Coulon (1930) · Athenian Society (1912)

1 Κα.Ὡς ἀργαλέον πρᾶγμ' ἐστίν, ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοί,

δοῦλον γενέσθαι παραφρονοῦντος δεσπότου.

Ἢν γὰρ τὰ βέλτισθ' ὁ θεράπων λέξας τύχῃ,

δόξῃ δὲ μὴ δρᾶν ταῦτα τῷ κεκτημένῳ,

5 μετέχειν ἀνάγκη τὸν θεράποντα τῶν κακῶν.

Τοῦ σώματος γὰρ οὐκ ἐᾷ τὸν κύριον

κρατεῖν ὁ δαίμων, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐωνημένον.

Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ταῦτα· τῷ δὲ Λοξίᾳ,

ὃς θεσπιῳδεῖ τρίποδος ἐκ χρυσηλάτου,

10 μέμψιν δικαίαν μέμφομαι ταύτην, ὅτι

ἰατρὸς ὢν καὶ μάντις, ὥς φασιν, σοφὸς

μελαγχολῶντ' ἀπέπεμψέ μου τὸν δεσπότην,

ὅστις ἀκολουθεῖ κατόπιν ἀνθρώπου τυφλοῦ,

τοὐναντίον δρῶν ἢ προσῆκ' αὐτῷ ποεῖν.

15 Οἱ γὰρ βλέποντες τοῖς τυφλοῖς ἡγούμεθα,

οὗτος δ' ἀκολουθεῖ, κἀμὲ προσβιάζεται,

καὶ ταῦτ' ἀποκρινόμενος τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲ γρῦ.

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅπως σιγήσομαι,

ἢν μὴ φράσῃς ὅ τι τῷδ' ἀκολουθοῦμέν ποτε,

20 ὦ δέσποτ', ἀλλά σοι παρέξω πράγματα.

Οὐ γάρ με τυπτήσεις στέφανον ἔχοντά γε.

CarioWhat an unhappy fate, great gods, to be the slave of a fool! A servant may give the best of advice, but if his master does not follow it, the poor slave must inevitably have his share in the disaster; for fortune does not allow him to dispose of his own body, it belongs to his master who has bought it. Alas! 'tis the way of the world. But the god, Apollo, whose oracles the Pythian priestess on her golden tripod makes known to us, deserves my censure, for 'tis assured he is a physician and a cunning diviner; and yet my master is leaving his temple infected with mere madness and insists on following a blind man. Is this not opposed to all good sense? 'Tis for us, who see clearly, to guide those who don't; whereas he clings to the trail of a blind fellow and compels me to do the same without answering my questions with ever a word. (To Chremylus.) Aye, master, unless you tell me why we are following this unknown fellow, I will not be silent, but I will worry and torment you, for you cannot beat me because of my sacred chaplet of laurel.

Χρ.Μὰ Δί' ἀλλ' ἀφελὼν τὸν στέφανον, ἢν λυπῇς τί με,

ἵνα μᾶλλον ἀλγῇς.

ChremylusNo, but if you worry me I will take off your chaplet, and then you will only get a sounder thrashing.

πρὶν ἂν φράσῃς μοι τίς ποτ' ἐστὶν οὑτοσί.

25 Εὔνους γὰρ ὤν σοι πυνθάνομαι πάνυ σφόδρα.

CarioThat's an old song! I am going to leave you no peace till you have told me who this man is; and if I ask it, 'tis entirely because of my interest in you.

Χρ.Ἀλλ' οὔ σε κρύψω· τῶν ἐμῶν γὰρ οἰκετῶν

πιστότατον ἡγοῦμαί σε καὶ κλεπτίστατον.

Ἐγὼ θεοσεβὴς καὶ δίκαιος ὢν ἀνὴρ

κακῶς ἔπραττον καὶ πένης ἦν.

ChremylusWell, be it so. I will reveal it to you as being the most faithful and the most rascally of all my servants. I honoured the gods and did what was right, and yet I was none the less poor and unfortunate.

CarioI know it but too well.

30 Χρ.Ἕτεροι δ' ἐπλούτουν. ἱερόσυλοι, ῥήτορες

καὶ συκοφάνται καὶ πονηροί.

ChremylusOther amassed wealth--the sacrilegious, the demagogues, the informers, indeed every sort of rascal.

CarioI believe you.

Χρ.Ἐπερησόμενος οὖν ᾠχόμην ὡς τὸν θεόν,

τὸν ἐμὸν μὲν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου σχεδὸν

ἤδη νομίζων ἐκτετοξεῦσθαι βίον,

35 τὸν δ' υἱόν, ὅσπερ ὢν μόνος μοι τυγχάνει,

πευσόμενος εἰ χρὴ μεταβαλόντα τοὺς τρόπους

εἶναι πανοῦργον, ἄδικον, ὑγιὲς μηδὲ ἕν,

ὡς τῷ βίῳ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ νομίσας ξυμφέρειν.

ChremylusTherefore I came to consult the oracle of the god, not on my own account, for my unfortunate life is nearing its end, but for my only son; I wanted to ask Apollo, if it was necessary for him to become a thorough knave and renounce his virtuous principles, since that seemed to me to be the only way to succeed in life.

Κα.«Τί δῆτα Φοῖβος ἔλακεν ἐκ τῶν στεμμάτων;»

CarioAnd with what responding tones did the sacred tripod resound?

40 Χρ.Πεύσει. Σαφῶς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς εἶπέ μοι ταδί·

ὅτῳ ξυναντήσαιμι πρῶτον ἐξιών,

ἐκέλευε τούτου μὴ μεθίεσθαί μ' ἔτι,

πείθειν δ' ἐμαυτῷ ξυνακολουθεῖν οἴκαδε.

ChremylusYou shall know. The god ordered me in plain terms to follow the first man I should meet upon leaving the temple and to persuade him to accompany me home.

Κα.Καὶ τῷ ξυναντᾷς δῆτα πρώτῳ;

CarioAnd who was the first one you met?

ChremylusThis blind man.

45 Κα.Εἶτ' οὐ ξυνίης τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ θεοῦ

φράζουσαν, ὦ σκαιότατέ, σοι σαφέστατα

ἀσκεῖν τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἐπιχώριον τρόπον;

CarioAnd you are stupid enough not to understand the meaning of such an answer? Why, the god was advising you thereby, and that in the clearest possible way, to bring up your son according to the fashion of your country.

Χρ.Τῷ τοῦτο κρίνεις;

ChremylusWhat makes you think that?

γνῶναι δοκεῖ τοῦθ', ὡς σφόδρ' ἐστὶ συμφέρον

50 τὸ μηδὲν ἀσκεῖν ὑγιὲς ἐν τῷ νῦν γένει.

CarioIs it not evident to the blind, that nowadays to do nothing that is right is the best way to get on?

Χρ.Οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅπως ὁ χρησμὸς εἰς τοῦτο ῥέπει,

ἀλλ' εἰς ἕτερόν τι μεῖζον. Ἢν δ' ἡμῖν φράσῃ

ὅστις ποτ' ἐστὶν οὑτοσὶ καὶ τοῦ χάριν

καὶ τοῦ δεόμενος ἦλθε μετὰ νῷν ἐνθαδί,

55 πυθοίμεθ' ἂν τὸν χρησμὸν ἡμῶν ὅ τι νοεῖ.

ChremylusNo, that is not the meaning of the oracle; there must be another, that is nobler. If this blind man would tell us who he is and why and with what object he has led us here, we should no doubt understand what our oracle really does mean.

Κα.Ἄγε δή, σὺ πότερον σαυτὸν ὅστις εἶ φράσεις,

ἢ τἀπὶ τούτοις δρῶ; Λέγειν χρὴ ταχὺ πάνυ.

Cario(to Plutus) Come, tell us at once who you are, or I give effect to my threat. (He menaces him.) And quick too, be quick, I say.

Πλ.Ἐγὼ μὲν οἰμώζειν λέγω σοι.

PlutusI'll thrash you.

ὅς φησιν εἶναι;

Cario(to Chremylus) Ha! is it thus he tells us his name?

60 σκαιῶς γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ χαλεπῶς ἐκπυνθάνει.

Ἀλλ' εἴ τι χαίρεις ἀνδρὸς εὐόρκου τρόποις,

ἐμοὶ φράσον.

Chremylus'Tis to you and not to me that he replies thus; your mode of questioning him was ill-advised. (To Plutus.) Come, friend, if you care to oblige an honest man, answer me.

PlutusI'll knock you down.

Aristophanes, Wealth — Greek text with English translation