ΣΥΡΟΣ
ποῦ ’στιν, ὃν ζητῶν ἐγὼ
περιέρχομ’ ἔνδον; οὗτος ἀπόδος, ὦγαθέ,
τὸν δακτύλιον, ἢ δεῖξον ὧι μέλλεις ποτέ.
κρινώμεθ’· ἐλθεῖν δεῖ μέ ποι.445
ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ
τοιουτονί
ἐστιν τὸ πρᾶγμ’, ἄνθρωπε· τοῦ μὲν δεσπότου
ἔστ’, οἶδ’ ἀκριβῶς, οὑτοσὶ Χαρισίου,
ὀκνῶ δὲ δεῖξαι· πατέρα γὰρ τοῦ παιδίου
αὐτὸν ποῶ σχεδόν τι τοῦτον προσφέρων
μεθ’ οὗ συνεξέκειτο.450
ΣΥΡΟΣ
πῶς,
ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ
ἀβέλτερε;
Ταυροπολίοις ἀπώλεσεν τοῦτόν ποτε
παννυχίδος οὔσης καὶ γυναικῶν. κατὰ λόγον
ἐστὶν βιασμὸν τοῦτον εἶναι παρθένου·
ἣ δ’ ἔτεκε τοῦτο κἀξέθηκε δηλαδή.
εἰ μέν τις οὖν εὑρὼν ἐκείνην προσφέροι455
τοῦτον, σαφὲς ἄν τι δεικνύοι τεκμήριον·
νυνὶ δ’ ὑπόνοιαν καὶ ταραχὴν ἔχει.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
σκόπει
αὐτὸς περὶ τούτων. εἰ δ’ ἀνασείεις, ἀπολαβεῖν
τὸν δακτύλιόν με βουλόμενος δοῦναί τε σοι
μικρόν τι, ληρεῖς. οὐκ ἔνεστιν οὐδὲ εἷς460
παρ’ ἐμοὶ μερισμός.
ΟΝΕΣΙΜΟΣ
οὐδὲ δέομαι.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
ταῦτα δή.
ἥξω διαδραμών—εἰς πόλιν γὰρ ἔρχομαι
νυνί—περὶ τούτων εἰσόμενος τί δεῖ ποεῖν.
notes
Now SYROS also races out of the house. He is chasing after ONESIMOS and also oblivious of HABROTONON.
442 ’στιν: = ἐστιν
443 περιέρχομ’: = περιέρχομαι. ἀπόδος: > ἀποδίδωμι, 2nd sing. aor. imper. act. ὦγαθέ: = ὦ ἀγαθέ
445 τοιουτονί: = τοιοῦτον + deictic (“pointing”) iota (“It’s like this here…”)
446 ἔστ’: = ἔστι. οἶδ’: = οἶδα
447 οὑτοσὶ: = οὗτος + deictic (“pointing”) iota (“this here…”)
450 συνεξέκειτο: συν + ἐκ + τίθημι/κεῖμαι. In compound forms, as here, τίθημι uses the verb κεῖμαι as its perfect middle form, here meaning “exposed.”
451 Ταυροπολίοις: This refers to the festival celebrating the goddess Artemis Tauropolos. As ONESIMOS says, this includes an overnight celebration restricted to women. Although HABROTONON does not yet say anything, it is at this point in the conversation when she starts paying attention and reacting to what the men are talking about.
454 κἀξέθηκε: = καὶ ἐξέθηκε
461 ταῦτα δή: a phrase that means SYROS is done with this conversation.
462 διαδραμών: he will have literally “run” his errands.
vocabulary
περιέρχομαι: to go around
ἔνδον: inside
δακτύλιος -ου ὁ: ring, signet
ποι: somewhere
ὀκνέω: to shrink from, hesitate out of fear
παιδίον -ου τό: little child, young child
σχεδόν: nearly, almost
προσφέρω: to bring to
ἀβέλτερος -ον: stupid, silly
Ταυροπόλια -ων τά: Tauropolia
παννυχίς -ίδος ἡ: nighttime festival
βιασμός -ου ὁ: violence, rape
παρθένος -ου ἡ: maiden, girl, virgin
κατατίθημι καταθήσω κατέθηκα: to abandon
δηλαδή: quite clearly
προσφέρω: to bring to
τεκμήριον -ου τό: evidence
ὑπόνοια -ας ἡ: suspicion, conjecture
ταραχή -ῆς ἡ: disorder, confusion
ἀνασείω: to threaten
ἀπολαμβάνω ἀπολήψομαι ἀπέλαβον: to take
δακτύλιος -ου ὁ: ring, signet
ληρέω: to be foolish
ἔνειμι: to be present
μερισμός -ου ὁ: division, sharing
διατρέχω διαθρέξομαι διέδραμον: to run across, over
translation
SYROS
(entering in a huff from the house,
to the audience)
Alright, where is he? Where’s that insufferable fool whom I’ve been running all over looking for?
(spotting ONESIMOS; with a cat-like evil grin)
Ah! There he is –
(to ONESIMOS, sharply)
Listen here, you, either give me back the ring or show it to the man! No more of this nonsense, (445) let’s settle it! I’ve got to leave!
ONESIMOS
(too exhausted to deal with SYROS on top of everything else,
heavy sigh)
Look it’s like this pal: I know for a fact that it belongs to my master,
(points to the house where CHARISIOS is)
to Charisios, it’s definitely his, I just –
(dramatically buries face in hands and groans, looks up again completely distraught)
I can’t tell him, I’m terrified! If I bring him the ring that’s as good as making him the father of that kid (450) it was left with!
SYROS
(in lawyer mode again)
How? That’s not concrete proof!
ONESIMOS
(annoyed, explaining to SYROS as if talking to a child, his superiority complex is coming out now that annoyance > fear)
Don’t be stupid!
(catches HABROTONON’s attention)
Charisios,
(pauses slightly, sounding it out slowly as if SYROS is stupid)
my master, lost this ring at the time of the women-only festival in honor of the virgin goddess Artemis, which is held outside of the city. Now logically, if you’re keeping up, he took advantage of some girl, and EVIDENTLY she gave birth to this baby and then abandoned it. (455)
(irritation fading to exhaustion yet again)
Now, if someone found her and brought her the ring there’d be some clear evidence, but now all we have are suspicionand confusion.
SYROS
(to the audience, jabbing a thumb at ONESIMOS)
Yeah, this ignoramus sees to THAT!
(to ONESIMOS, straightforward without the lawyer façade)
Look, if you’re threatening to take the ring because you think I’ll give you a (460) cut, you’re a fool. I don’t share.
ONESIMOS
I’m not looking to make a claim here.
SYROS
(suspicious but not pushing it)
Fine, we’ll leave it at that for now. (back to legalese) I will be back shortly to see that the rest of baby’s affairs are in order.
(exits leaving ONESIMOS rolling his eyes/rubbing his face exhausted)