§29Ἀλεκτρυών
εἶεν.
Cock Very well.
ἐπὶ τὸν Σίμωνα πρῶτον ἄπιμεν ἢ παρʼ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν πλουσίων;
Shall we go to Simon first, or to some other of the rich men?
Μίκυλλος
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸν Σίμωνα, ὃς ἀντὶ δισυλλάβου τετρασύλλαβος ἤδη πλουτήσας εἶναι ἀξιοῖ.
Micyllus By no means, but to Simon, who, instead of a two-syllable name, now that he has become rich, claims to be four syllables.
καὶ δὴ πάρεσμεν ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας.
And indeed we are present at the doors.
τί οὖν ποιῶ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο;
What do I do after this?
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἐπίθες τὸ πτερὸν ἐπὶ τὸ κλεῖθρον.
Cock Apply the feather to the lock.
Μίκυλλος
ἰδοὺ δή.
Micyllus See there!
ὦ Ἡράκλεις, ἀναπέπταται ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κλειδὶ ἡ θύρα.
By Heracles, the door has flown open as if by a key.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἡγοῦ ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν.
Cock Lead the way forward.
ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν ἀγρυπνοῦντα καὶ λογιζόμενον;
Do you see him awake and calculating?
Μίκυλλος
ὁρῶ νὴ Δία πρὸς ἀμαυράν γε καὶ διψῶσαν τὴν θρυαλλίδα, καὶ ὠχρὸς δὲ ἐστὶν οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅθεν, ἀλεκτρυών, καὶ κατέσκληκεν ὅλος ἐκτετηκώς, ὑπὸ φροντίδων δηλαδή· οὐ γὰρ νοσεῖν ἄλλως ἐλέγετο.
Micyllus I see him, by Zeus, by a dim and thirsty wick, and he is pale, I know not from what cause, O cock, and he is entirely shriveled up and wasted away, obviously by cares; for he was not said to be sick otherwise.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἄκουσον ἅ φησιν· εἴσῃ γὰρ ὅθεν οὕτως ἔχει.
Cock Listen to what he says; for you will know why he is in this state.
Σίμων
οὐκοῦν τάλαντα μὲν ἑβδομήκοντα ἐκεῖνα πάνυ ἀσφαλῶς ὑπὸ τῇ κλίνῃ κατορώρυκται καὶ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος οἶδε, τὰ δὲ ἑκκαίδεκα εἶδεν, οἶμαι, Σωσύλος ὁ ἱπποκόμος ὑπὸ τῇ φάτνῃ κατακρύπτοντά με· ὅλος γοῦν περὶ τὸν ἱππῶνά ἐστιν, οὐ πάνυ ἐπιμελὴς ἄλλως οὐδὲ φιλόπονος ὤν.
Simon Then those seventy talents are buried very safely under the bed and no one else knows, but the sixteen, I think, Sosylus the groom saw me hiding under the manger; at any rate, he is entirely about the stable, though otherwise not very attentive or industrious.
εἰκὸς δὲ ἡρπάσθαι πολλῷ πλείω τούτων, ἢ πόθεν γὰρ ὁ Τίβειος τάριχος αὑτῷ οὕτω μέγα ὠψωνηκέναι χθὲς ἐλέγετο ἢ τῇ γυναικὶ ἐλλόβιον ἐωνῆσθαι πέντε δραχμῶν ὅλων;
And it is likely that much more than these has been snatched, for from what other source was Tibeios said yesterday to have bought such a great amount of salt-fish for himself, or his wife to have bought an earring of five whole drachmae?
τἀμὰ οὗτοι σπαθῶσι τοῦ κακοδαίμονος.
They are squandering my property, wretched man that I am!
ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὰ ἐκπώματα ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ μοι ἀπόκειται τοσαῦτα ὄντα· δέδια γοῦν μή τις ὑπορύξας τὸν τοῖχον ὑφέληται αὐτά· πολλοὶ φθονοῦσι καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσί μοι, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ γείτων Μίκυλλος.
But not even the cups are laid up for me in safety, being so many; at any rate, I fear lest someone, digging through the wall, should steal them; many envy and plot against me, and especially my neighbor Micyllus.
Μίκυλλος
νὴ Δία· σοὶ γὰρ ὅμοιος ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ τρύβλια ὑπὸ μάλης ἄπειμι ἔχων.
Micyllus By Zeus, as if I were like you and would go away with the bowls under my arm!
Ἀλεκτρυών
σιώπησον, Μίκυλλε, μὴ καταφωράσῃ παρόντας ἡμᾶς.
Cock Be silent, Micyllus, lest he discover us present.
Σίμων
ἄριστον γοῦν ἄγρυπνον αὐτὸν φυλάττειν· ἅπασαν περίειμι διαναστὰς ἐν κύκλῳ τὴν οἰκίαν.
Simon It is best, at any rate, to guard it myself sleepless; I will get up and go around the whole house in a circle.
τίς οὗτος;
Who is this?
ὁρῶ σέ γε, τοιχωρύχε μὰ Δία, ἐπεὶ κίων γε ὢν τυγχάνεις, εὖ ἔχει.
I see you, housebreaker! No, by Zeus, since you happen to be a pillar, it is well.
ἀριθμήσω αὖθις ἀνορύξας τὸ χρυσίον, μή τί με πρῴην διέλαθεν.
I will dig up and count the gold again, lest anything escaped me the day before yesterday.
ἰδοὺ πάλιν ἐψόφηκέ τις· ἐπʼ ἐμὲ δηλαδή· πολιορκοῦμαι καὶ ἐπιβουλεύομαι πρὸς ἁπάντων.
Look, someone made a sound again; at me, obviously; I am besieged and plotted against by everyone.
ποῦ μοι τὸ ξιφίδιον;
Where is my small sword?
ἂν λάβω τινά θάπτωμεν αὖθις τὸ χρυσίον.
If I catch anyone—let us bury the gold again.
§30Ἀλεκτρυών
τοιαῦτα μέν σοι, ὦ Μίκυλλε, τὰ Σίμωνος.
Cock Such indeed, O Micyllus, are the affairs of Simon.
ἀπίωμεν δὲ καὶ παρʼ ἄλλον τινά, ἕως ἔτι ὀλίγον τῆς νυκτὸς λοιπόν ἐστιν.
But let us go to someone else too, while there is still a little of the night left.
Μίκυλλος
ὁ κακοδαίμων, οἷον βιοῖ τὸν βίον.
Micyllus Wretched man, what a life he lives!
ἐχθροῖς οὕτω πλουτεῖν γένοιτο.
May it be the lot of my enemies to be rich in this way.
κατὰ κόρρης δʼ οὖν πατάξας αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν βούλομαι.
At any rate, I want to strike him on the cheek before leaving.
Σίμων
τίς ἐπάταξέ με;
Simon Who struck me?
λῃστεύομαι ὁ δυστυχής.
Wretched that I am, I am being robbed!
Μίκυλλος
οἴμωζε καὶ ἀγρύπνει καὶ ὅμοιος γίγνου τὸ χρῶμα τῷ χρυσῷ προστετηκὼς αὐτῷ.
Micyllus Lament and stay awake and become like the gold in color, wasted away over it.
ἡμεῖς δὲ παρὰ Γνίφωνα, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὸν δανειστὴν ἴωμεν.
But let us go to Gniphon, if you please, the moneylender.
οὐ μακρὰν δὲ καὶ οὗτος οἰκεῖ.
He too lives not far off.
ἀνέῳγε καὶ αὕτη ἡμῖν ἡ θύρα.
This door also has opened for us.
§31Ἀλεκτρυών
ὁρᾷς ἐπαγρυπνοῦντα καὶ τοῦτον ἐπὶ φροντίδων, ἀναλογιζόμενον τοὺς τόκους καὶ τοὺς δακτύλους κατεσκληκότα, ὃν δεήσει μετʼ ὀλίγον πάντα ταῦτα καταλιπόντα σίλφην ἢ ἐμπίδα ἢ κυνόμυιαν γενέσθαι;
Cock Do you see him also awake over his cares, calculating his interest and having his fingers shriveled, who in a little while will have to leave all these things and become a silver-fish or a gnat or a dog-fly?
Μίκυλλος
ὁρῶ κακοδαίμονα καὶ ἀνόητον ἄνθρωπον οὐδὲ νῦν πολὺ τῆς σίλφης ἢ ἐμπίδος ἄμεινον βιοῦντα.
Micyllus I see a wretched and foolish man, not even now living much better than a silver-fish or a gnat.
ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἐκτέτηκεν ὅλος ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν.
How he too is entirely wasted away by his calculations!
ἐπʼ ἄλλον ἀπίωμεν.
Let us go to another.
§32Ἀλεκτρυών
παρὰ τὸν σὸν Εὐκράτην, εἰ δοκεῖ.
Cock To your Eucrates, if you please.
καὶ ἰδοὺ γάρ, ἀνέῳγε καὶ αὕτη ἡ θύρα· ὥστε εἰσίωμεν.
And indeed, look, this door also has opened; so let us enter.
Μίκυλλος
ἅπαντα ταῦτα μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἐμὰ ἦν.
Micyllus All these things were mine a little while ago.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἔτι γὰρ σὺ ὀνειροπολεῖς τὸν πλοῦτον;
Cock For are you still dreaming of wealth?
ὁρᾷς δʼ οὖν τὸν Εὐκράτην αὐτὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκέτου πρεσβύτην ἄνθρωπον;
At any rate, do you see Eucrates himself, an old man, by his servant...?
Μίκυλλος
ὁρῶ νὴ Δία καταπυγοσύνην καὶ πασχητιασμόν τινα καὶ ἀσέλγειαν οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνην· τὴν γυναῖκα δὲ ἑτέρωθι ὑπὸ τοῦ μαγείρου καὶ αὐτήν
Micyllus I see indeed, by Zeus, lewdness and passive submission and unnatural licentiousness; and his wife elsewhere by the cook, she too...
§33Ἀλεκτρυών
τί οὖν;
Cock What then?
ἐθέλοις ἂν καὶ τούτων κληρονομεῖν, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ πάντα ἔχειν τὰ Εὐκράτους;
Would you wish to inherit these things too, O Micyllus, and to have all the property of Eucrates?
Μίκυλλος
μηδαμῶς, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών· λιμῷ ἀπολοίμην πρότερον.
Micyllus By no means, O cock; I would rather perish of hunger first.
χαιρέτω τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὰ δεῖπνα, δύο ὀβολοὶ ἐμοί γε πλοῦτός ἐστι μᾶλλον ἢ τοιχωρυχεῖσθαι πρὸς τῶν οἰκετῶν.
Farewell to gold and banquets; two obols are wealth to me rather than being undermined by my servants.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἀλλὰ νῦν γὰρ ἡμέρα ἤδη ἀμφὶ τὸ λυκαυγὲς αὐτό, ἀπίωμεν οἴκαδε παρʼ ἡμᾶς· τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ εἰσαῦθις ὄψει, ὦ Μίκυλλε.
Cock But since it is now already day, about the very dawn, let us go home to our place; and the rest you shall see another time, O Micyllus.