1 Σω.Οὗτος, τί πάσχεις, ὦ κακόδαιμον Ξανθία;

SosiasWhy, Xanthias! what are you doing, wretched man?

Ξα.φυλακὴν καταλύειν νυκτερινὴν διδάσκομαι.

XanthiasI am teaching myself how to rest; I have been awake and on watch the whole night.

Σω.κακὸν ἄρα ταῖς πλευραῖς τι προυφείλεις μέγα.

ἆρ' οἶσθά γ' οἷον κνώδαλον φυλάττομεν;

SosiasSo you want to earn trouble for your ribs, eh? Don't you know what sort of an animal we are guarding here?

5 Ξα.οἶδ', ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμῶ σμικρὸν ἀπομερμηρίσαι.

XanthiasAye indeed! but I want to put my cares to sleep for a while.

Σω.σὺ δ' οὖν παρακινδύνευ', ἐπεὶ καὐτοῦ γ' ἐμοῦ

κατὰ τοῖν κόραιν ἤδη τι καταχεῖται γλυκύ.

SosiasBeware what you do. I too feel soft sleep spreading over my eyes. Resist it, for you must be as mad as a Corybant if you fall asleep.

Ξα.ἀλλ' ἦ παραφρονεῖς ἐτεὸν ἢ κορυβαντιᾷς;

Σω.οὔκ, ἀλλ' ὕπνος μ' ἔχει τις ἐκ Σαβαζίου.

XanthiasNo! 'Tis Bacchus who lulls me off.

10 Ξα.τὸν αὐτὸν ἄρ' ἐμοὶ βουκολεῖς Σαβάζιον.

κἀμοὶ γὰρ ἀρτίως ἐπεστρατεύσατο

Μῆδός τις ἐπὶ τὰ βλέφαρα νυστακτὴς ὕπνος.

καὶ δῆτ' ὄναρ θαυμαστὸν εἶδον ἀρτίως.

SosiasThen you serve the same god as myself. Just now a heavy slumber settled on my eyelids like a hostile Mede; A nodded and, faith! I had a wondrous dream.

Σω.κἄγωγ' ἀληθῶς οἷον οὐδεπώποτε.

15 ἀτὰρ σὺ λέξον πρότερος.

XanthiasIndeed! and so had I. A dream such as I never had before. But first tell me yours.

καταπτάμενον εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν μέγαν πάνυ

ἀναρπάσαντα τοῖς ὄνυξιν ἀσπίδα

φέρειν ἐπίχαλκον ἀνεκὰς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν,

κἄπειτα ταύτην ἀποβαλεῖν Κλεώνυμον.

SosiasMethinks I saw an eagle, a gigantic bird, descend upon the market-place; it seized a brazen buckler with its talons and bore it away into the highest heavens; then I saw 'twas Cleonymus had thrown it away.

20 Σω.οὐδὲν ἄρα γρίφου διαφέρει Κλεώνυμος.

XanthiasThis Cleonymus is a riddle worth propounding among guests. How can one and the same animal have cast away his buckler both on land, in the sky and at sea?

Ξα.πῶς δή;

ὅτι "ταὐτὸν ἐν γῇ τ' ἀπέβαλεν κἀν οὐρανῷ

κἀν τῇ θαλάττῃ θηρίον τὴν ἀσπίδα."

Ξα.οἴμοι, τί δῆτά μοι κακὸν γενήσεται

25 ἰδόντι τοιοῦτον ἐνύπνιον;

SosiasAlas! what ill does such a dream portend for me?

οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔσται δεινόν, οὐ μὰ τοὺς θεούς.

XanthiasRest undisturbed! An it please the gods, no evil will befall you.

Ξα.δεινόν γέ πού 'στ' ἄνθρωπος ἀποβαλὼν ὅπλα.

ἀτὰρ σὺ τὸ σὸν αὖ λέξον.

SosiasNevertheless, 'tis a fatal omen when a man throws away his weapons. But what was your dream? Let me hear.

περὶ τῆς πόλεως γάρ ἐστι τοῦ σκάφους ὅλου.

XanthiasOh! it is a dream of high import. It has reference to the hull of the State; to nothing less.

30 Ξα.λέγε νυν ἁνύσας τι τὴν τρόπιν τοῦ πράγματος.

SosiasTell it me quickly; show me its very keel.

Σω.ἔδοξέ μοι περὶ πρῶτον ὕπνον ἐν τῇ Πυκνὶ

ἐκκλησιάζειν πρόβατα συγκαθήμενα,

βακτηρίας ἔχοντα καὶ τριβώνια.

κἄπειτα τούτοις τοῖσι προβάτοις μοὐδόκει

35 δημηγορεῖν φάλλαινα πανδοκεύτρια,

ἔχουσα φωνὴν ἐμπεπρημένης ὑός.

XanthiasIn my first slumber I thought I saw sheep, wearing cloaks and carrying staves, met in assembly on the Pnyx; a rapacious whale was haranguing them and screaming like a pig that is being grilled.

Ξα.αἰβοῖ.

SosiasFaugh! faugh!

XanthiasWhat's the matter?

ὄζει κάκιστον τοὐνύπνιον βύρσης σαπρᾶς.

SosiasEnough, enough, spare me. Your dream stinks vilely of old leather.

Σω.εἶθ' ἡ μιαρὰ φάλλαιν' ἔχουσα τρυτάνην

40 ἵστη βόειον δημόν.

SosiasAlas! 'tis our poor Athenian people, whom this accursed beast wished to cut up and despoil of their fat.

τὸν δῆμον ἡμῶν βούλεται διιστάναι.

XanthiasThen this scoundrelly whale seized a balance and set to weighing ox-fat.

Σω.ἐδόκει δέ μοι Θέωρος αὐτῆς πλησίον

χαμαὶ καθῆσθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν κόρακος ἔχων.

εἶτ' Ἀλκιβιάδης εἶπε πρός με τραυλίσας·

45 "ὁλᾷς; Θέωλος τὴν κεφαλὴν κόλακος ἔχει."

XanthiasSeated on the ground close to it, I saw Theorus, who had the head of a crow. The Alcibiades said to me in his lisping way, "Do you thee? Theoruth hath a crow'th head."

Ξα.ὀρθῶς γε τοῦτ' Ἀλκιβιάδης ἐτραύλισεν.

SosiasAh! 'twas very well lisped indeed!

Σω.οὔκουν ἐκεῖν' ἀλλόκοτον, ὁ Θέωρος κόραξ

γιγνόμενος;

XanthiasThis is might strange; Theorus turning into a crow!

XanthiasWhy?

SosiasNo, it is glorious.

ἄνθρωπος ὢν εἶτ' ἐγένετ' ἐξαίφνης κόραξ·

50 οὔκουν ἐναργὲς τοῦτο συμβαλεῖν, ὅτι

ἀρθεὶς ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἐς κόρακας οἰχήσεται;

SosiasWhy? He was a man and now he has suddenly become a crow; does it not foretoken that he will take his flight from here and go to the crows?

Σω.εἶτ' οὐκ ἐγὼ δοὺς δύ' ὀβολὼ μισθώσομαι

οὕτως ὑποκρινόμενον σαφῶς ὀνείρατα;

XanthiasInterpreting dreams so aptly certainly deserves two obols.

Ξα.φέρε νυν, κατείπω τοῖς θεαταῖς τὸν λόγον,

55 ὀλίγ' ἄτθ' ὑπειπὼν πρῶτον αὐτοῖσιν ταδί,

μηδὲν παρ' ἡμῶν προσδοκᾶν λίαν μέγα,

μηδ' αὖ γέλωτα Μεγαρόθεν κεκλεμμένον.

ἡμῖν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστ' οὔτε κάρυ' ἐκ φορμίδος

δούλω διαρριπτοῦντε τοῖς θεωμένοις,

60 οὔθ' Ἡρακλῆς τὸ δεῖπνον ἐξαπατώμενος,

οὐδ' αὖθις ἀνασελγαινόμενος Εὐριπίδης·

οὐδ' εἰ Κλέων γ' ἔλαμψε τῆς τύχης χάριν,

αὖθις τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνδρα μυττωτεύσομεν.

ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἡμῖν λογίδιον γνώμην ἔχον,

65 ὑμῶν μὲν αὐτῶν οὐχὶ δεξιώτερον,

κωμῳδίας δὲ φορτικῆς σοφώτερον.

ἔστιν γὰρ ἡμῖν δεσπότης ἐκεινοσὶ

ἄνω καθεύδων, ὁ μέγας, οὑπὶ τοῦ τέγους.

οὗτος φυλάττειν τὸν πατέρ' ἐπέταξε νῷν,

70 ἔνδον καθείρξας, ἵνα θύραζε μὴ 'ξίῃ.

νόσον γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἀλλόκοτον αὐτοῦ νοσεῖ,

ἣν οὐδ' ἂν εἷς γνοίη ποτ' οὐδὲ ξυμβάλοι,

εἰ μὴ πύθοιθ' ἡμῶν· ἐπεὶ τοπάζετε.

SosiasCome, I must explain the matter to the spectators. But first a few words of preamble: expect nothing very high-flown from us, nor any jests stolen from Megara; we have no slaves, who throw baskets of nuts to the spectators, nor any Heracles to be robbed of his dinner, nor is Euripides loaded with contumely; and despite the happy chance that gave Cleon his fame we shall not go out of our way to belabour him again. Our little subject is not wanting in sense; it is well within your capacity and at the same time cleverer than many vulgar Comedies.--We have a master of great renown, who is now sleeping up there on the other story. He has bidden us keep guard over his father, whom he has locked in, so that he may not go out. This father has a curious complaint; not one of you could hit upon or guess it, if I did not tell you.--Well then, try! I hear Amynias, the son of Pronapus, over there, saying, "He is addicted to gambling."

Aristophanes, Wasps — Greek text with English translation