§1Ζεύς
μηκέτι τονθορύζετε, ὦ θεοί, μηδὲ κατὰ γωνίας συστρεφόμενοι πρὸς οὖς ἀλλήλοις κοινολογεῖσθε, ἀγανακτοῦντες εἰ πολλοὶ ἀνάξιοι μετέχουσιν ἡμῖν τοῦ συμποσίου, ἀλλʼ ἐπείπερ ἀποδέδοται περὶ τούτων ἐκκλησία, λεγέτω ἕκαστος ἐς τὸ φανερὸν τὰ δοκοῦντά οἱ καὶ κατηγορείτω.
Zeus Do not mutter any longer, gods, nor gather in corners and whisper into one another's ears, being indignant because many unworthy persons share our banquet; but since an assembly has been granted concerning these matters, let each speak openly what seems good to him and bring accusation.
σὺ δὲ κήρυττε, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὸ κήρυγμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου.
And you, Hermes, make the proclamation according to the law.
Ἑρμῆς
ἄκουε, σίγα.
Hermes Hear, keep silence!
τίς ἀγορεύειν βούλεται τῶν τελείων θεῶν οἷς ἔξεστιν;
Who of the qualified gods, to whom it is permitted, wishes to speak?
ἡ δὲ σκέψις περὶ τῶν μετοίκων καὶ ξένων.
The inquiry is concerning metics and strangers.
Μῶμος
ἐγὼ ὁ Μῶμος, ὦ Ζεῦ, εἴ μοι ἐπιτρέψειας εἰπεῖν.
Momus I, Momus, O Zeus, if you would permit me to speak.
Ζεύς
τὸ κήρυγμα ἤδη ἐφίησιν· ὥστε οὐδὲν ἐμοῦ δεήσει.
Zeus The proclamation already permits it; so there will be no need of me.
§2Μῶμος
φημὶ τοίνυν δεινὰ ποιεῖν ἐνίους ἡμῶν, οἷς οὐκ ἀπόχρη θεοὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων αὐτοῖς γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἀκολούθους καὶ θεράποντας αὐτῶν ἰσοτίμους ἡμῖν ἀποφανοῦσιν, οὐδὲν μέγα οὐδὲ νεανικὸν οἴονται εἰργάσθαι.
Momus I say then that some of us act dreadfully, for whom it is not enough to have become gods from among men themselves, but unless they also show their followers and servants to be of equal honor with us, they think they have done nothing great or youthfully vigorous.
ἀξιῶ δέ, ὦ Ζεῦ, μετὰ παρρησίας μοι δοῦναι εἰπεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἄλλως δυναίμην, ἀλλὰ πάντες με ἴσασιν ὡς ἐλεύθερός εἰμι τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν κατασιωπήσαιμι τῶν οὐ καλῶς γιγνομένων·
I ask you, Zeus, to grant me to speak with frankness; for I could not do otherwise, but all know me, how free I am in my tongue, and that I would conceal nothing of what is not going well.
διελέγχω γὰρ ἅπαντα καὶ λέγω τὰ δοκοῦντά μοι ἐς τὸ φανερὸν οὔτε δεδιώς τινα οὔτε ὑπʼ αἰδοῦς ἐπικαλύπτων τὴν γνώμην· ὥστε καὶ ἐπαχθὴς δοκῶ τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ συκοφαντικὸς τὴν φύσιν, δημόσιός τις κατήγορος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἐπονομαζόμενος.
For I expose everything and say what seems good to me openly, neither fearing anyone nor covering my opinion out of shame; so that I also seem offensive to the majority and sycophantic by nature, being called by them a public accuser.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἐπείπερ ἔξεστιν καὶ κεκήρυκται καὶ σύ, ὦ Ζεῦ, δίδως μετʼ ἐξουσίας εἰπεῖν· , οὐδὲν ὑποστειλάμενος ἐρῶ.
Nevertheless, since it is permitted and has been proclaimed, and you, Zeus, grant me to speak with authority, I will speak without holding back.
§3Μῶμος
πολλοὶ γάρ, φημί, οὐκ ἀγαπῶντες ὅτι αὐτοὶ μετέχουσι τῶν αὐτῶν ἡμῖν ξυνεδρίων καὶ εὐωχοῦνται ἐπʼ ἴσης, καὶ ταῦτα θνητοὶ ἐξ ἡμισείας ὄντες, ἔτι καὶ τοὺς ὑπηρέτας καὶ θιασώτας τοὺς αὐτῶν ἀνήγαγον ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ παρενέγραψαν, καὶ νῦν ἐπʼ ἴσης διανομάς τε νέμονται καὶ θυσιῶν μετέχουσιν, οὐδὲ καταβαλόντες ἡμῖν τὸ μετοίκιον.
Momus For many, I say, not being content that they themselves share the same councils with us and feast on equal terms—and that too although they are half mortal—have furthermore brought up their servants and fellow-revelers to heaven and registered them, and now they share equally in distributions and participate in sacrifices, without even having paid us the alien tax.
Ζεύς
μηδὲν αἰνιγματῶδες, ὦ Μῶμε, ἀλλὰ σαφῶς καὶ διαρρήδην λέγε, προστιθεὶς καὶ τοὔνομα, νῦν γὰρ ἐς τὸ μέσον ἀπέρριπταί σοι ὁ λόγος, ὡς πολλοὺς εἰκάζειν καὶ ἐφαρμόζειν ἄλλοτε ἄλλον τοῖς λεγομένοις.
Zeus Speak nothing in riddles, Momus, but speak clearly and explicitly, adding also the name. For now your speech has been cast into the midst, so that many are guessing and fitting now one person, now another to what is said.
χρὴ δὲ παρρησιαστὴν ὄντα μηδὲν ὀκνεῖν λέγειν.
But one who is frank ought to hesitate to say nothing.
§4Μῶμος
εὖ γε, ὦ Ζεῦ, ὅτι καὶ παροτρύνεις με πρὸς τὴν παρρησίαν· ποιεῖς γὰρ τοῦτο βασιλικὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ μεγαλόφρον, ὥστε ἐρῶ καὶ τοὔνομα.
Momus Well done, Zeus, that you even encourage me to frankness; for you do this in a truly kingly and magnanimous way, so I will also tell the name.
ὁ γάρ τοι γενναιότατος οὗτος Διόνυσος ἡμιάνθρωπος ὤν, οὐδὲ Ἕλλην μητρόθεν ἀλλὰ Συροφοίνικός τινος ἐμπόρου τοῦ Κάδμου θυγατριδοῦς, ἐπείπερ ἠξιώθη τῆς ἀθανασίας, οἷος μὲν αὐτός ἐστιν οὐ λέγω, οὔτε τὴν μίτραν οὔτε τὴν μέθην οὔτε τὸ βάδισμα·
For that most noble Dionysus, being half human, and not even Greek on his mother's side but the grandson of a certain Syrophoenician merchant Cadmus, since he was deemed worthy of immortality, I do not say what he is like himself—neither his mitre, nor his drunkenness, nor his gait.
πάντες γάρ, οἶμαι, ὁρᾶτε ὡς θῆλυς καὶ γυναικεῖος τὴν φύσιν, ἡμιμανής, ἀκράτου ἕωθεν ἀποπνέων·
For you all, I think, see how effeminate and womanish he is in nature, half-mad, smelling of unmixed wine from early morning.
ὁ δὲ καὶ ὅλην φατρίαν ἐσεποίησεν ἡμῖν καὶ τὸν χορὸν ἐπαγόμενος πάρεστι καὶ θεοὺς ἀπέφηνε τὸν Πᾶνα καὶ τὸν Σιληνὸν καὶ Σατύρους, ἀγροίκους τινὰς καὶ αἰπόλους τοὺς πολλούς, σκιρτητικοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὰς μορφὰς ἀλλοκότους·
But he has even introduced a whole fraternity to us, and is present bringing along his chorus, and has declared gods Pan and Silenus and Satyrs, certain rustics and goatherds for the most part, capering men and strange in their forms.
ὧν ὁ μὲν κέρατα ἔχων καὶ ὅσον ἐξ ἡμισείας ἐς τὸ κάτω αἰγὶ ἐοικὼς καὶ γένειον βαθὺ καθειμένος ὀλίγον τράγου διαφέρων ἐστίν, ὁ δὲ φαλακρὸς γέρων, σιμὸς τὴν ῥῖνα, ἐπὶ ὄνου τὰ πολλὰ ὀχούμενος, Λυδὸς οὗτος, οἱ δὲ Σάτυροι ὀξεῖς τὰ ὦτα, καὶ αὐτοὶ φαλακροί, κεράσται, οἷα τοῖς ἄρτι γεννηθεῖσιν ἐρίφοις τὰ κέρατα ὑποφύεται, Φρύγες τινὲς ὄντες· ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ οὐρὰς ἅπαντες.
Of whom one, having horns and as much as half downwards resembling a goat, with a long beard hanging down, is little different from a he-goat; another, a bald old man, flat-nosed, riding for the most part on a donkey, is a Lydian; and the Satyrs are pointed-eared, themselves bald, horned, with horns growing underneath like those of newly-born kids, being certain Phrygians; and they all have tails.
ὁρᾶτε οἵους ἡμῖν θεοὺς ποιεῖ ὁ γεννάδας;
Do you see what kind of gods the noble fellow makes for us?