§3Ζεύς
ὥστε ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην τοὺς φιλοσόφους, οἳ μόνους τοὺς θεοὺς εὐδαιμονίζουσιν, πότε καὶ σχολάζειν ἡμᾶς τῷ νέκταρι καὶ τῇ ἀμβροσίᾳ νομίζουσι μυρία ὅσα ἔχοντας πράγματα.
Zeus Therefore, I would gladly ask the philosophers, who deem only the gods happy, when they think we have leisure to enjoy nectar and ambrosia, having infinitely many troubles.
Ἰδού γέ τοι ὑπʼ ἀσχολίας τοσαύτας ἑώλους δίκας φυλάττομεν ἀποκειμένας ὑπʼ εὐρῶτος ἤδη καὶ ἀραχνίων διεφθαρμένας, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπόσαι ταῖς ἐπιστήμαις καὶ τέχναις πρὸς ἀνθρώπους τινὰς συνεστᾶσιν, πάνυ παλαιὰς ἐνίας αὐτῶν.
Look, indeed, because of our lack of leisure, we keep so many stale lawsuits lying there, already ruined by mold and cobwebs, especially those that arise between certain sciences and arts against certain men, some of them being very ancient.
οἱ δὲ κεκράγασιν ἁπανταχόθεν καὶ ἀγανακτοῦσιν καὶ τὴν δίκην ἐπιβοῶνται κἀμὲ τῆς βραδυτῆτος αἰτιῶνται, ἀγνοοῦντες ὡς οὐκ ὀλιγωρίᾳ τὰς κρίσεις ὑπερημέρους συνέβη γενέσθαι, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ᾗ συνεῖναι ἡμᾶς ὑπολαμβάνουσιν.
But they cry out from all sides and are angry, shouting for justice and blaming me for my slowness, not knowing that it did not happen that the judgments became overdue through neglect, but because of the "happiness" with which they assume we associate.
τοῦτο γὰρ τὴν ἀσχολίαν καλοῦσιν. §4Ἑρμῆς
καὐτός, ὦ Ζεῦ, πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀκούων δυσχεραινόντων λέγειν πρὸς σὲ οὐκ ἐτόλμων.
For this is what they call our "leisure." Hermes I myself, Zeus, hearing many such complaints on earth from those who are displeased, did not dare to speak to you.
ἐπεὶ δὲ σὺ περὶ τούτων τοὺς λόγους ἐνέβαλες, καὶ δὴ λέγω.
But since you have introduced this discussion, I will indeed speak.
πάνυ ἀγανακτοῦσιν, ὦ πάτερ, καὶ σχετλιάζουσιν καὶ εἰς τὸ φανερὸν μὲν οὐ τολμῶσι λέγειν, ὑποτονθορύζουσι δὲ συγκεκυφότες αἰτιώμενοι τὸν χρόνον· οὓς ἔδει πάλαι τὰ καθʼ αὑτοὺς εἰδότας στέργειν ἕκαστον τοῖς δεδικασμένοις.
They are very angry, father, and complain, and while they do not dare to speak openly, they mutter with their heads bowed, blaming the time; they who should have long ago known their own affairs and each been content with what was decided.
Ζεύς
τί οὖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δοκεῖ;
Zeus What then, Hermes, do you think?
προτίθεμεν αὐτοῖς ἀγορὰν δικῶν, ἢ θέλεις εἰς νέωτα παραγγελοῦμεν;
Shall we set a market-day for their lawsuits, or do you want us to announce it for next year?
Ἑρμῆς
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ ἤδη προθῶμεν.
Hermes By no means, but let us propose it now.
Ζεύς
οὕτω ποίει·
Zeus Do so.
σὺ μὲν κήρυττε καταπτάμενος ὅτι ἀγορὰ δικῶν ἔσται κατὰ τάδε. πάντας ὁπόσοι τὰς γραφὰς ἀπενηνόχασιν, ἥκειν τήμερον εἰς Ἄρειον πάγον, ἐκεῖ δὲ τὴν μὲν Δίκην ἀποκληροῦν σφίσι τὰ δικαστήρια κατὰ λόγον τῶν τιμημάτων ἐξ ἁπάντων Ἀθηναίων·
Fly down and herald that there will be a market of lawsuits as follows: all who have brought indictments are to come today to the Areopagus, and there Justice (Dike) is to allot the courts to them according to the value of the assessments from among all the Athenians.
εἰ δέ τις ἄδικον οἴοιτο γεγενῆσθαι τὴν κρίσιν, ἐξεῖναι ἐφέντι ἐπʼ ἐμὲ δικάζεσθαι ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς, ὡς εἰ μηδὲ τὸ παράπαν ἐδεδίκαστο.
And if anyone should think the judgment was unjust, let it be permitted to appeal to me and have the case tried anew, as if it had not been decided at all.
σὺ δέ, ὦ θύγατερ, καθεζομένη παρὰ τὰς σεμνὰς θεὰς ἀποκλήρου τὰς δίκας καὶ ἐπισκόπει τοὺς δικάζοντας.
And you, daughter, sitting by the Reverend Goddesses, allot the suits and oversee the judges.
§5Δίκη
αὖθις εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἵνʼ ἐξελαυνομένη πρὸς αὐτῶν δραπετεύω πάλιν ἐκ τοῦ βίου τὴν Ἀδικίαν ἐπιγελῶσαν οὐ φέρουσα;
Dike To the earth again, so that, driven out by them, I may flee once more from life, unable to bear Injustice (Adikia) laughing at me?
Ζεύς
χρηστὰ ἐλπίζειν σε δεῖ· πάντως γὰρ ἤδη πεπείκασιν αὐτοὺς οἱ φιλόσοφοι σὲ τῆς Ἀδικίας προτιμᾶν, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ τοῦ Σωφρονίσκου τὸ δίκαιον ὑπερεπαινέσας καὶ ἀγαθῶν τὸ μέγιστον ἀποφήνας.
Zeus You must hope for the best; for the philosophers have now entirely persuaded them to prefer you to Injustice, especially the son of Sophroniscus, who praised justice to the skies and declared it to be the greatest of goods.
Δίκη
Πάνυ γοῦν ὃν φὴς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὤνησαν οἱ περὶ ἐμοῦ λόγοι, ὃς παραδοθεὶς τοῖς ἕνδεκα καὶ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐμπεσὼν ἔπιεν ἄθλιος τοῦ κωνείου, μηδὲ τὸν ἀλεκτρυόνα τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ ἀποδεδωκώς· παρὰ τοσοῦτον ὑπερέσχον οἱ κατήγοροι τἀναντία περὶ τῆς Ἀδικίας φιλοσοφοῦντες.
Dike Indeed, those words of yours about me benefited that very man you mention, who, handed over to the Eleven and thrown into prison, drank the hemlock, wretched man, without even having paid the cock to Asclepius; so far did his accusers, who philosophized the opposite concerning Injustice, prevail over him.
§6Ζεύς
ξένα ἔτι τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἦν τότε, καὶ ὀλίγοι ἦσαν οἱ φιλοσοφοῦντες, ὥστε εἰκότως εἰς τὸν Ἄνυτον καὶ Μέλητον ἔρρεπεν τὰ δικαστήρια.
Zeus At that time, the matters of philosophy were still foreign to the majority, and those who philosophized were few, so that naturally the courts inclined toward Anytus and Meletus.
τὸ δὲ νῦν εἶναι, οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσοι τρίβωνες καὶ βακτηρίαι καὶ πῆραι;
But as things are now, do you not see how many cloaks, staffs, and wallets there are?
καὶ ἁπανταχοῦ πώγων βαθὺς καὶ βιβλίον ἐν τῇ ἀριστερᾷ, καὶ πάντες ὑπὲρ σοῦ φιλοσοφοῦσι, μεστοὶ δὲ οἱ περίπατοι κατὰ ἴλας καὶ φάλαγγας ἀλλήλοις ἀπαντώντων, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ τρόφιμος τῆς ἀρετῆς εἶναι δοκεῖν βούλεται.
And everywhere a deep beard and a book in the left hand, and all are philosophizing on your behalf, and the walks are full of those meeting one another in troops and phalanxes, and there is no one who does not wish to appear a pupil of virtue.
πολλοὶ γοῦν τὰς τέχνας ἀφέντες ἃς εἶχον τέως, ἐπὶ τὴν πήραν ᾄξαντες καὶ τὸ τριβώνιον, καὶ τὸ σῶμα πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον εἰς τὸ Αἰθιοπικὸν ἐπιχράναντες αὐτοσχέδιοι φιλόσοφοι ἐκ σκυτοτόμων ἢ τεκτόνων περινοστοῦσι σὲ καὶ τὴν σὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπαινοῦντες.
Many indeed, abandoning the trades they had until then, having rushed for the wallet and the cloak, and having tanned their bodies in the sun to an Ethiopian dark, wander about as extemporaneous philosophers from shoemakers or carpenters, praising you and your virtue.
ὥστε κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, θᾶττον ἄν τις ἐν πλοίῳ πεσὼν διαμάρτοι ξύλου ἢ ἔνθα ἂν ἀπίδῃ ὁ ὀφθαλμός, ἀπορήσει φιλοσόφου.
So that, according to the proverb, one would sooner fall in a ship and miss a piece of wood than look anywhere with the eye and fail to find a philosopher.
§7Δίκη
καὶ μὴν οὗτοί με, ὦ Ζεῦ, δεδίττονται πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐρίζοντες καὶ ἀγνωμονοῦντες ἐν αὐτοῖς οἷς περὶ ἐμοῦ διεξέρχονται.
Dike And yet, Zeus, these men terrify me, quarreling with one another and acting unreasonably in the very things they discourse about me.
φασὶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλείστους αὐτῶν ἐν μὲν τοῖς λόγοις προσποιεῖσθαί με, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων μηδὲ τὸ παράπαν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν παραδέχεσθαι, ἀλλὰ δήλους εἶναι ἀποκλείσοντας ἢν ἀφίκωμαί ποτε αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας· πάλαι γὰρ τὴν Ἀδικίαν προεπεξενῶσθαι αὐτοῖς.
They say that most of them pretend to embrace me in their words, but in their deeds do not receive me into their houses at all, but would clearly shut me out if ever I should come to their doors; for they have long since entertained Injustice as their guest.
Ζεύς
οὐ πάντες, ὦ θύγατερ, μοχθηροί εἰσιν· ἱκανὸν δὲ κἂν ἐνίοις τισὶν χρηστοῖς ἐντύχῃς.
Zeus Not all, daughter, are wicked; it is enough if you meet with even some who are good.
ἀλλʼ ἄπιτε ἤδη, ὡς κἂν ὀλίγαι τήμερον ἐκδικασθῶσιν.
But go now, so that at least a few cases may be decided today.