§8ΙΕΡΕΥΣ
Ἐγὼ δέ, ὦ Κρόνε, καὶ τοῦτο εἴκαζον τὸ εἰς τοὺς δούλους καὶ πεδότριβας φιλάνθρωπον ἐκ τοῦ μυθου ἐκείνου ποιεῖν σε τιμῶντα τοὺς τὰ ὅμοια πάσχοντας, ἅτε καὶ αὐτὸν δουλεύοντα, μεμνημένον τῆς πέδης.
PRIEST But I, O Cronus, also guessed this: that you practice this benevolence toward slaves and those worn by fetters out of that myth, because you honor those who suffer the same things, since you yourself were a slave and remember the fetters.
ΚΡΟΝΟΣ
Οὐ παύσῃ γὰρ τοιαῦτα ληρῶν;
CRONUS Will you not stop talking such nonsense?
ΙΕΡΕΥΣ
Εὖ λέγεις, καὶ παύσομαι.
PRIEST You say well, and I will stop.
πλὴν ἔτι μοι κα τοῦτο ἀπόκριναι. τὸ πεττεύειν σύνηθες ἦν τοῖς ἐπὶ σοῦ ἀνθρώποις;
But still answer me this too: was playing board games customary for men in your time?
ΚΡΟΝΟΣ
Καὶ μάλα, οὐ μὴν περὶ ταλάντων γε καὶ μυριάδων ὥσπερ ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ περὶ καρύων τὸ μέγιστον, ὡς μὴ ἀνιᾶσθαι ἡττηθέντα μηδὲ δακρύειν ἀεὶ ἄσιτον ὄντα μόνον τῶν ἄλλων.
CRONUS Very much so, though not indeed for talents and ten-thousands like you, but for nuts at most, so that one would not be grieved when defeated nor weep, being the only one of the others to go without food.
ΙΕΡΕΥΣ
Εὖ γε ἐκεῖνοι ποιοῦντες.
PRIEST They did well indeed.
ὑπὲρ τίνος γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἐπέττευον αὐτοὶ ὁλόχρυσοι ὄντες;
For what indeed would they play for, being themselves solid gold?
ὡς ἔγωγε καὶ μεταξὺ λέγοντός σου τοιόνδε τι ἐνενόησα· εἴ τις ἕνα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων τῶν χρυσηλάτων ἐς τὸν ἡμέτερον τοῦτον βίον ἀγαγὼν ἔδειξε τοῖς πολλοῖς, οἷα ἔπαθεν ἂν ὁ ἄθλιος ὑπ’ αὐτῶν;
For I indeed, even while you were speaking, thought of something like this: if someone had brought one of those gold-beaten men into this life of ours and shown him to the multitude, what would the miserable man have suffered at their hands?
διεσπάσαντο γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν εὖ οἶδ’ ὅτι ἐπιδραμόντες ὥσπερ τὸν Πενθέα αἱ Μαινάδες ἢ αἱ Θρᾷτται τὸν Ὀρφέα ἢ τὸν Ἀκταίωνα αἱ κύνες, περὶ τοῦ μεῖζον ἀπενέγκασθαι τὸ μέρος πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἕκαστος ἁμιλλώμενοι, οἵ γε οὐδὲ ἑορτάζοντες ἔξω τοῦ φιλοκερδοῦς εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ πρόσοδον οἱ πολλοὶ πεποίηνται τὴν ἑορτήν.
For they would have torn him to pieces, I know well, running upon him like the Maenads Pentheus, or the Thracian women Orpheus, or the dogs Actaeon, each striving with one another to carry away the larger share; they who do not even celebrate holidays apart from love of gain, but the majority have made the holiday a source of revenue.
εἶτα οἱ μὲν ἀπέρχονται λῃστεύοντες ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ τοὺς φίλους, οἱ δέ σοί τε λοιδοροῦνται, οὐδὲν δέον, καὶ τοὺς κύβους συντρίβουσιν ἀναιτίους ὄντας αὐτοῖς ὧν ἑκόντες ποιοῦσιν.
Then some go away plundering their friends at the banquet, and others both abuse you, though there is no need, and smash the dice which are innocent of what they themselves willingly do.
§9ἀτὰρ εἰπέ μοι καὶ τόδε· τί δή ποτε ἁβρὸς οὕτω θεὸς ὢν καὶ γέρων ἐπιλεξάμενος τὸ ἀτερπέστατον, ὁπότε ἡ χιὼν ἐπέχει τὰ πάντα καὶ ὁ βορρᾶς πολὺς καὶ οὐδὲν ὅ τι οὐ πέπηγεν ὑπὸ τοῦ κρύους καὶ τὰ δένδρα ξηρὰ καὶ γυμνὰ καὶ ἄφυλλα καὶ οἱ λειμῶνες ἄμορφοι καὶ ἀπηνθηκότες καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπικεκυφότες ὥσπερ οἱ πάνυ γεγηρακότες, ἀμφὶ τὴν κάμινον οἱ πολλοί, τηνικαῦτα ἑορτάζεις;
But tell me this too: why on earth, being so delicate a god and old, having chosen the most unpleasant season, when snow covers everything and the north wind is strong and there is nothing that is not frozen by the cold, and the trees are dry and bare and leafless, and the meadows shapeless and withered, and men bent double like the very aged, most around the hearth—why at that time do you celebrate your festival?
οὐ γὰρ πρεσβυτικός γε ὁ καιρὸς οὐδὲ ἐπιτήδειος τοῖς τρυφῶσι.
For the season is not at all suitable for the elderly, nor appropriate for those who live delicately.
ΚΡΟΝΟΣ
Πολλά με ἀνακρίνεις, ὦ οὗτος, ἤδη πίνειν δέον.
CRONUS You question me too much, my good fellow, when it is already time to drink.
παρῄρησαι γοῦν μου χρόνον τῆς ἑορτῆς οὐκ ὀλίγον οὐ πάνυ ἀναγκαῖά μοι ταῦτα προσφιλοσοφῶν.
At any rate, you have taken away no small part of my festival time, philosophizing over these things which are not at all necessary for me.
ὥστε νῦν μὲν ἄφες αὐτά.
So for now let them go.
εὐωχώμεθα δὲ ἤδη καὶ κροτῶμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἤδη ζῶμεν, εἶτα πεττεύωμεν ἐς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπὶ καρύων καὶ βασιλέας χειροτονῶμεν καὶ πειθαρχῶμεν αὐτοῖς.
Let us feast now and clap our hands and live now in freedom, then let us play board games in the ancient fashion for nuts, and elect kings and obey them.
οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τὴν παροιμίαν ἐπαληθεύσαιμι, ἥ φησι παλίμπαιδας τοὺς γέροντας γίγνεσθαι.
For thus I would make true the proverb which says that old men become children again.
ΙΕΡΕΥΣ
Ἀλλὰ μὴ δύναιτο διψῶν πιεῖν, ὦ Κρόνε, ὅτῳ μὴ ταῦτα ἃ λέγεις ἡδέα.
PRIEST But may he who does not find these things you say pleasant not be able to drink when thirsty, O Cronus!
ὥστε πίνωμεν.
So let us drink.
ἱκανὰ γὰρ ἀποκέκρισαι καὶ τὰ πρῶτα.
For you have answered sufficiently even the first questions.
καί μοι δοκῶ γραψάμενος εἰς βιβλίον ταύτην ἡμῶν τὴν συνουσίαν ἅ τε αὐτὸς ἠρώτησα καὶ σὺ πρὸς ταῦτα ἵλεως ἀπεκρίνω παρέξειν ἀναγνῶναι τῶν φίλων, ὅσοι γ’ ἐπακοῦσαι τῶν σῶν λόγων ἄξιοι.
And I think that, having written down in a book this conversation of ours, both what I myself asked and what you graciously answered to these things, I will offer it to be read by those of my friends who are worthy to hear your words.
§10## ΚΡΟΝΟΣΟΛΩΝ
Τάδε λέγει Κρονοσόλων ἱερεὺς καὶ προφήτης τοῦ Κρόνου καὶ νομοθέτης τῶν ἀμφὶ τὴν ἑορτήν.
CRONOSOLON Thus says Cronosolon, priest and prophet of Cronus and lawgiver of the things concerning the festival.
Ἃ μὲν τοὺς πένητας χρὴ ποιεῖν, αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις ἔπεμψα ἄλλο βιβλίον, ἐγγράψας, καὶ εὖ οἶδ’ ὅτι ἐμμενοῦσι κἀκεῖνοι τοῖς νόμοις, ἢ αὐτίκα ἔνοχοι ἔσονται τοῖς ἐπιτιμίοις, ἃ κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων μεγάλα ὥρισται.
"What the poor must do, I have sent in another book to them themselves, having written it down, and I know well that they too will abide by the laws, or immediately they will be liable to the penalties, which have been defined as great against the disobedient.
Ὑμεῖς δέ, ὦ πλούσιοι, ὁρᾶτε πῶς μὴ παρανομήσητε μηδὲ παρακούσητε τῶνδε τῶν προσταγμάτων.
And you, O rich men, see to it that you do not break the law nor disobey these commands.
ὡς ὅστις ἂν οὕτω μὴ ποιήσῃ, ἴστω οὗτος οὐκ ἐμοῦ νομοθέτου ἀμελήσων ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸν Κρόνον αὐτόν, ὅς με προείλετο νομοθετῆσαι ἐς τὴν ἑορτὴν οὐκ ὄναρ ἐπιστάς, ἀλλὰ πρῴην ἐγρηγορότι ἐναργὴς συγγενόμενος.
For whoever does not do so, let him know that he will be disregarding not me, the lawgiver, but Cronus himself, who chose me to make laws for the festival, appearing not in a dream, but lately meeting me clearly when I was awake.
ἦν δὲ οὐ πεδήτης οὐδὲ αὐχμοῦ πλέως, οἷον αὐτὸν οἱ ζωγράφοι παρὰ τῶν λήρων τῶν ποιητῶν παραδεξάμενοι ἐπιδείκνυνται, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ἅρπην εἶχεν πάνυ τεθηγμένην. τὰ δ’ ἄλλα φαιδρός τε ἦν καὶ καρτερὸς καὶ βασιλικῶς ἐνεσκεύαστο.
And he was not bound nor full of squalor, as the painters show him, having received this from the nonsense of the poets, but he had his sickle very sharp; in other respects he was bright and strong and regally attired.
μορφὴν μὲν τοιόσδε ὤφθη μοι, ἃ δὲ εἶπε, πάνυ θεσπέσια καὶ ταῦτα, προειρῆσθαι ὑμῖν ἄξια.
In form he appeared such to me, and what he said, these things also were altogether divine, worthy to be foretold to you."