§6.1ΕΡΩΣ
Ἀλλ' εἰ καί τι ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, σύγγνωθί μοι· παιδίον γάρ εἰμι καὶ ἔτι ἄφρων.
EROS But even if I have done some wrong, Zeus, forgive me; for I am a child and still foolish.
ΖΕΥΣ
Σὺ παιδίον ὁ Ἔρως, ὃς ἀρχαιότερος εἶ πολὺ Ἰαπετοῦ;
ZEUS You, a child, Eros—you who are much older than Iapetus?
ἢ διότι μὴ πώγωνα μηδὲ πολιὰς ἔφυσας, διὰ ταῦτα καὶ βρέφος ἀξιοῖς νομίζεσθαι γέρων καὶ πανοῦργος ὤν;
Or, just because you have grown neither beard nor grey hairs, do you on this account claim to be thought an infant, though you are old and knavish?
ΕΡΩΣ
Τί δαί σε μέγα ἠδίκησα ὁ γέρων ὡς φῂς ἐγώ, διότι με καὶ πεδῆσαι διανοῇ;
EROS What great wrong, then, have I—the "old man" as you call me—done to you, that you are planning even to fetter me?
ΖΕΥΣ
Σκόπει, ὦ κατάρατε, εἰ μικρά, ὃς ἐμοὶ μὲν οὕτως ἐντρυφᾷς, ὥστε οὐδέν ἐστιν ὃ μὴ πεποίηκάς με, σάτυρον, ταῦρον, χρυσόν, κύκνον, ἀετόν·
ZEUS Consider, you accursed one, if they are small things! You play such pranks on me that there is nothing you have not made me become: satyr, bull, gold, swan, eagle.
ἐμοῦ δὲ ὅλως οὐδεμίαν ἥντινα ἐρασθῆναι πεποίηκας, οὐδὲ συνῆκα ἡδὺς γυναικὶ διὰ σὲ γεγενημένος, ἀλλά με δεῖ μαγγανεύειν ἐπ' αὐτὰς καὶ κρύπτειν ἐμαυτόν· αἱ δὲ τὸν μὲν ταῦρον ἢ κύκνον φιλοῦσιν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἢν ἴδωσι, τεθνᾶσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.
Yet you have never made any woman love me for myself, nor have I, thanks to you, ever associated with a woman being pleasing to her, but I must practice magic tricks upon them and hide myself; and they love the bull or the swan, but if they see me, they die of fright.
§6.2ΕΡΩΣ
Εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ φέρουσιν, ὦ Ζεῦ, θνηταὶ οὖσαι τὴν σὴν πρόσοψιν.
EROS Naturally so; for being mortals, Zeus, they cannot endure your appearance.
ΖΕΥΣ
Πῶς οὖν τὸν Ἀπόλλω ὁ Βράγχος καὶ ὁ Ὑάκινθος φιλοῦσιν;
ZEUS How is it, then, that Branchus and Hyacinthus love Apollo?
ΕΡΩΣ
Ἀλλὰ ἡ Δάφνη κἀκεῖνον ἔφευγε καίτοι κομήτην καὶ ἀγένειον ὄντα.
EROS But Daphne fled even him, although he was long-haired and beardless.
εἰ δ’ ἐθέλεις ἐπέραστος εἶναι, μὴ ἐπίσειε τὴν αἰγίδα μηδὲ τὸν κεραυνὸν φέρε, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἥδιστον ποίει σεαυτὸν, ἁπαλὸν ὀφθῆναι, καθειμένος βοστρύχους, τῇ μίτρᾳ τούτους ἀνειλημμένος, πορφυρίδα ἔχε, ὑποδέου χρυσίδας, ὑπ' αὐλῷ καὶ τυμπάνοις εὔρυθμα βαῖνε, καὶ ὄψει ὅτι πλείους ἀκολουθήσουσί σοι τῶν Διονύσου Μαινάδων.
If you wish to be lovable, do not shake the aegis nor carry the thunderbolt, but make yourself as pleasant as possible, soft to look upon, letting your curls down, binding them up with a headband, wear a purple robe, put on golden sandals, step rhythmically to the flute and drums, and you will see that more will follow you than the Maenads of Dionysus.
ΖΕΥΣ
Ἄπαγε·
ZEUS Away with you!
οὐκ ἂν δεξαίμην ἐπέραστος εἶναι τοιοῦτος γενόμενος.
I would not accept being lovable if I had to become like that.
ΕΡΩΣ
Οὐκοῦν, ὦ Ζεῦ, μηδὲ ἐρᾶν θέλε· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ τοῦτό γε.
EROS Therefore, Zeus, do not even wish to love; for that, at least, is easy.
ΖΕΥΣ
Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ ἐρᾶν μέν, ἀπραγμονέστερον δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπιτυγχάνειν· ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἀφίημί σε.
ZEUS No, I do wish to love, but to win them with less trouble; on these very terms I let you go.