ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ
ἀλλ’ εὔκριτ’ ἐστί· πάντα τὰ συνεκκείμενα
τοῦ παιδίου ’στί. τοῦτο γινώσκω.
ΔΑΟΣ
καλῶς·
τὸ παιδίον δέ;355
ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ
οὐ γνώσομ’ εἶναι μὰ Δία σοῦ
τοῦ νῦν ἀδικοῦντος, τοῦ βοηθοῦντος δὲ καὶ
ἐπεξιόντος τἀδικεῖν μέλλοντί σοι.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
πόλλ’ ἀγαθά σοι γένοιτο.
ΔΑΟΣ
δεινή γ’ ἡ κρίσις
νὴ τὸν Δία τὸν Σωτῆρ’· ἅπανθ’ εὑρὼν ἐγὼ
ἅπαντα περιέσπασμ’. ὁ δ’ οὐχ εὑρὼν ἔχει.360
οὐκοῦν ἀποδιδῶ;
ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ
φημί.
ΔΑΟΣ
δεινή γ’ ἡ κρίσις,
ἢ μηθὲν ἀγαθόν μοι γένοιτο.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
φέρε ταχύ.
ΔΑΟΣ
ὦ Ἡράκλεις, ἃ πέπονθα.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
τὴν πήραν χάλα
καὶ δεῖξον· ἐν ταύτῃ περιφέρεις γάρ. βραχὺ
πρόσμεινον, ἱκετεύω σ’, ἵν’ ἀποδῷ.365
ΔΑΟΣ
τί γὰρ ἐγὼ
ἐπέτρεψα τούτῳ;
ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ
δός ποτ’, ἐργαστήριον.
ΔΑΟΣ
αἰσχρά γ’ ἃ πέπονθα.
ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ
πάντ’ ἔχεις;
ΣΥΡΟΣ
οἶμαί γε δή,
εἰ μή τι καταπέπωκε τὴν δίκην ἐμοῦ
λέγοντος, ὡς ἡλίσκετο.
ΔΑΟΣ
οὐκ ἂν ὠιόμην.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
ἀλλ’ εὐτύχει, βέλτιστε. τοιούτους ἔδει370
θᾶττον δικάζειν πάντας.
ΔΑΟΣ
ἀδίκου πράγματος.
ὦ Ἡράκλεις, οὐ γέγονε δεινοτέρα κρίσις.
ΣΥΡΟΣ
Συ πονηρὸς ἦσθας.
ΔΑΟΣ
ὦ πόνηρ’, ὅπως σὺ νῦν
τούτῳ φυλάξεις ...
εὖ ἴσθι, τηρήσω σε πάντα τὸν χρόνον.375
ΣΥΡΟΣ
οἴμωζε καὶ βάδιζε. σὺ δὲ ταυτί, γύναι,
λαβοῦσα πρὸς τὸν τρόφιμον ἐνθάδ’ εἴσφερε
Χαιρέστρατον. νῦν γὰρ μενοῦμεν ἐνθάδε,
εἰς αὔριον δ’ ἐπ’ ἔργον ἐξορμήσομεν
τὴν ἀποφορὰν ἀποδόντες. ἀλλὰ ταῦτά μοι380
πρῶτ’ ἀπαρίθμησαι καθ’ ἕν. ἔχεις κοιτίδα τινά;
βάλλ’ εἰς τὸ προκόλπιον.
notes
There are still four characters on stage (SYROS, DAOS, SMIKRINES, Syros’ wife), as well as the baby.
353 εὔκριτ’: = εὔκριτα. συνεκκείμενα: > συν + ἐκ + τίθημι/κεῖμαι. In compound forms, as here, τίθημι uses the verb κεῖμαι as its perfect middle form, here meaning “lie out in the open,” i.e., “obvious.”
354 ’στί: = ἐστί
355 γνώσομ: = γνώσομαι
355-357: σοῦ τοῦ νῦν ἀδικοῦντος and τἀδικεῖν μέλλοντί σοι have DAOS as the subject, while SYROS is the subject of τοῦ βοηθοῦντος δὲ καὶ ἐπεξιόντος
357 τἀδικεῖν: = τε ἀδικεῖν
365 πρόσμεινον: > προσμένω, 2nd sing. aor. imper. act. σ’: = σε. ἵν’: = ἵνα. ἀποδῷ: > ἀποδίδωμι, 3rd sing. aor. subj. act.
366 ποτ': = ποτε
367 γ’: = γε. πάντ’: = πάντα
374: The end of the line is missing and scholars have not figured out an acceptable restoration for the gap.
376: SYROS addresses his wife, who has been on stage throughout the scene, but who never speaks. They now start sorting through the items left with the baby, so opportunities for visual humor with these props ensue.
380: Although SYROS refers to himself as a household slave (οἰκέτης, line 408) of CHAIRESTRATOS, he seems to live independently and has his own family, and here he mentions paying dues to CHAIRESTRATOS.
381 πρῶτ’: = πρῶτα
382 βάλλ’: = βάλλε
vocabulary
εὔκριτος -ον: easy to decide
παιδίον -ου τό: little child, young child
μὰ Δία: “By Zeus!”
ἐπέξειμι: to prosecute
κρίσις -εως ἡ: judgement
Ἡράκλεις: “By Hercules!”
πήρα -ας ἡ: pouch
χαλάω: to loosen, undo
περιφέρω: to carry around
προσμένω προσμενέω προσέμεινα: to remain, stay
ἱκετεύω: to beg
ἐπιτρέπω ἐπιτρέψω ἐπέτρεψα: to turn to
ἐργαστήριον -ου το: prison laborer
καταπίνω καταπίομαι κατέπιον καταπέπωκα: to gulp down, swallow
εὐτυχέω: to be lucky (εὐτύχει “farewell!”)
βέλτιστος -η -ον: best, most excellent
θάττων -ον: quicker, swifter
δικάζω: to judge, decide
Ἡράκλεις: “By Hercules!”
κρίσις -εως ἡ: judgement
τηρέω τηρήσω: to guard, keep, watch
οἰμώζω: to lament, wail
βαδίζω: to walk, be off
τρόφιμος -ου ὁ: a slave's young master
ἐνθάδε: here, there
εἰσφέρω: to carry in
ἐνθάδε: here, there
αὔριον: tomorrow
ἐξορμάω ἐξορμήσω: to hurry
ἀποφορά -ᾶς ἡ: dues
ἀπαριθμέω ἀπαριθμήσω ἀπηρίθμησα: to count over, take inventory of
κοιτίς -ίδος ἡ: box
προκόλπιον -ου τό: fold of a robe, pocket
translation
SMIKRINES
Hmph! Well! That’s easy to decide! The baby! They stay with the baby! There! That’s the judgment!
DAOS
(355) Okay and the kid? Who gets it?
SMIKRINES
(to DAOS)
Not you! Gods! Unjust – UNDESERVING – scoundrel! NO. No, it goes to him – the other one – he stood up for the child! Unlike you!
SYROS
(to SMIKRINES)
May the gods smile down on you most favorably!
DAOS
(to SMIKRINES)
What? HIM? That’s a terrible decision!
(to the audience)
Oh my Zeus, I found it and I lost it but somehow he found none of it and gets all of it! Do I gotta give it up? Gods, I’m cursed!
SYROS
(to DAOS)
Quick, give it here.
DAOS
(to audience)
Hercules! No one would believe what I’ve been through!
SYROS
(to DAOS)
Come on then, loosen the bag and show me! I know you’ve been carrying them around in there. (365)
(to SMIKRINES, as he begins to leave)
Wait just a moment, sir, at least until he gives them up!
DAOS
(to audience)
Why’d I hafta pick him of all people?
SMIKRINES
(to DAOS)
C’mon! Let’s go! Give it over, tool!
DAOS
(to audience)
No one would believe it! The shame!
SMIKRINES
(to SYROS)
Got everything?
SYROS
(to SMIKRINES)
Yes, I do believe so!
(eyeing DAOS suspiciously)
Unless he’s gulped something down while I was speaking my case and he saw he was surely going to be defeated.
DAOS
(to audience)
I really didn’t think it would come to this!
SYROS
(to SMIKRINES)
(370) Farewell, good sir!
(to audience, jingling the trinkets in the pouch smugly)
Honestly, everyone ought to make decisions this way!
DAOS
(to audience)
This isn’t fair, Hercules, there’s never been a more unfair business than this, I’ll tell ya!
SYROS
(to DAOS)
You are a villainous man!
DAOS
(to SYROS)
Me villainous? You’re villainous! Now you’d better keep those safe for him until he’s grown up or I swear! (375) Just know, I’ll be watching you the whole time.
(ONESIMOS enters completely oblivious of the quarrel)
SYROS
(letting his façade of prosecutor slip, mocking DAIS/crying baby)
Wah wah, c’mon! Get out of here!
(to WIFE)
And you, woman, take these
(shoving them into her arms)
- bring them inside to master Chairestratos.
(to himself more than to her as he starts to pace a little, making a plan)
We’ll have to hurry back tomorrow after we pay our (380) tax.
(just as the wife begins exiting stage, whips around to stop her)
Wait, first take a quick inventory one by one! Do you have any sort of container? A box perhaps? No? Hm, well throw it into that pocket there.