§8Ἑρμῆς
προΐωμεν, ὦ Δίκη, ταύτῃ εὐθὺ τοῦ Σουνίου μικρὸν ὑπὸ τὸν Ὑμηττὸν ἐπὶ τὰ λαιὰ τῆς Πάρνηθος, ἔνθα αἱ δύο ἐκεῖναι ἄκραι· σὺ γὰρ ἔοικας ἐκλελῆσθαι πάλαι τὴν ὁδόν.
Hermes Let us go forward, Dike, this way straight toward Sunium, a little below Hymettus to the left of Parnes, where those two peaks are; for you seem to have long since forgotten the way.
ἀλλὰ τί δακρύεις καὶ σχετλιάζεις;
But why do you weep and complain?
μὴ δέδιθι· οὐδέθ’ ὅμοια τὰ ἐν τῷ βίῳ·
Do not fear; things in life are no longer the same.
τεθνᾶσιν ἐκεῖνοι πάντες οἱ Σκείρωνες καὶ Πιτυοκάμπται καὶ Βουσίριδες καὶ Φαλάριδες οὓς ἐδεδίεις τότε, νυνὶ δὲ Σοφία καὶ Ἀκαδήμεια καὶ Στοὰ κατέχουσι πάντα καὶ πανταχοῦ σε ζητοῦσιν καὶ περὶ σοῦ διαλέγονται, κεχηνότες εἴ ποθεν εἰς αὐτοὺς καταπτοῖο πάλιν.
All those Scirons, Pityocamptes, Busirises, and Phalarises whom you feared back then are dead, and now Wisdom, the Academy, and the Stoa possess all things, and they seek you everywhere and discourse about you, gaping if by some chance you might fly down to them again.
Δίκη
σὺ γοῦν μοι τἀληθές, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, ἂν εἴποις μόνος, ἅτε συνὼν αὐτοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνδιατρίβων ἔν τε γυμνασίοις καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ — καὶ ἀγοραῖος γὰρ εἶ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις κηρύττεις — ὁποῖοι γεγένηνται καὶ εἰ δυνατή μοι παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἡ μονή.
Dike You at least, Hermes, would be the only one to tell me the truth, since you associate with them for the most part and spend time with them both in the gymnasia and in the marketplace—for you are indeed of the marketplace and you make announcements in the assemblies—what sort of people they have become, and whether my staying among them is possible.
Ἑρμῆς
νὴ Δία, ἀδικοίην γὰρ ἂν πρὸς ἀδελφήν σε οὖσαν μὴ λέγων.
Hermes By Zeus, for I would be acting unjustly toward you, who are my sister, if I did not tell you.
οὐκ ὀλίγα πρὸς τῆς φιλοσοφίας ὠφέληνται οἱ πολλοὶ αὐτῶν· καὶ γὰρ εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο, αἰδοῖ γοῦν τοῦ σχήματος μετριώτερα διαμαρτάνουσιν.
Many of them have benefited not a little by philosophy; for even if nothing else, at least out of respect for their appearance, they commit errors more moderately.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ μοχθηροῖς τισιν ἐντεύξῃ αὐτῶν — χρὴ γάρ, οἶμαι, τἀληθῆ λέγειν — ἐνίοις δὲ ἡμισόφοις καὶ ἡμιφαύλοις.
However, you will also meet with some who are wicked among them—for I must, I think, tell the truth—and some who are half-wise and half-worthless.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς μετέβαπτεν ἡ σοφία παραλαβοῦσα, ὁπόσοι μὲν εἰς κόρον ἔπιον τῆς βαφῆς, χρηστοὶ ἀκριβῶς ἀπετελέσθησαν ἀμιγεῖς ἑτέρων χρωμάτων, καὶ πρός γε τὴν σὴν ὑποδοχὴν οὗτοι ἑτοιμότατοι· ὅσοι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πάλαι ῥύπου μὴ εἰς βάθος παρεδέξαντο ὁπόσον δευσοποιὸν τοῦ φαρμάκου, τῶν ἄλλων ἀμείνους, ἀτελεῖς δὲ ὅμως καὶ μιξόλευκοι καὶ κατεστιγμένοι καὶ παρδαλωτοὶ τὴν χρόαν.
For when Wisdom took them over and dyed them anew, as many as drank of the dye to their fill were made perfectly good, unmixed with other colors, and these are most ready for your reception; but as many as, due to their old filth, did not admit to the depth the deep-dyeing quality of the drug, are indeed better than the rest, yet unfinished, mixed-white, speckled, and leopard-like in their complexion.
εἰσὶ δʼ οἳ καὶ μόνον ψαύσαντες ἔκτοσθεν τοῦ λέβητος ἄκρῳ τῷ δακτύλῳ καὶ ἐπιχρισάμενοι τῆς ἀσβόλου ἱκανῶς οἴονται καὶ οὗτοι μεταβεβάφθαι.
And there are some who, having only touched the outside of the kettle with the tip of their finger and smeared themselves with the soot, think that they too have been sufficiently dyed.
σοὶ μέντοι δῆλον ὅτι μετὰ τῶν ἀρίστων ἡ διατριβὴ ἔσται.
For you, however, it is clear that your association will be with the best.
§9Ἑρμῆς
ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ λόγων ἤδη πλησιάζομεν τῇ Ἀττικῇ· ὥστε τὸ μὲν Σούνιον ἐν δεξιᾷ καταλείπωμεν, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀπονεύωμεν ἤδη.
Hermes But while we are talking, we are already approaching Attica; so let us leave Sunium on the right, and bend our course now toward the Acropolis.
καὶ ἐπείπερ καταβεβήκαμεν, αὐτὴ μὲν ἐνταῦθά που ἐπὶ τοῦ πάγου κάθησο εἰς τὴν πνύκα ὁρῶσα καὶ περιμένουσα ἔστʼ ἂν κηρύξω τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Διός, ἐγὼ δὲ εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀναβὰς ῥᾷον οὕτως ἅπαντας ἐκ τοῦ ἐπηκόου προσκαλέσομαι.
And since we have descended, you yourself sit here somewhere on the Hill, looking toward the Pnyx and waiting until I herald the commands from Zeus; and I, having gone up to the Acropolis, will thus more easily summon everyone from a place within hearing.
Δίκη
μὴ πρότερον ἀπέλθῃς, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πρὶν εἰπεῖν ὅστις οὗτος ὁ προσιών ἐστιν, ὁ κερασφόρος, ὁ τὴν σύριγγα, ὁ λάσιος ἐκ τοῖς σκελοῖν.
Dike Do not depart, Hermes, before telling me who this is who approaches, the horned one, the one with the pipe, the one shaggy in his legs.
Ἑρμῆς
τί φής;
Hermes What do you say?
ἀγνοεῖς τὸν Πᾶνα, τῶν Διονύσου θεραπόντων τὸν βακχικώτατον;
Are you ignorant of Pan, the most Bacchic of Dionysus’ attendants?
οὗτος ᾤκει μὲν τὸ πρόσθεν ἀνὰ τὸ Παρθένιον, ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν Δάτιδος ἐπίπλουν καὶ τὴν Μαραθῶνάδε τῶν βαρβάρων ἀπόβασιν ἧκεν ἄκλητος τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις σύμμαχος, καὶ τὸ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου τὴν ὑπὸ τῇ ἀκροπόλει σπήλυγγα ταύτην ἀπολαβόμενος οἰκεῖ μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Πελασγικοῦ εἰς τὸ μετοίκιον συντελῶν.
He used to dwell formerly up on Mount Parthenium, but at the time of Datis' invasion and the barbarians' landing at Marathon, he came uninvited as an ally to the Athenians, and from that time, having received this cave under the Acropolis, he dwells a little above the Pelasgicon, contributing to the resident-alien tax.
καὶ νῦν ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ἰδὼν ἡμᾶς ἐκ γειτόνων πρόσεισι δεξιωσόμενος.
And now, as is natural, having seen us from nearby, he approaches to welcome us.
§10Πάν
χαίρετε, ὦ Ἑρμῆ καὶ Δίκη.
Pan Greetings, Hermes and Dike.
Ἑρμῆς
καὶ σύ γε, ὦ Πάν, μουσικώτατε καὶ πηδητικώτατε Σατύρων ἁπάντων, Ἀθήνησι δὲ καὶ πολεμικώτατε.
Hermes And you too, Pan, the most musical and most leaping of all Satyrs, and in Athens also the most warlike.
Πάν
τίς δὲ ὑμᾶς, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, χρεία δεῦρο ἤγαγεν;
Pan But what need, Hermes, brought you here?
Ἑρμῆς
αὕτη σοι διηγήσεται τὰ πάντα· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἄπειμι καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα.
Hermes She will explain everything to you; and I am going away to the Acropolis and the proclamation.
Δίκη
ὁ Ζεύς, ὦ Πάν, κατέπεμψέ με ἀποκληρώσουσαν τὰς δίκας.
Dike Zeus, Pan, sent me down to allot the lawsuits.
σοὶ δὲ πῶς τὰ ἐν Ἀθήναις ἔχει;
But how are things in Athens for you?
Πάν
τὸ μὲν ὅλον οὐ κατʼ ἀξίαν πράττω παρʼ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ πολὺ καταδεέστερον τῆς ἐλπίδος, καὶ ταῦτα τηλικοῦτον ἀπωσάμενος κυδοιμὸν τὸν ἐκ τῶν βαρβάρων.
Pan On the whole, I am not faring according to my worth among them, but far below my expectation, and that too after having repelled so great a tumult from the barbarians.
ὅμως δὲ δὶς ἢ τρὶς τοῦ ἔτους ἀνιόντες ἐπιλεξάμενοι τράγον ἔνορχην θύουσί μοι πολλῆς τῆς κινάβρας ἀπόζοντα, εἶτʼ εὐωχοῦνται τὰ κρέα, ποιησάμενοί με τῆς εὐφροσύνης μάρτυρα καὶ ψιλῷ τιμήσαντες τῷ κρότῳ.
Nevertheless, two or three times a year they come up and, having chosen an uncastrated goat smelling strongly of rancid fat, sacrifice it to me, then they feast on the meat, making me a witness of their merriment, and honoring me with bare clapping.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἔχει τινά μοι ψυχαγωγίαν ὁ γέλως αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ παιδιά.
Still, their laughter and play afford me some amusement.