§22.1ΗΡΑ
Ἐγὼ μὲν ᾐσχυνόμην ἄν, ὦ Ζεῦ, εἴ μοι τοιοῦτος υἱὸς ἦν, θῆλυς οὕτω καὶ διεφθαρμένος ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης, μίτρᾳ μὲν ἀναδεδεμένος τὴν κόμην, τὰ πολλὰ δὲ μαινομέναις γυναιξὶ συνών, ἁβρότερος αὐτῶν ἐκείνων, ὑπὸ τυμπάνοις καὶ αὐλῷ καὶ κυμβάλοις χορεύων, καὶ ὅλως παντὶ μᾶλλον ἐοικὼς ἢ σοὶ τῷ πατρί.
HERA I should be ashamed, Zeus, if I had such a son, so effeminate and ruined by drunkenness, having his hair bound with a headband, spending most of his time with raving women, more delicate than those women themselves, dancing to hand-drums and flutes and cymbals, and in short, resembling anything else rather than you, his father.
ΖΕΥΣ
Καὶ μὴν οὗτός γε ὁ θηλυμίτρης, ὁ ἁβρότερος τῶν γυναικῶν οὐ μόνον, ὦ Ἥρα, τὴν Λυδίαν ἐχειρώσατο καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὸν Τμῶλον ἔλαβε καὶ Θρᾷκας ὑπηγάγετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπ' Ἰνδοὺς ἐλάσας τῷ γυναικείῳ τούτῳ στρατιωτικῷ τούς τε ἐλέφαντας εἷλε καὶ τῆς χώρας ἐκράτησε καὶ τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀντιστῆναι τολμήσαντα αἰχμάλωτον ἀπήγαγε, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἔπραξεν ὀρχούμενος ἅμα καὶ χορεύων θύρσοις χρώμενος κιττίνοις, μεθύων, ὡς φῄς, καὶ ἐνθεάζων.
ZEUS And yet this man with the feminine headband, who is more delicate not only than women, Hera, subdued Lydia and captured those who inhabit Tmolus and brought the Thracians under his sway, but also, having marched against the Indians with this womanish army, took their elephants and mastered their country, and led away captive the king who dared to resist for a little while. And he did all this while dancing and reveling, using ivy-wreathed thyrsi, drunk, as you say, and possessed by a god.
εἰ δέ τις ἐπεχείρησε λοιδορήσασθαι αὐτῷ ὑβρίσας ἐς τὴν τελετήν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐτιμωρήσατο ἢ καταδήσας τοῖς κλήμασιν ἢ διασπασθῆναι ποιήσας ὑπὸ τῆς μητρὸς ὥσπερ νεβρόν.
And if anyone attempted to mock him, insulting his rite, he punished him as well, either by binding him with vine-branches or by causing him to be torn to pieces by his mother like a fawn.
ὁρᾷς ὡς ἀνδρεῖα ταῦτα καὶ οὐκ ἀνάξια τοῦ πατρός;
Do you see how brave these deeds are and not unworthy of his father?
εἰ δὲ παιδιὰ καὶ τρυφὴ πρόσεστιν αὐτοῖς, οὐδεὶς φθόνος, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ λογίσαιτό τις, οἷος ἂν οὗτος νήφων ἦν, ὅπου ταῦτα μεθύων ποιεῖ.
And if playfulness and luxury belong to them, there is no cause for envy, especially if one should consider what this man would be when sober, seeing that he does these things when drunk.
§22.2ΗΡΑ
Σύ μοι δοκεῖς ἐπαινέσεσθαι καὶ τὸ εὕρεμα αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἄμπελον καὶ τὸν οἶνον, καὶ ταῦτα ὁρῶν οἷα οἱ μεθυσθέντες ποιοῦσι σφαλλόμενοι καὶ πρὸς ὕβριν τρεπόμενοι καὶ ὅλως μεμηνότες ὑπὸ τοῦ ποτοῦ· τὸν γοῦν Ἰκάριον, ᾧ πρώτῳ ἔδωκεν τὸ κλῆμα, οἱ ξυμπόται αὐτοὶ διέφθειραν παίοντες ταῖς δικέλλαις.
HERA You seem to me about to praise even his invention, the vine and wine, and that too though you see what drunken men do, stumbling and turning to insolence and being utterly maddened by the drink; at any rate, Icarius, to whom he first gave the vine, was destroyed by his very drinking companions, who struck him with their mattocks.
ΖΕΥΣ
Οὐδὲν τοῦτο φῄς·
ZEUS You say nothing to the point.
οὐ γάρ οἶνος ταῦτα οὐδὲ ὁ Διόνυσος ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ ἄμετρον τῆς πόσεως καὶ τὸ πέρα τοῦ καλῶς ἔχοντος ἐμφορεῖσθαι τοῦ ἀκράτου.
For it is not wine nor Dionysus that does these things, but the immoderate drinking and the pouring in of unmixed wine beyond what is proper.
ὃς δ’ ἂν ἔμμετρα πίνῃ, ἱλαρώτερος μὲν καὶ ἡδίων γένοιτ' ἄν· οἷον δὲ ὁ Ἰκάριος ἔπαθεν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐργάσαιτο οὐδένα τῶν ξυμποτῶν.
But whoever drinks in moderation would become more cheerful and pleasant; and he would do nothing to any of his drinking companions such as Icarius suffered.
ἀλλὰ σὺ ἔτι ζηλοτυπεῖν ἔοικας, ὦ Ἥρα, καὶ τῆς Σεμέλης μνημονεύειν, ἥ γε διαβάλλεις τοῦ Διονύσου τὰ κάλλιστα.
But you, Hera, seem to be still jealous and to remember Semele, since you slander the most beautiful gifts of Dionysus.