰπεῖν;
Micyllus Who was I then, if you have anything to say?
ἐθέλω γὰρ τοῦτο εἰδέναι.
For I wish to know this.
Ἀλεκτρυών
σύ;
Cock You?
μύρμηξ Ἰνδικὸς τῶν τὸ χρυσίον ἀνορυττόντων.
An Indian ant, of those that dig up gold.
Μίκυλλος
εἶτα ὤκνουν ὁ κακοδαίμων κἂν ὀλίγα τῶν ψηγμάτων ἥκειν ἐς τόνδε τὸν βίον ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐπισιτισάμενος;
Micyllus And then, miserable as I was, did I shrink from coming into this life having provisioned myself with even a few of those grains from that existence?
ἀλλὰ καὶ τί μετὰ τοῦτο ἔσομαι, εἰπέ·
But tell me also what I shall be after this; for it is likely that you know.
εἰκὸς γὰρ εἰδέναι σε. εἰ γάρ τι ἀγαθὸν εἴη, ἀπάγξομαι ἤδη ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ παττάλου ἐφʼ οὗ σὺ ἕστηκας.
For if it should be something good, I will hang myself right now, rising up from the peg on which you stand.
§17Ἀλεκτρυών
οὐκ ἂν μάθοις τοῦτο οὐδεμιᾷ μηχανῇ.
Cock You could not learn this by any means.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ ἐπείπερ Εὔφορβος ἐγενόμην — ἐπάνειμι γὰρ ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνα — ἐμαχόμην ἐν Ἰλίῳ καὶ ἀποθανὼν ὑπὸ Μενελάου χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐς Πυθαγόραν ἧκον.
But anyway, since I became Euphorbus—for I will return to those matters—I fought at Ilium, and having died at the hands of Menelaus, a time later I came to Pythagoras.
τέως δὲ περιέμενον ἄοικος ἑστώς, ἄχρι δὴ ὁ Μνήσαρχος ἐξεργάσηταί μοι τὸν οἶκον.
In the meantime, I waited around, standing homeless, until Mnesarchus should complete my house for me.
Μίκυλλος
ἄσιτος ὤν, ὦ τάν, καὶ ἄποτος;
Micyllus Without food, my good sir, and without drink?
Ἀλεκτρυών
καὶ μάλα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔδει τούτων ἢ μόνῳ τῷ σώματι.
Cock Indeed so; for there was no need of these except for the body alone.
Μίκυλλος
οὐκοῦν τὰ ἐν Ἰλίῳ μοι πρότερον εἰπέ.
Micyllus Then tell me first about the events at Ilium.
τοιαῦτα ἦν οἷά φησιν Ὅμηρος γενέσθαι αὐτά;
Were they such as Homer says they were?
Ἀλεκτρυών
πόθεν ἐκεῖνος ἠπίστατο, ὦ Μίκυλλε, ὃς γινομένων ἐκείνων κάμηλος ἐν Βάκτροις ἦν;
Cock How did he know, Micyllus, who was a camel in Bactria when those things were happening?
ἐγὼ δὲ τοσοῦτόν σοί φημι, ὑπερφυὲς μηδὲν γενέσθαι τότε, μήτε τὸν Αἴαντα οὕτω μέγαν μήτε τὴν Ἑλένην αὐτὴν οὕτω καλὴν ὡς οἴονται.
I tell you this much: nothing extraordinary happened then, neither was Ajax so huge nor Helen herself so beautiful as people think.
εἶδον γὰρ λευκὴν μέν τινα καὶ ἐπιμήκη τὸν τράχηλον, ὡς εἰκάζειν κύκνου θυγατέρα εἶναι, τἆλλα δὲ πάνυ πρεσβῦτιν, ἡλικιῶτιν σχεδὸν τῆς Ἑκάβης, ἥν γε Θησεὺς πρῶτον ἁρπάσας ἐν Ἀφίδναις εἶχε κατὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα γενόμενος, ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλῆς πρότερον εἷλε Τροίαν κατὰ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν τοὺς τότε μάλιστα.
For I saw her, white-skinned indeed and long-necked, so as to surmise her to be a daughter of a swan, but otherwise a complete old woman, nearly of the same age as Hecuba, whom Theseus first carried off and kept in Aphidnae, being contemporary with Heracles; and Heracles previously took Troy in the time of our fathers, or very close to it.
διηγεῖτο γάρ μοι ὁ Πάνθους ταῦτα, κομιδῇ μειράκιον ὢν ἑωρακέναι λέγων τὸν Ἡρακλέα.
For Panthous told me this, saying that he had seen Heracles when he was quite a young boy.
Μίκυλλος
τί δέ;
Micyllus What of Achilles?
ὁ Ἀχιλλεὺς τοιοῦτος ἦν, ἄριστος τὰ πάντα, ἢ μῦθος ἄλλως καὶ ταῦτα;
Was he such a man, best in all things, or is this also merely a myth?
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲ συνηνέχθην, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὐδʼ ἂν ἔχοιμί σοι οὕτως ἀκριβῶς τὰ παρὰ τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς λέγειν· πόθεν γάρ, πολέμιος ὤν;
Cock I did not even meet him, Micyllus, nor could I tell you so accurately about the affairs of the Achaeans; for how could I, being an enemy?
τὸν μέντοι ἑταῖρον αὐτοῦ τὸν Πάτροκλον οὐ χαλεπῶς ἀπέκτεινα διελάσας τῷ δορατίῳ.
However, his companion Patroclus I killed without difficulty, running him through with my spear.
Μίκυλλος
εἶτά σε ὁ Μενέλαος μακρῷ εὐχερέστερον.
Micyllus And then Menelaus killed you far more easily.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἱκανῶς, τὰ Πυθαγόρου δὲ ἤδη λέγε.
But enough of these things, now tell me about Pythagoras.