§11Δίκη
τὰ δʼ ἄλλα, ὦ Πάν, ἀμείνους πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐγένοντο ὑπὸ τῶν φιλοσόφων;
Dike But as for other things, Pan, have they become better in respect to virtue under the influence of the philosophers?
Πάν
τίνας λέγεις τοὺς φιλοσόφους;
Pan Whom do you mean by the philosophers?
ἆρʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς κατηφεῖς, τοὺς συνάμα πολλούς, τοὺς τὸ γένειον ὁμοίους ἐμοί, τοὺς λάλους;
Do you mean those downcast ones, those who are always in crowds, those who have beards like mine, those talkative ones?
Δίκη
καὶ μάλα.
Dike Precisely.
Πάν
οὐκ οἶδα ὅλως ὅ τι καὶ λέγουσιν οὐδὲ συνίημι τὴν σοφίαν αὐτῶν· ὄρειος γὰρ ἔγωγε καὶ τὰ κομψὰ ταῦτα ῥημάτια καὶ ἀστικὰ οὐ μεμάθηκα, ὦ Δίκη.
Pan I do not know at all what they are saying, nor do I understand their wisdom; for I, at least, am a mountain-dweller, and I have not learned these elegant and urban words, Dike.
πόθεν γὰρ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ σοφιστὴς ἢ φιλόσοφος;
For from where in Arcadia is there a sophist or a philosopher?
μέχρι τοῦ πλαγίου καλάμου καὶ τῆς σύριγγος ἐγὼ σοφός, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα αἰπόλος καὶ χορευτὴς καὶ πολεμιστής, ἢν δέῃ.
I am wise as far as the transverse reed and the syrinx are concerned, but as for other things, I am a goatherd, a dancer, and a warrior, if there is need.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἀκούω γε αὐτῶν ἀεὶ κεκραγότων καὶ ἀρετήν τινα καὶ ἰδέας καὶ φύσιν καὶ ἀσώματα διεξιόντων, ἄγνωστα ἐμοὶ καὶ ξένα ὀνόματα.
However, I always hear them shouting and discussing some virtue, ideas, nature, and incorporeal things, names unknown and strange to me.
καὶ τὰ πρῶτα μὲν εἰρηνικῶς ἐνάρχονται τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους λόγων, προιούσης δὲ τῆς συνουσίας ἐπιτείνουσι τὸ φθέγμα μέχρι πρὸς τὸ ὄρθιον, ὥστε ὑπερδιατεινομένων καὶ ἅμα λέγειν ἐθελόντων τό τε πρόσωπον ἐρυθριᾷ καὶ ὁ τράχηλος οἰδεῖ καὶ αἱ φλέβες ἐξανίστανται ὥσπερ τῶν αὐλητῶν ὁπόταν εἰς στενὸν τὸν αὐλὸν ἐμπνεῖν βιάζωνται.
And at first they begin their words to one another peacefully, but as the company proceeds, they strain their voice to the highest pitch, so that, because they stretch their voices to the limit and want to speak at the same time, their face grows red and their neck swells and their veins stand out, just like flute-players whenever they force themselves to blow into a narrow flute.
διαταράξαντες γοῦν τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπισκοπούμενον συγχέαντες ἀπίασι λοιδορησάμενοι ἀλλήλοις οἱ πολλοί, τὸν ἱδρῶτα ἐκ τοῦ μετώπου ἀγκύλῳ τῷ δακτύλῳ ἀποξυόμενοι, καὶ οὗτος κρατεῖν ἔδοξεν ὃς ἂν μεγαλοφωνότερος αὐτῶν ᾖ καὶ θρασύτερος καὶ διαλυομένων ἀπέλθῃ ὕστερος.
At any rate, having thrown their arguments into confusion and muddled what was under consideration from the beginning, the majority of them depart having abused one another, scraping the sweat from their forehead with a curved finger, and he is thought to win who among them is louder and bolder and departs last as they disperse.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ὅ γε λεὼς ὁ πολὺς τεθήπασιν αὐτούς, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπόσους μηδὲν τῶν ἀναγκαιοτέρων ἀσχολεῖ, καὶ παρεστᾶσι πρὸς τὸ θράσος καὶ τὴν βοὴν κεκηλημένοι.
However, the common crowd is amazed by them, and especially those whom none of the more necessary business occupies, and they stand by, charmed by their boldness and shouting.
ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν ἀλαζόνες τινὲς ἐδόκουν ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ ἠνιώμην ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ πώγωνος ὁμοιότητι.
To me, therefore, they seemed to be certain charlatans from these things, and I was annoyed at the similarity of our beards.
εἰ δέ γε δημωφελές τι ἐνῆν τῇ βοῇ αὐτῶν καί τι ἀγαθὸν ἐκ τῶν ῥημάτων ἐκείνων ἀνεφύετο αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχοιμι.
But whether there was anything of public benefit in their shouting, and whether some good grew in them from those words, I could not say.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ εἴ γε δεῖ μηδὲν ὑποστειλάμενον τἀληθὲς διηγήσασθαι — οἰκῶ γὰρ ἐπὶ σκοπῆς, ὡς ὁρᾷς — πολλοὺς αὐτῶν πολλάκις ἤδη ἐθεασάμην περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν — §12Δίκη
ἐπίσχες, ὦ Πάν.
Nevertheless, if indeed I must tell the truth without concealing anything—for I dwell on a lookout, as you see—I have already many times beheld many of them, in the late evening— Dike Stop, Pan.
οὐχ ὁ Ἑρμῆς σοι κηρύττειν ἔδοξεν;
Did it not seem to you that Hermes was making a proclamation?
Πάν
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Pan Most certainly.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀκούετε λεῴ, ἀγορὰν δικῶν ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ καταστησόμεθα τήμερον Ἐλαφηβολιῶνος ἑβδόμῃ ἱσταμένου.
Hermes Hear, ye people! We shall establish a market of lawsuits, with good fortune, today, on the seventh of the beginning of Elaphebolion.
ὁπόσοι γραφὰς ἀπήνεγκαν, ἥκειν εἰς Ἄρειον πάγον, ἔνθα ἡ Δίκη ἀποκληρώσει τὰ δικαστήρια καὶ αὐτὴν παρέσται τοῖς δικάζουσιν·
All who have brought charges, come to the Areopagus, where Dike will allot the courts and will herself be present with those who judge.
οἱ δικασταὶ ἐξ ἁπάντων Ἀθηναίων· ὁ μισθὸς τριώβολον ἑκάστης δίκης· ἀριθμὸς τῶν δικαστῶν κατὰ λόγον τοῦ ἐγκλήματος.
The judges shall be from all Athenians; the pay is three obols for each lawsuit; the number of the judges is in proportion to the accusation.
ὁπόσοι δὲ ἀποθέμενοι γραφὴν πρὶν εἰσελθεῖν ἀπέθανον, καὶ τούτους ὁ Αἰακὸς ἀναπεμψάτω.
And as many as died after filing a charge before it came to court, let Aeacus send them up.
ἢν δέ τις ἄδικα δεδικάσθαι οἴηται, ἐφέσιμον ἀγωνιεῖται τὴν δίκην· ἡ δὲ ἔφεσις ἐπὶ τὸν Δία.
And if anyone thinks he has been judged unjustly, he shall fight the lawsuit on appeal; and the appeal is to Zeus.
Πάν
βαβαὶ τοῦ θορύβου·
Pan Ah, what a tumult!
ἡλίκον, ὦ Δίκη, ἀνεβόησαν, ὡς δὲ καὶ σπουδῇ συνθέουσιν ἕλκοντες ἀλλήλους πρὸς τὸ ἄναντες εὐθὺ τοῦ Ἀρείου πάγου.
How loudly they shouted, Dike, and how they run together in haste, dragging one another to the steep hill straight to the Areopagus.
καὶ ὁ Ἑρμῆς δὲ ἤδη πάρεστιν.
And Hermes too is already present.
ὥστε ὑμεῖς μὲν ἀμφὶ τὰς δίκας ἔχετε καὶ ἀποκληροῦτε καὶ διακρίνατε ὥσπερ ὑμῖν νόμος, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ἀπελθὼν συρίξομαί τι μέλος τῶν ἐρωτικῶν ᾧ τὴν Ἠχὼ εἴωθα ἐπικερτομεῖν· ἀκροάσεων δὲ καὶ λόγων τῶν δικανικῶν ἅλις ἔχει μοι ὁσημέραι τῶν ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ δικαζομένων ἀκούοντι.
So you go about the lawsuits, and allot and judge as is law for you; but I, having departed to my cave, will pipe some love tune with which I am accustomed to tease Echo; for of hearings and forensic speeches I have had enough, hearing them as they are judged every day in the Areopagus.