§5.1ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Καινὰ περὶ σοῦ ἀκούομεν, ὦ Λέαινα, τὴν Λεσβίαν Μέγιλλαν τὴν πλουσίαν ἐρᾶν σου ὥσπερ ἄνδρα καὶ συνεῖναι ὑμᾶς οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅ τι ποιούσας μετ' ἀλλήλων.
CLONARION We hear strange things about you, Leaena, that the rich Megilla of Lesbos loves you just like a man, and that you are together doing I know not what with one another.
τί τοῦτο;
What is this?
ἠρυθρίασας;
Have you blushed?
ἀλλ’ εἰπὲ εἰ ἀληθῆ ταῦτά ἐστιν.
Tell me if these things are true.
ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Ἀληθῆ, ὦ Κλωνάριον· αἰσχύνομαι δέ, ἀλλόκοτον γάρ τί ἐστι.
LEAENA They are true, Clonarion; but I am ashamed, for it is a strange thing.
ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Πρὸς τῆς κουροτρόφου τί τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἢ τί βούλεται ἡ γυνή;
CLONARION By the goddess of child-rearing, what is the matter, or what does the woman want?
τί δὲ καὶ πράττετε, ὅταν συνῆτε;
And what do you do when you are together?
ὁρᾷς;
You see?
οὐ φιλεῖς με· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπεκρύπτου τὰ τοιαῦτα.
You do not love me; for you would not hide such things from me.
ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Φιλῶ μέν σε, εἰ καί τινα ἄλλην.
LEAENA I do love you, as much as anyone else.
ἡ γυνὴ δὲ δεινῶς ἀνδρική ἐστιν.
But the woman is terribly masculine.
§5.2ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Οὐ μανθάνω ὅ τι καὶ λέγεις, εἰ μή τις ἑταιρίστρια τυγχάνει οὖσα· τοιαύτας γὰρ ἐν Λέσβῳ λέγουσι γυναῖκας ἀρρενωπούς, ὑπ' ἀνδρῶν μὲν οὐκ ἐθελούσας αὐτὸ πάσχειν, γυναιξὶ δὲ αὐτὰς πλησιαζούσας ὥσπερ ἄνδρας.
CLONARION I do not understand what you mean, unless she happens to be an hetaeristria; for they say there are such masculine-looking women in Lesbos, who do not wish to suffer that from men, but approach women themselves like men.
ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Τοιοῦτόν τι.
LEAENA It is something of that kind.
ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Οὐκοῦν, ὦ Λέαινα, τοῦτο αὐτὸ καὶ διήγησαι, ὅπως μὲν ἐπείρα τὸ πρῶτον, ὅπως δὲ καὶ σὺ συνεπείσθης καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα.
CLONARION Well then, Leaena, tell me this very story: how she first made her attempt, and how you were persuaded, and what happened after that.
ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Πότον τινὰ συγκροτοῦσα αὐτή τε καὶ Δημώνασσα ἡ Κορινθία.
LEAENA She and Demonassa the Corinthian were holding a drinking party.
πλουτοῦσα δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ καὶ ὁμότεχνος οὖσα τῇ Μεγίλλῃ, παρειλήφει κἀμὲ κιθαρίζειν αὐταῖς·
Since Demonassa was also wealthy and of the same profession as Megilla, she had invited me to play the cithara for them.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐκιθάρισα καὶ ἀωρὶ ἦν καὶ ἔδει καθεύδειν, καὶ ἐμέθυον, Ἄγε δή, ἔφη, ὦ Λέαινα, ἡ Μέγιλλα, κοιμᾶσθαι γὰρ ἤδη καλόν, ἐνταῦθα κάθευδε μεθ' ἡμῶν μέση ἀμφοτέρων. ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Ἐκάθευδες;
When I had finished playing, and it was late and time to sleep, and I was drunk, Megilla said, "Come now, Leaena, for it is already time to sleep, lie down here between the two of us." CLONARION Did you sleep there?
τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα τί ἐγένετο;
What happened after that?
§5.3ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Ἐφίλουν με τὸ πρῶτον ὥσπερ οἱ ἄνδρες, οὐκ αὐτὸ μόνον προσαρμόζουσαι τὰ χείλη, ἀλλ’ ὑπανοίγουσαι τὸ στόμα, καὶ περιέβαλλον καὶ τοὺς μαστοὺς ἔθλιβον· ἡ Δημώνασσα δὲ καὶ ἔδακνε μεταξὺ καταφιλοῦσα·
LEAENA At first they kissed me just like men, not merely fitting their lips to mine, but opening their mouths slightly, and they embraced me and pressed my breasts; and Demonassa even bit me in the middle of kissing.
ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ εἶχον εἰκάσαι ὅ τι τὸ πρᾶγμα εἴη.
I could not guess what the matter was.
χρόνῳ δὲ ἡ Μέγιλλα ὑπόθερμος ἤδη οὖσα τὴν μὲν πηνήκην ἀφείλετο τῆς κεφαλῆς, ἐπέκειτο δὲ πάνυ ὁμοία καὶ προσφυής, καὶ ἐν χρῷ ὤφθη αὐτὴ καθάπερ οἱ σφόδρα ἀνδρώδεις τῶν ἀθλητῶν ἀποκεκαρμένη·
But in time, Megilla, being already warm with wine, took the wig from her head, which was lying on it very like natural hair, and she appeared close-shaven to the skin, just like the most masculine of athletes.
καὶ ἐγὼ ἐταράχθην ἰδοῦσα.
I was troubled when I saw this.
ἡ δέ, Ὦ Λέαινα, φησίν, ἑώρακας ἤδη οὕτω καλὸν νεανίσκον; Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρῶ, ἔφην, ἐνταῦθα νεανίσκον, ὦ Μέγιλλα.
And she said, "Leaena, have you ever seen such a handsome young man?" "But I do not see a young man here, Megilla," I said.
Μή καταθήλυνέ με, ἔφη, Μέγιλλος γὰρ ἐγὼ λέγομαι καὶ γεγάμηκα πρόπαλαι ταύτην τὴν Δημώνασσαν, καὶ ἔστιν ἐμὴ γυνή. ἐγέλασα, ὦ Κλωνάριον, ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἔφην, Οὐκοῦν σύ, ὦ Μέγιλλε, ἀνήρ τις ὢν ἐλελήθεις ἡμᾶς, καθάπερ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα φασὶ κρυπτόμενον ἐν ταῖς παρθένοις, καὶ τὸ ἀνδρεῖον ἐκεῖνο ἔχεις καὶ ποιεῖς τὴν Δημώνασσαν ἅπερ οἱ ἄνδρες; Ἐκεῖνο μέν, ἔφη, ὦ Λέαινα, οὐκ ἔχω· δέομαι δὲ οὐδὲ πάνυ αὐτοῦ· ἴδιον δέ τινα τρόπον ἡδίω παρὰ πολὺ ὁμιλοῦντα ὄψει με. Ἀλλὰ μὴ Ἑρμαφρόδιτος εἶ, ἔφην, οἷοι πολλοὶ εἶναι λέγονται ἀμφότερα ἔχοντες; ἔτι γὰρ ἠγνόουν, ὦ Κλωνάριον, τὸ πρᾶγμα.
"Do not make a woman of me," she said, "for I am called Megillus, and I married this Demonassa long ago, and she is my wife." I laughed at this, Clonarion, and said, "So, Megillus, you were a man and we did not know it, just as they say Achilles was hidden among the maidens, and do you have that manly part and do to Demonassa what men do?" "That part, Leaena," she said, "I do not have; and I do not need it at all; but you will see me consorting in a certain private way that is much more pleasant." "Are you an Hermaphroditus," I said, "such as many are said to be, having both?" For I was still ignorant of the matter, Clonarion.
Οὔ, φησίν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν ἀνήρ εἰμι. §5.4Ἤκουσα, ἔφην ἐγώ, τῆς Βοιωτίας αὐλητρίδος Ἰσμηνοδώρας διηγουμένης τὰ ἐφέστια παρ' αὐτοῖς, ὡς γένοιτό τις ἐν Θήβαις ἐκ γυναικὸς ἀνήρ, ὁ δ’ αὐτὸς καὶ μάντις ἄριστος, οἶμαι, Τειρεσίας τοὔνομα.
"No," she said, "but I am a man in every way." "I heard," I said, "the Boeotian flute-player Ismenodora describing the domestic events of her country, how someone in Thebes became a man from being a woman, and the same person was also a very good seer, I think Tiresias by name.
μὴ οὖν καὶ σὺ τοιοῦτόν τι πέπονθας; Οὔκουν, ὦ Λέαινα, ἔφη, ἀλλὰ ἐγεννήθην μὲν ὁμοία ταῖς ἄλλαις ὑμῖν, ἡ γνώμη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία καὶ τἆλλα πάντα ἀνδρός ἐστί μοι. Καὶ ἱκανὴ γοῦν σοι, ἔφην, ἐπιθυμία;
Have you suffered something like that too?" "Not at all, Leaena," she said, "but I was born like the rest of you women, yet my mind and desire and everything else is that of a man." "And is your desire alone sufficient for you?" I said.
Πάρεχε γοῦν, ὦ Λέαινα, εἰ ἀπιστεῖς, ἔφη, καὶ γνώσῃ οὐδὲν ἐνδέουσάν με τῶν ἀνδρῶν· ἔχω γάρ τι ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀνδρείου.
"At least offer yourself, Leaena, if you do not believe," she said, "and you will know that I lack nothing of men; for I have something in place of the manly part.
ἀλλὰ πάρεχε, ὄψει γάρ. παρέσχον, ὦ Κλωνάριον, ἱκετευούσης πολλὰ καὶ ὅρμον τινά μοι δούσης τῶν πολυτελῶν καὶ ὀθόνας τῶν λεπτῶν.
Come, offer yourself, for you will see." I offered myself, Clonarion, since she entreated me much and gave me one of the expensive necklaces and some fine linen garments.
εἶτ' ἐγὼ μὲν ὥσπερ ἄνδρα περιελάμβανον, ἡ δὲ ἐποίει τε καὶ ἐφίλει καὶ ἤσθμαινε καὶ ἐδόκει μοι ἐς ὑπερβολὴν ἥδεσθαι.
Then I embraced her like a man, and she performed the act, kissed me, panted, and seemed to me to be pleased to excess.
ΚΛΩΝΑΡΙΟΝ
Τί ἐποίει, ὦ Λέαινα, ἢ τίνα τρόπον;
CLONARION What did she do, Leaena, or in what way?
τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα εἰπέ.
Tell me this especially.
ΛΕΑΙΝΑ
Μὴ ἀνάκρινε ἀκριβῶς, αἰσχρὰ γάρ· ὥστε μὰ τὴν οὐρανίαν οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμι.
LEAENA Do not examine me too closely, for it is shameful; so, by the heavenly goddess, I would not say.