§11.1ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Ἑώρακας, ὦ Ἄπολλον, τὸ τῆς Μαίας βρέφος τὸ ἄρτι τεχθέν, ὡς καλόν τέ ἐστι καὶ προσγελᾷ πᾶσι καὶ δηλοῖ ἤδη μέγα τι ἀγαθὸν ἀποβησόμενον;
HEPHAESTUS Have you seen, Apollo, Maia's baby who was just born, how beautiful he is and how he smiles at everyone and already shows that he will turn out to be some great good?
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Ἐκεῖνο τὸ βρέφος, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἦ μέγα ἀγαθόν, ὃ τοῦ Ἰαπετοῦ πρεσβύτερόν ἐστιν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ πανουργίᾳ;
APOLLO That baby, Hephaestus, a great good? He who is older than Iapetus as far as knavery is concerned?
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Καὶ τί ἂν ἀδικῆσαι δύναιτο ἀρτίτοκον ὄν;
HEPHAESTUS And what harm could he do, being newborn?
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Ἐρώτα τὸν Ποσειδῶνα, οὗ τὴν τρίαιναν ἔκλεψεν, ἢ τὸν Ἄρη· καὶ τούτου γὰρ ἐξείλκυσε λαθὸν ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ τὸ ξίφος, ἵνα μὴ ἐμαυτὸν λέγω, ὃν ἀφώπλισε τοῦ τόξου καὶ τῶν βελῶν.
APOLLO Ask Poseidon, whose trident he stole, or Ares; for he also slipped his sword out of its sheath without being noticed, not to mention myself, whom he disarmed of my bow and arrows.
§11.2ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Τὸ νεογνὸν ταῦτα, ὃ μόλις ἕστηκε, τὸ ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις;
HEPHAESTUS The newborn did this, who can barely stand, the one in swaddling clothes?
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Εἴσῃ, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἤν σοι προσέλθῃ μόνον.
APOLLO You will know, Hephaestus, if only he comes near you.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Καὶ μὴν προσῆλθεν ἤδη.
HEPHAESTUS Indeed, he has already come near.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Τί οὖν;
APOLLO What then?
πάντα ἔχεις τὰ ἐργαλεῖα καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόλωλεν αὐτῶν;
Do you have all your tools and has none of them been lost?
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Πάντα, ὦ Ἄπολλον.
HEPHAESTUS All of them, Apollo.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Ὅμως ἐπίσκεψαι ἀκριβῶς.
APOLLO Nevertheless, look closely.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Μὰ Δία, τὴν πυράγραν οὐχ ὁρῶ.
HEPHAESTUS By Zeus, I do not see my tongs!
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Ἀλλ' ὄψει που ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις αὐτὴν τοῦ βρέφους.
APOLLO But you will see them somewhere in the swaddling clothes of the baby.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Οὕτως ὀξύχειρ ἐστὶ καθάπερ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ἐκμελετήσας τὴν κλεπτικήν;
HEPHAESTUS Is he so quick-handed, as if he had practiced thieving while still in the womb?
§11.3ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Οὐ γὰρ ἤκουσας αὐτοῦ καὶ λαλοῦντος ἤδη στωμύλα καὶ ἐπίτροχα·
APOLLO For have you not heard him already talking, and that very glibly and fluently?
ὁ δὲ καὶ διακονεῖσθαι ἡμῖν ἐθέλει.
And he even wants to serve us.
χθὲς δὲ προκαλεσάμενος τὸν Ἔρωτα κατεπάλαισεν εὐθὺς οὐκ οἶδ᾽. ὅπως ὑφελὼν τὼ πόδε· εἶτα μεταξὺ ἐπαινούμενος τῆς Ἀφροδίτης μὲν τὸν κεστὸν ἔκλεψε προσπτυξαμένης αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ, τοῦ Διὸς δὲ γελῶντος ἔτι τὸ σκῆπτρον· εἰ δὲ μὴ βαρύτερος ὁ κεραυνὸς ἦν καὶ πολὺ τὸ πῦρ εἶχε, κἀκεῖνον ἂν ὑφείλετο.
Yesterday, having challenged Eros, he wrestled him down immediately, I don't know how, by tripping up his feet; then, in the midst of being praised, while Aphrodite was embracing him for his victory, he stole her girdle, and while Zeus was still laughing, his sceptre; and if the thunderbolt had not been too heavy and contained too much fire, he would have stolen that too.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Ὑπέρδριμύν τινα τὸν παῖδα φῄς.
HEPHAESTUS You speak of a remarkably sharp child.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Οὐ μόνον, ἀλλ’ ἤδη καὶ μουσικόν.
APOLLO Not only that, but already a musician too.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Τῷ τοῦτο τεκμαίρεσθαι ἔχεις;
HEPHAESTUS By what can you prove this?
§11.4ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Χελώνην που νεκρὰν εὑρὼν ὄργανον ἀπ' αὐτῆς συνεπήξατο· πήχεις γὰρ ἐναρμόσας καὶ ζυγώσας, ἔπειτα κολλάβους ἐμπήξας καὶ μαγάδιον ὑποθεὶς καὶ ἐντεινάμενος ἑπτὰ χορδὰς μελῳδεῖ πάνυ γλαφυρόν, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, καὶ ἐναρμόνιον, ὡς κἀμὲ αὐτῷ φθονεῖν πάλαι κιθαρίζειν ἀσκοῦντα.
APOLLO Having found a dead tortoise somewhere, he constructed an instrument from it; for having fitted arms and joined them with a crossbar, then having driven in pegs, placed a bridge underneath, and stretched seven strings, Hephaestus, he plays a melody so elegant and harmonious that even I, who have long practiced playing the cithara, envy him.
ἔλεγε δὲ ἡ Μαῖα, ὡς μηδὲ μένοι τὰς νύκτας ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἀλλ’ ὑπὸ περιεργίας ἄχρι τοῦ ᾄδου κατίοι, κλέψων τι κἀκεῖθεν δηλαδή.
And Maia said that he does not even stay the nights in heaven, but out of curiosity goes down as far as Hades, clearly to steal something from there too.
ὑπόπτερος δ’ ἐστὶ καὶ ῥάβδον τινὰ πεποίηται θαυμασίαν τὴν δύναμιν, ᾗ ψυχαγωγεῖ καὶ κατάγει τοὺς νεκρούς.
He is winged, and has made a certain wand of wondrous power, with which he guides souls and leads down the dead.
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Ἐγὼ ἐκείνην ἔδωκα αὐτῷ παίγνιον εἶναι.
HEPHAESTUS I gave him that to be a plaything.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Τοιγαροῦν ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὸν μισθόν, τὴν πυάγραν—
ΗΦΑΙΣΤΟΣ
Εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας·
APOLLO Therefore he has paid you your reward, the tongs— HEPHAESTUS Well reminded!
ὥστε βαδιοῦμαι ἀποληψόμενος αὐτήν, εἴ που ὡς φῂς εὑρεθείη ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις.
So I will go to get them back, to see if they might be found, as you say, somewhere in his swaddling clothes.