1. GLYCERA: Thais, do you know the Acarnanian soldier, who in the old days kept Abrotonum, and afterwards fell in love with me—the dandy, I mean, with the fine military cloak—or have you forgotten the fellow? THAIS: No, Glycera, dearie, I know him. He drank with us last year at the harvest celebrations. But what of it? You looked as though you had something to tell me about him. GLYCERA: That nasty thing Gorgona, who pretends to be my friend, has got her claws into him and stolen him from me behind my back. THAIS: So now he won’t be visiting you any more, but has taken Gorgona to be his mistress. GLYCERA: Yes, Thais, and it’s hurt me very much. THAIS: It was a dirty trick, dearie, but only to be expected; it’s a common practice of us girls. So you mustn’t take it too hard or blame Gorgona; for, earlier on, Abrotonum didn’t blame you over him; and yet you’d been friends.
1. ΓΛΥΚΕΡΑ: Τὸν στρατιώτην, Θαΐ, τὸν Ἀκαρνᾶνα, ὃς πάλαι μὲν Ἀβρότονον εἶχε, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ἠράσθη ἐμοῦ, τὸν εὐπάρυφον λέγω, τὸν ἐν τῇ χλαμύδι, οἶσθα αὐτόν, ἢ ἐπιλέλησαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον; ΘΑΙΣ: Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ οἶδα, ὦ Γλυκέριον, καὶ συνέπιε μεθ' ἡμῶν πέρυσιν ἐν τοῖς Ἁλώοις. τί δὲ τοῦτο; ἐῴκεις γάρ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ διηγεῖσθαι. ΓΛΥΚΕΡΑ: Γοργόνα αὐτὸν ἡ παμπόνηρος, φίλη δοκοῦσα εἶναι, ἀπέσπασεν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὑπαγαγοῦσα. ΘΑΙΣ: Καὶ νῦν σοὶ μὲν ἐκεῖνος οὐ πρόσεισι, Γοργόναν δὲ ἑταίραν πεποίηται; ΓΛΥΚΕΡΑ: Ναί, ὦ Θαΐ, καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐ μετρίως μου ἥψατο. ΘΑΙΣ: Πονηρὸν μέν, ὦ Γλυκέριον, οὐκ ἀδόκητον δέ, ἀλλ’ εἰωθὸς γίγνεσθαι ὑφ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἑταιρῶν. οὔκουν χρὴ οὔτε ἀνιᾶσθαι ἄγαν οὔτε μέμφεσθαι τῇ Γοργόνῃ· οὐδὲ γὰρ σὲ Ἀβρότονον ἐπ' αὐτῷ πρότερον ἐμέμψατο, καίτοι φίλαι ἦτε.
2. But I do wonder what this soldier man found in her, unless he’s absolutely blind and hadn’t noticed that her hair is thin on top and receding a long way in front; her lips are livid and her neck’s scraggy with the veins all standing out, and what a long nose she’s got! Her only good point is that she’s tall and has a good carriage and a very attractive smile. GLYCERA: Why, Thais, you don’t think the Acarnanian has fallen for her beauty? Don’t you know that her mother, Chrysarium, is a witch who knows Thessalian spells, and can bring the moon down? Why, they say she even flies of a night. She’s the one who’s sent the fellow out of his senses by giving him a drink of her brew, and now they’re making a fine harvest out of him. THAIS: You’ll have your harvest too, dearie; you’ll find someone else; let him go to the devil.
2. ἀτὰρ ἐκεῖνο θαυμάζω, τί καὶ ἐπῄνεσεν αὐτῆς ὁ στρατιώτης οὗτος, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ παντάπασι τυφλός ἐστιν, ὃς οὐχ ὡράκει τὰς μὲν τρίχας αὐτὴν ἀραιὰς ἔχουσαν καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ τοῦ μετώπου ἀπηγμένας· τὰ χείλη δὲ πελιδνὰ καὶ τράχηλος λεπτὸς καὶ ἐπίσημοι ἐν αὐτῷ αἱ φλέβες καὶ ῥὶς μακρά. ἓν μόνον, εὐμήκης ἐστὶ καὶ ὀρθὴ καὶ μειδιᾷ πάνυ ἐπαγωγόν. ΓΛΥΚΕΡΑ: Οἴει γάρ, ὦ Θαΐ, τῷ κάλλει ἠρᾶσθαι τὸν Ἀκαρνᾶνα; οὐκ οἶσθα ὡς φαρμακὶς ἡ Χρυσάριόν ἐστιν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτῆς, Θεσσαλάς τινας ᾠδὰς ἐπισταμένη καὶ τὴν σελήνην κατάγουσα; φασὶ δὲ αὐτὴν καὶ πέτεσθαι τῆς νυκτός· ἐκείνη ἐξέμηνε τὸν ἄνθρωπον πιεῖν τῶν φαρμάκων ἐγχέασα, καὶ νῦν τρυγῶσιν αὐτόν. ΘΑΙΣ: Καὶ σὺ ἄλλον, ὦ Γλυκέριον, τρυγήσεις, τοῦτον δὲ χαίρειν ἔα.