§1Μένιππος
ὦ χαῖρε μέλαθρον πρόπυλά θʼ ἑστίας ἐμῆς,
ὡς ἄσμενός ς’ ἐσεῖδον ἐς φάος μολών.
Menippus O hail, my hall and portal of my hearth, how gladly have I looked upon thee as I come into the light!
Φίλος
οὐ Μένιππος οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κύων;
Friend Is this not Menippus the Dog?
οὐ μὲν οὖν ἄλλος, εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ παραβλέπω· Μένιππος ὅλος.
No, indeed, it is no other, unless my eyes deceive me; it is Menippus all over.
τί οὖν αὐτῷ βούλεται τὸ ἀλλόκοτον τοῦ σχήματος, πῖλος καὶ λύρα καὶ λεοντῆ;
But what does he mean by this strange attire—a felt cap, a lyre, and a lion's skin?
πλὴν ἀλλὰ προσιτέον γε αὐτῷ.
Still, I must go up to him.
χαῖρε, ὦ Μένιππε·
Hail, Menippus!
πόθεν ἡμῖν ἀφῖξαι;
Whence have you come to us?
πολὺς γὰρ χρόνος οὐ πέφηνας ἐν τῇ πόλει.
For it is a long time since you have appeared in the city.
Μένιππος
ἥκω νεκρῶν κευθμῶνα καὶ σκότου πύλας λιπών, ἵνʼ Ἅιδης χωρὶς ᾤκισται θεῶν.
Menippus I come, leaving the deep retreat of the dead and the gates of darkness, where Hades dwells apart from the gods.
Φίλος
Ἡράκλεις, ἐλελήθει Μένιππος ἡμᾶς ἀποθανών, κᾆτα ἐξ ὑπαρχῆς ἀναβεβίωκεν;
Friend Heracles! We did not realize that Menippus was dead, and has he now come back to life all over again?
Μένιππος
οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἔτʼ ἔμπνουν Ἀΐδης μʼ ἐδέξατο.
Menippus Nay, but while still breathing did Hades welcome me.
Φίλος
τίς δὴ αἰτία σοι τῆς καινῆς καὶ παραδόξου ταύτης ἀποδημίας;
Friend What on earth was the cause of this novel and extraordinary journey of yours?
Μένιππος
νεότης μʼ ἐπῆρε καὶ θράσος τοῦ νοῦ πλέον.
Menippus Youth urged me on, and a daring mind still more.
Φίλος
παῦσαι, μακάριε, τραγῳδῶν καὶ λέγε οὑτωσί πως ἁπλῶς καταβὰς ἀπὸ τῶν ἰαμβείων, τίς ἡ στολή;
Friend Stop playing the tragic actor, my good sir, and speak simply, descending, as it were, from your iambics: what is this costume?
τί σοι τῆς κάτω πορείας ἐδέησεν;
Why did you need a journey to the world below?
ἄλλως γὰρ οὐχ ἡδεῖά τις οὐδὲ ἀσπάσιος ἡ ὁδός.
For otherwise it is not a pleasant or desirable road.
Μένιππος
ὦ φιλότης, χρειώ με κατήγαγεν εἰς Ἀΐδαο ψυχῇ χρησόμενον Θηβαίου Τειρεσίαο.
Menippus O friend, necessity led me down to Hades, to consult the soul of Theban Teiresias.
Φίλος
οὗτος, ἀλλʼ ἦ παραπαίεις·
Friend Hey, you there!
οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὕτως ἐμμέτρως ἐρραψῴδεις πρὸς ἄνδρας φίλους.
Surely you are out of your mind; for otherwise you would not be reciting verses so rhythmically to your friends.
Μένιππος
μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ὦ ἑταῖρε· νεωστὶ γὰρ Εὐριπίδῃ καὶ Ὁμήρῳ συγγενόμενος οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἀνεπλήσθην τῶν ἐπῶν καὶ αὐτόματά μοι τὰ μέτρα ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα ἔρχεται.
Menippus Do not wonder, my friend; for having recently consorted with Euripides and Homer, I know not how I have been filled with verses, and meters come spontaneously to my lips.
§2Μένιππος
ἀτὰρ εἰπέ μοι, πῶς τὰ ὑπὲρ γῆς ἔχει καὶ τί ποιοῦσιν οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει;
Menippus But tell me, how are things above ground, and what are the people in the city doing?
Φίλος
καινὸν οὐδέν, ἀλλʼ οἷα καὶ πρὸ τοῦ· ἁρπάζουσιν, ἐπιορκοῦσιν, τοκογλυφοῦσιν, ὀβολοστατοῦσιν.
Friend Nothing new, but just what they did before: plundering, committing perjury, practicing usury, and weighing out obols.
Μένιππος
ἄθλιοι καὶ κακοδαίμονες·
Menippus Miserable and ill-starred wretches!
οὐ γὰρ ἴσασιν οἷα ἔναγχος κεκύρωται παρὰ τοῖς κάτω καὶ οἷα κεχειροτόνηται τὰ ψηφίσματα κατὰ τῶν πλουσίων, ἃ μὰ τὸν Κέρβερον οὐδεμία μηχανὴ τὸ διαφυγεῖν αὐτούς.
For they do not know what measures have recently been ratified among those below, and what decrees have been voted against the rich—which, by Cerberus, there is no device for them to escape.
Φίλος
τί φής;
Friend What do you say?
δέδοκταί τι νεώτερον τοῖς κάτω περὶ τῶν ἐνθάδε;
Has some new decision been made by those below concerning the people here?
Μένιππος
νὴ Δία, καὶ πολλά γε·
Menippus Yes, by Zeus, and indeed many!
ἀλλʼ οὐ θέμις ἐκφέρειν αὐτὰ πρὸς ἅπαντας οὐδὲ ἐξαγορεύειν τὰ ἀπόρρητα, μὴ καί τις ἡμᾶς γράψηται γραφὴν ἀσεβείας ἐπὶ τοῦ Ῥαδαμάνθυος.
But it is not lawful to publish them to everyone, nor to reveal secrets, lest someone should bring an indictment of impiety against us before Rhadamanthys.
Φίλος
μηδαμῶς, ὦ Μένιππε, πρὸς τοῦ Διός, μὴ φθονήσῃς τῶν λόγων φίλῳ ἀνδρί· πρὸς γὰρ εἰδότα σιωπᾶν ἐρεῖς, τά τʼ ἄλλα καὶ πρὸς μεμυημένον.
Friend By no means, Menippus, in the name of Zeus, do not grudge your words to a friend; for you will be speaking to one who knows how to keep silent, and especially to one who has been initiated.
Μένιππος
χαλεπὸν μὲν ἐπιτάττεις τὸ ἐπίταγμα καὶ οὐ πάντῃ εὐσεβές· πλὴν ἀλλὰ σοῦ γε ἕνεκα τολμητέον. ἔδοξε δὴ τοὺς πλουσίους τούτους καὶ πολυχρημάτους καὶ τὸ χρυσίον κατάκλειστον ὥσπερ τὴν Δανάην φυλάττοντας —
Φίλος
μὴ πρότερον εἴπῃς, ὦγαθέ, τὰ δεδογμένα πρὶν ἐκεῖνα διελθεῖν ἃ μάλιστʼ ἂν ἡδέως ἀκούσαιμί σου, τίς ἡ ἐπίνοιά σοι τῆς καθόδου ἐγένετο, τίς δʼ ὁ τῆς πορείας ἡγεμών, εἶθʼ ἑξῆς ἅ τε εἶδες ἅ τε ἤκουσας παρʼ αὐτοῖς· εἰκὸς γὰρ δὴ φιλόκαλον ὄντα σε μηδὲν τῶν ἀξίων θέας ἢ ἀκοῆς παραλιπεῖν.
Menippus You lay a hard command upon me, and one not altogether pious; nevertheless, for your sake, I must dare it. It was decreed then, that these rich and wealthy men who guard their gold shut up like Danae— Friend Do not speak of the decrees yet, my good friend, before you have gone through those things which I should most gladly hear from you: what was your idea for the descent, who was the guide of your journey, and then in order, both what you saw and what you heard among them; for it is likely that, being a lover of the beautiful, you did not omit anything worthy of sight or hearing.