§17.1ΕΡΜΗΣ
Τὸ δὲ καὶ χωλὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα καὶ τέχνην ἔχοντα βάναυσον, ὦ Ἄπολλον, τὰς καλλίστας γεγαμηκέναι, τὴν Ἀφροδίτην καὶ τὴν Χάριν.
HERMES But that he, though lame himself and possessing a vulgar trade, O Apollo, should have married the most beautiful goddesses, Aphrodite and Charis!
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Εὐποτμία τις, ὦ Ἑρμῆ·
APOLLO A piece of great good fortune indeed, O Hermes.
πλὴν ἐκεῖνό γε θαυμάζω, τὸ ἀνέχεσθαι συνούσας αὐτῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ὁρῶσιν ἱδρῶτι ῥεόμενον, εἰς τὴν κάμινον ἐπικεκυφότα, πολλὴν αἰθάλην ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου ἔχοντα· καὶ ὅμως τοιοῦτον ὄντα περιβάλλουσί τε αὐτὸν καὶ φιλοῦσι καὶ ξυγκαθεύδουσι.
But for my part, I marvel at this: that they endure living with him, especially when they see him streaming with sweat, bending over the furnace, with much soot upon his face; and yet, though he is like this, they embrace him, kiss him, and sleep with him.
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἀγανακτῶ καὶ τῷ Ἡφαίστῳ φθονῶ·
HERMES I too am vexed at this and envy Hephaestus.
σὺ δὲ κόμα, ὦ Ἄπολλον, καὶ κιθάριζε καὶ μέγα ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει φρόνει, κἀγὼ ἐπὶ τῇ εὐεξίᾳ, καὶ τῇ λύρᾳ· εἶτα, ἐπειδὰν κοιμᾶσθαι δέῃ, μόνοι καθευδήσομεν.
Yet you, O Apollo, grow your hair long, play the cithara, and pride yourself greatly on your beauty, and I on my physical fitness and the lyre; and then, whenever it is time to go to sleep, we sleep alone.
§17.2ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Ἐγὼ μὲν καὶ ἄλλως ἀναφρόδιτός εἰμι εἰς τὰ ἐρωτικὰ καὶ δύο γοῦν, οὓς μάλιστα ὑπερηγάπησα, τὴν Δάφνην καὶ τὸν Ὑάκινθον· ἡ μὲν ἀποδιδράσκει με καὶ μισεῖ, ὥστε εἵλετο ξύλον γενέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐμοὶ ξυνεῖναι, ὁ δὲ ἀπώλετο ὑπὸ τοῦ δίσκου, καὶ νῦν ἀντ' ἐκείνων στεφάνους ἔχω.
APOLLO As for me, I am in any case unblest by Aphrodite in matters of love; at least, the two whom I loved most dearly, Daphne and Hyacinthus—the one fled from me and hated me, so that she chose to become a tree rather than be with me, while the other perished by the discus, and now instead of them I have only wreaths.
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Ἐγὼ δὲ ἤδη ποτὲ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην—ἀλλὰ οὐ χρὴ αὐχεῖν.
HERMES But as for me, once upon a time with Aphrodite—but one must not boast.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Οἶδα, καὶ τὸν Ἑρμαφρόδιτον ἐκ σοῦ λέγεται τετοκέναι.
APOLLO I know, and Hermaphroditus is said to have been born to her from you.
πλὴν ἐκεῖνό μοι εἰπέ, εἴ τι οἶσθα, πῶς οὐ ζηλοτυπεῖ ἡ Ἀφροδίτη τὴν Χάριν ἢ ἡ Χάρις αὐτήν.
But tell me this, if you know anything of it: how is it that Aphrodite is not jealous of Charis, nor Charis of her?
§17.3ΕΡΜΗΣ
Ὅτι, ὦ Ἄπολλον, ἐκείνη μὲν αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ Λήμνῳ σύνεστιν, ἡ δὲ Ἀφροδίτη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ·
HERMES Because, O Apollo, the latter lives with him in Lemnos, while Aphrodite lives in heaven.
ἄλλως τε περὶ τὸν Ἄρη ἔχει τὰ πολλὰ κἀκείνου ἐρᾷ, ὥστε ὀλίγον αὐτῇ τοῦ χαλκέως τούτου μέλει.
Besides, she spends most of her time around Ares and is in love with him, so that she cares little for this blacksmith.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ
Καὶ ταῦτα οἴει τὸν Ἥφαιστον εἰδέναι;
APOLLO And do you think Hephaestus knows this?
ΕΡΜΗΣ
Οἶδεν· ἀλλὰ τί ἂν δρᾶσαι δύναιτο γενναῖον ὁρῶν νεανίαν καὶ στρατιώτην αὐτόν;
HERMES He knows it; but what noble deed could he do, seeing that Ares is a young man and a soldier?
ὥστε τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγει·
So Hephaestus keeps quiet.
πλὴν ἀπειλεῖ γε δεσμά τινα ἐπιμηχανήσεσθαι αὐτοῖς καὶ συλλήψεσθαι σαγηνεύσας ἐπὶ τῆς εὐνῆς.
Except that he threatens to devise some bonds for them and to catch them by netting them upon the bed.
ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ
Οὐκ οἶδα· εὐξαίμην δ’ ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ ξυλληφθησόμενος εἶναι.
APOLLO I don't know; but I myself would pray to be the one who is caught.