§1## Εὐθυκομίδης Βλεπαίῳ.
## Euthycomides to Blepaeus.
Διαψύχοντί μοι πρὸς τὴν εἵλην τοὺς βότρυς ἡ μανία προσελθοῦσα ἐθρύπτετο καὶ ὡραϊζομένη πολλοῖς ἔβαλλε τοῖς σκώμμασιν.
While I was drying my grapes in the sun, Mania came up to me, acting coquettishly and playing tricks, showering me with many jests.
ἐγὼ δὲ παλαιὸν δή τι ἐπιτεθυμμένος αὐτῆς διενοούμην τι δρᾶσαι θερμόν.
Since I had long had a desire for her, I was thinking of doing something passionate.
ὡς οὖν ἄσμενος ἐλαβόμην, πλησιάσας τὰς μὲν ῥᾶγας εἴασα, ἐφερπύσας δὲ καὶ μάλα ἀσμένως τῆς ὥρας ἐτρύγησα. ταῦτά σοι πρὸς τοῦ Πανὸς μυστήρια τὰ μεγάλα ἔστω.
So, as I gladly caught hold of her, drawing near I let the grape-clusters be, but creeping up, I most gladly gathered the harvest of her "prime." By Pan, let this be the great mysteries to you.
§2## Κωμαρχίδης Δρωπαίῳ.
## Comarchides to Dropaeus.
ἡμέρων ὁ μαλακὸς φελλεῖ ἐπέκοψε τὸ σκέλος πάνυ ἰσχυρῶς, καὶ θέρμη ἐπέλαβεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ βουβὼν ἐπήρθη.
Gentle Hemeron struck his leg very severely on the stony ground, and a fever seized him, and his groin swelled up.
βουλοίμην δʼ ἂν αὐτὸν ἀναρρωσθῆναι ἤ μοι μεδίμνους ἰσχάδων ὑπάρξαι τέτταρας.
I would rather he recover than that I should have four medimni of dried figs.
τὴν οἶν τὴν τὰ μαλακὰ ἔρια, ἣν ἐπαινῶ πρὸς σέ, παρʼ ἐμοῦ πρόσειπε καὶ τὼ βοϊδίω καὶ τὴν κύνα, καὶ τὴν Μανίαν καὶ αὐτὴν χαίρειν κέλευε.
Greet from me the sheep with the soft wool, which I praise to you, and the two little oxen and the dog, and tell Mania herself to fare well.
§3## Εὐπειθίδης Τιμωνίδῃ.
## Eupeithides to Timonides.
ἀδικεῖ με ἡ παρὰ σοὶ Σηκύλη παραιρουμένη τῶν δραγμάτων καὶ παρακλέπτουσα.
Secyle, who is with you, wrongs me by taking away and stealing my sheaves of grain.
ἐὰν μὲν οὖν παύσηται, καλά σοι καὶ μενοῦμεν φίλοι· ἐὰν δὲ ἔχηται ἔργου, δικάσομαί σε βλάβης.
If she stops, it will be well for you and we shall remain friends; but if she persists in this work, I will sue you for damages.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν εἰκότως μοι στενάζειε τὰ τῶν προγόνων ἠρία, εἰ Εὐπειθίδης ὁ Κορυδαλλεὺς ἐμαυτὸν περιόψομαι προσελούμενον, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπʼ ἀνδραπόδου ἴσως δυοῖν μναῖν ἀξίου.
For the tombs of my ancestors might well groan for me, if I, Eupeithides of Corydallus, allow myself to be insulted, and that too by a slave worth perhaps only two minae.
§4## Ἀνθεμίων Δράκητι.
## Anthemion to Draces.
τί σοι καλὸν εἴργασται καὶ τί σοι πεπόνηται χρηστόν;
What fine thing have you done, and what useful thing have you labored at?
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀμπελίδος ὄρχον ἐλάσας, εἶτα μοσχίδια συκίδων παραφυτεύσας ἁπαλά, καὶ ἐν κύκλῳ περὶ τὸ αὔλιον κατέπηξα ἐλᾷδας.
For I, having planted a row of vines, and then having planted tender young fig trees alongside, also fixed olive trees in a circle around the farmyard.
εἶτά μοι δεῖπνον καὶ πίσινον ἔτνος, καὶ τρεῖς ἁδρὰς ἐξεκάναξα κύλικας, καὶ ἄσμενος κατέδαρθον.
Then, having my dinner and pea soup, I drained three large cups and gladly fell asleep.
§5## Βαίτων Ἀνθεμίωνι.
## Baeton to Anthemion.
τὰ σμήνη μοι τῶν μελιττῶν κενά, καὶ ἀπεφοίτησαν τῆς ἑστίας οὐκ οὖσαι τέως δραπέτιδες·
My beehives are empty, and the bees have departed from my hearth, though they were never runaways before.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πισταὶ διέμενον καὶ ᾤκουν ὡς οἴκους τοὺς αὑτῶν σίμβλους, καὶ εἶχον λειμῶνα εὔδροσον καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀνθῶν εὔφορον, καὶ εἱστιῶμεν αὐτὰς πανδαισίᾳ·
On the contrary, they remained faithful and lived in their hives as their own homes, and had a well-watered meadow rich in flowers, and we feasted them with a banquet.
αἳ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς φιλεργίας τῆς ἄγαν ἀνθειστίων ἡμᾶς πολλῷ καὶ καλῷ τῷ μέλιτι, κοὐδέποτε τῆσδε τῆς ὠδῖνος τῆς γλυκείας ἦσαν ἄγονοι.
And they, out of their exceeding love of labor, feasted us in return with much fine honey, and were never barren of this sweet labor.
νῦν δὲ ᾤχοντο ἀπιοῦσαι, λυπηθεῖσαι πρὸς ἡμῶν οὐδὲ ἕν, οὐ μὰ τὸν Ἀρισταῖον καὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλω αὐτόν.
But now they are gone, having suffered not a single grievance from us, no, by Aristaeus and Apollo himself.
καὶ αἳ μέν εἰσι φυγάδες, ὁ δὲ οἶκος αὐτῶν χῆρός ἐστι, καὶ τὰ ἄνθη τὰ ἐν τῷ λειμῶνι περὶ αὐτὰ γηρᾷ.
And they are fugitives, and their home is widowed, and the flowers in the meadow grow old around them.
ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτῶν ὅταν ὑπομνησθῶ τῆς πτήσεως καὶ τῆς εὐχαρίτου χορείας, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ νομίζω θυγατέρας ἀφῃρῆσθαι.
Whenever I recall their flight and their graceful dance, I feel no other than that my daughters have been snatched away.
ὀργίζομαι μὲν οὖν αὐταῖς· τί γὰρ ἀπέλιπον τροφέα αὐτῶν καὶ ἀτεχνῶς πατέρα καὶ φρουρὸν καὶ μελεδωνὸν οὐκ ἀχάριτον;
So I am angry with them; for why did they leave their fosterer, who was literally their father, guardian, and not unkind caretaker?
δεῖ δέ με ἀνιχνεῦσαι τὴν πλάνην αὐτῶν καὶ ὅποι ποτὲ ἀποδρᾶσαι κάθηνται, καὶ τίς αὐτὰς ὑπεδέξατο καὶ τοῦτο· ἔχει γάρ τοι τὰς μηδὲν προσηκούσας.
But I must track down their wandering and where on earth they have settled after escaping, and who received them; for someone surely holds those who do not belong to him.
εἶτα εὑρὼν ὀνειδιῶ πολλὰ τὰς ἀγνώμονας καὶ ἀπίστους.
Then, having found them, I will reproach the ungrateful and faithless creatures at length.
§6## Κάλλαρος Καλλικλεῖ.
## Callarus to Callicles.
καὶ ποῖ τις ἀποτρέψει τὸ ῥεῦμα, εἰ μήτε ἐς τὴν ὁδὸν ἐμβαλεῖ μήτε ἐς τὴν τῶν γειτόνων διαβήσεται;
And where is one to divert the stream, if he is neither to empty it into the road nor let it cross into that of the neighbors?
οὐ γὰρ δήπου κελεύσεις ἡμᾶς ἐκπιεῖν αὐτό.
For surely you will not order us to drink it up!
πάλαι μὲν οὖν λέλεκται κακὸν εἶναι γείτων κακός, πεπίστευται δὲ νῦν οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐπὶ σοῦ.
Long ago indeed it was said that a bad neighbor is a bad thing, and now this is believed not least in your case.
ἀλλʼ οὐδέν σοι πλέον τῆς βίας· οὐ γὰρ ἀποδωσόμεθά σοι τὸ χωρίον, δικάσεται δὲ πρότερον ὑπὲρ τούτων πρός σε ὁ δεσπότης, ἐάνπερ τὴν διάνοιαν ὑγιαίνῃ.
But you will gain nothing by your violence; for we will not sell you the land, and our master will first bring a suit against you for these things, if indeed he is of sound mind.
§7## Δερκύλλος Ὀπώρᾳ.
## Dercyllus to Opora.
οὐχ ὅτι καλὴ λέγεις εἶναι οὐδʼ ὅτι πολλοὺς ἐραστὰς λέγεις ἔχειν, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπαινῶ σε·
It is not because you say you are beautiful, nor because you say you have many lovers, that I praise you.
ἴσως μὲν γάρ σε ἐκεῖνοι διὰ τὸ εἶδος θαυμάζουσιν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἀρέσκεις διὰ τὸ ὄνομα, καί σε οὕτως ὡς καὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν πατρῴαν ἐπαινῶ, καὶ τεθαύμακα τὸν οὕτω σε καλέσαντα τῆς ἐπινοίας, ἵνα μὴ μόνοι σε περιμαίνωνται δηλονότι οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀγροῖκος λεώς.
For while they perhaps admire you for your beauty, you please me because of your name, and I praise you just as I do my ancestral land, and I marvel at the ingenuity of the one who so named you, in order that obviously not only those in the city might be madly in love with you, but also the rustic folk.
τῆς ὀπώρας οὖν καταπειράσας τί ἀδικῶ;
In making trial of "Opora" (autumn fruit), what wrong do I do?
ἐπεὶ τά τε ἄλλα καὶ ἐφολκὸν ἐς ἔρωτα τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ ταῦτα ἀνδρὶ γεωργίᾳ ζῶντι.
Especially since, among other things, the name is attractive to love, and that for a man who lives by farming.
ἀπέστειλα οὖν σοι τῆς ὁμωνύμου τῆς ἐν ἀγρῷ σῦκα καὶ βότρυς καὶ τρύγα ἀπὸ ληνῶν·
Therefore, I sent you figs and grapes from the field, and new wine from the winepresses, things of the same name as you.
ἦρος δὲ ἀποπέμψω καὶ ῥόδα, τὴν ἐκ τῶν λειμώνων ὀπώραν.
And in the spring, I will also send you roses, the "autumn harvest" of the meadows.