1. CHELIDONIUM: Has young Clinias given up visiting you, Drosis? It’s a long time since I’ve seen him at your house. DROSIS: Yes, Chelidonium. His tutor has stopped him from coming to see me any more.
1. ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Οὐκέτι φοιτᾷ παρὰ σέ, ὦ Δροσί, τὸ μειράκιον ὁ Κλεινίας; οὐ γὰρ ἑώρακα, πολὺς ἤδη χρόνος, αὐτὸν παρ' ὑμῖν. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Οὐκέτι, ὦ Χελιδόνιον· ὁ γὰρ διδάσκαλος αὐτὸν εἶρξε μηκέτι μοι προσιέναι.
CHELIDONIUM: Who’s he? Surely not Diotimus, the gymnastics master? He’s a friend of mine. DROSIS: No, but that most accursed of Philosophers, Aristaenetus.
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Τίς οὗτος; μή τι τὸν παιδοτρίβην Διότιμον λέγεις; ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνός γε φίλος ἐστίν. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Οὔκ, ἀλλ’ ὁ κάκιστα φιλοσόφων ἀπολούμενος Ἀρισταίνετος.
CHELIDONIUM: Do you mean the grim-looking fellow, with the shaggy hair and bushy beard, who’s always walking with his boys in the Painted Porch? DROSIS: That’s the hypocrite I mean. I’d like to see him come to a bad end, with the hangman dragging him along by that beard.
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Τὸν σκυθρωπὸν λέγεις, τὸν δασύν, τὸν βαθυπώγωνα, ὃς εἴωθε μετὰ τῶν μειρακίων περιπατεῖν ἐν τῇ Ποικίλῃ; ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Ἐκεῖνόν φημι τὸν ἀλαζόνα, ὃν κάκιστα ἐπίδοιμι ἀπολούμενον, ἑλκόμενον τοῦ πώγωνος ὑπὸ δημίου.
2. CHELIDONIUM: Why ever did he induce Clinias to act like this? DROSIS: I don’t know, Chelidonium. But, although he’d never missed a night with me, since he’d started going with women, and I was his first woman, for three days running now he’s not even come near our street. Since I was upset, as somehow I’d become rather fond of him, I sent Nebris to have a look at him, while he was in the Agora or the Painted Porch. She said she saw him walking around with Aristaenetus, and nodded to him from a distance, but he went red, kept his eyes down and didn’t look in her direction again. Then they walked together to the Academy. She followed as far as the Dipylon Gate, but since he’d never even turned in her direction, she came back without any definite information. You can imagine what it’s been like for me since that, as I can’t think what’s come over my boy! “I can’t have annoyed him in any way?” I kept asking myself. “Or has he fallen in love with some other woman, and hates me now? Has his father prevented his visiting me?” Many thoughts like that kept coming into my poor head, but, when it was already late in the afternoon, Dromo came with this note from him. Take it and read it, Chelidonium, for I believe you can read.
2. ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Τί παθὼν δὲ ἐκεῖνος τοιαῦτα ἔπεισε τὸν Κλεινίαν; ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Οὐκ οἶδα, ὦ Χελιδόνιον. ἀλλ’ ὁ μηδέποτε ἀπόκοιτός μου γενόμενος ἀφ' οὗ γυναικὶ ὁμιλεῖν ἤρξατο—πρῶτον δὲ ὡμίλησέ μοι—τριῶν τούτων ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν οὐδὲ προσῆλθε τῷ στενωπῷ· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠνιώμην—οὐκ οἶδα δὲ ὅπως τι ἔπαθον ἐπ' αὐτῷ—ἔπεμψα τὴν Νεβρίδα περισκεψομένην αὐτὸν ἢ ἐν ἀγορᾷ διατρίβοντα ἢ ἐν Ποικίλῃ· ἡ δὲ περιπατοῦντα ἔφη ἰδοῦσα μετὰ τοῦ Ἀρισταινέτου νεῦσαι πόρρω, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ἐρυθριάσαντα κάτω ὁρᾶν καὶ μηκέτι παρενεγκεῖν τὸν ὀφθαλμόν. εἶτ' ἐβάδιζον ἅμα ἐς τὴν Ἀκαδημίαν· ἡ δὲ ἄχρι τοῦ Διπύλου ἀκολουθήσασα, ἐπεὶ μηδ’ ὅλως ἐπεστράφη, ἐπανῆκεν οὐδὲν σαφὲς ἀπαγγεῖλαι ἔχουσα. πῶς με οἴει διάγειν τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἔχουσαν εἰκάσαι ὅ τι μοι πέπονθεν ὁ μειρακίσκος; ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐλύπησά τι αὐτόν, ἔλεγον, ἤ τινος ἄλλης ἠράσθη μισήσας ἐμέ; ἀλλ’ ὁ πατὴρ διεκώλυσεν αὐτόν; πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἡ ἀθλία ἔστρεφον. ἤδη δὲ περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν ἧκέ μοι Δρόμων τὸ γραμμάτιον τουτὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ κομίζων. ἀνάγνωθι λαβοῦσα, ὦ Χελιδόνιον· οἶσθα γὰρ δή που γράμματα.
3. CHELIDONIUM: Let us see. The writing’s not very clear; it’s so slapdash that the writer was obviously in a hurry. He says, “Heaven knows how much I loved you, Drosis.” DROSIS: Alas, poor me! He didn’t even start by wishing me well.
3. ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Φέρ' ἴδωμεν· τὰ γράμματα οὐ πάνυ σαφῆ, ἀλλὰ ἐπισεσυρμένα δηλοῦντα ἔπειξίν τινα τοῦ γεγραφότος. λέγει δέ “πῶς μὲν ἐφίλησά σε, ὦ Δροσί, τοὺς θεοὺς ποιοῦμαι μάρτυρας.” ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Αἰαῖ τάλαν, οὐδὲ τὸ χαίρειν προσέγραψε.
CHELIDONIUM: “And now I’m leaving you not because I hate you, but because I’m forced to do so. My father has handed me over to Aristaenetus to study philosophy under him, and Aristaenetus, finding out all about us, gave me a good telling-off, saying it was not at all the thing for a son of Architeles and Erasiclia to associate with a courtesan, for it was much better to prefer virtue to pleasure.” DROSIS: Curse that old driveller for teaching the lad such things!
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: “Καὶ νῦν δὲ οὐ κατὰ μῖσος, ἀλλὰ κατ' ἀνάγκην ἀφίσταμαί σου· ὁ πατὴρ γὰρ Ἀρισταινέτῳ παρέδωκέ με φιλοσοφεῖν αὐτῷ, κἀκεῖνος—ἔμαθε γὰρ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἅπαντα—πάνυ πολλὰ ἐπετίμησέ μοι ἀπρεπὲς εἶναι λέγων ἑταίρᾳ συνεῖναι Ἀρχιτέλους καὶ Ἐρασικλείας υἱὸν ὄντα· πολὺ γὰρ ἄμεινον εἶναι τὴν ἀρετὴν προτιμᾶν τῆς ἡδονῆς.” ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Μὴ ὥρας ἵκοιτο ὁ λῆρος ἐκεῖνος τοιαῦτα παιδεύων τὸ μειράκιον.
CHELIDONIUM: “So that I must obey him. He follows me everywhere, and keeps a close eye on me. In fact, I’m not allowed even to look at anyone but him. If I live a sober life, and obey him in everything, he promises me I’ll be completely happy, and shall become virtuous through my training in endurance. I’ve had the greatest difficulty in slipping away to write this to you. I pray that you may prosper, my dear, and never forget Clinias.”
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: “Ὥστε ἀνάγκη πείθεσθαι αὐτῷ· παρακολουθεῖ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς παραφυλάσσων, καὶ ὅλως οὐδὲ προσβλέπειν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἔξεστιν ὅτι μὴ ἐκείνῳ· εἰ δὲ σωφρονοῖμι καὶ πάντα πεισθείην αὐτῷ, ὑπισχνεῖται πάνυ εὐδαίμονα ἔσεσθαί με καὶ ἐνάρετον καταστήσεσθαι τοῖς πόνοις προγεγυμνασμένον. ταῦτά σοι μόλις ἔγραψα ὑποκλέψας ἐμαυτόν. σὺ δέ μοι εὐτύχει καὶ μέμνησο Κλεινίου.”
4. DROSIS: What do you think of the letter, Chelidonium?CHELIDONIUM: The rest of it might have come from a Scythian, but the part about never forgetting Clinias shows there’s still some hope. DROSIS: Just what I thought. In any case I’m dying of love. But Dromo said that Aristaenetus is the sort who’s fond of boys, and, by pretending to teach them, keeps company with the handsomest youths, and has now got Clinias on his own, and spins him tales, promising of all things that he will make him like a god. Besides that, he’s reading with him amorous discourses addressed by the old Philosophers to their pupils, and is all wrapped up in the lad. Dromo threatened he’d tell Clinias’ father as well.
4. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Τί σοι δοκεῖ ἡ ἐπιστολή, ὦ Χελιδόνιον;ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἡ ἀπὸ Σκυθῶν ῥῆσις, τὸ δὲ “μέμνησο Κλεινίου” ἔχει τινὰ ὑπόλοιπον ἐλπίδα. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Κἀμοὶ οὕτως ἔδοξεν· ἀπόλλυμαι δ’ οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔρωτος. ὁ μέντοι Δρόμων ἔφασκε παιδεραστήν τινα εἶναι τὸν Ἀρισταίνετον καὶ ἐπὶ προφάσει τῶν μαθημάτων συνεῖναι τοῖς ὡραιοτάτοις τῶν νέων καὶ ἰδίᾳ λογοποιεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸν Κλεινίαν ὑποσχέσεις τινὰς ὑπισχνούμενον ὡς ἰσόθεον ἀποφανεῖ αὐτόν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναγιγνώσκει μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐρωτικούς τινας λόγους τῶν παλαιῶν φιλοσόφων πρὸς τοὺς μαθητάς, καὶ ὅλος περὶ τὸ μειράκιόν ἐστιν. ἠπείλει δὲ καὶ τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ Κλεινίου κατερεῖν ταῦτα.
CHELIDONIUM: I hope, Drosis, you gave Dromo a good feed. DROSIS: That I did, though he’ll do anything for me, even without that; he’s another who is desperate for the love of Nebris.
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Ἐχρῆν, ὦ Δροσί, γαστρίσαι τὸν Δρόμωνα. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Ἐγάστρισα, καὶ ἄνευ δὲ τούτου ἐμός ἐστι· κέκνισται γὰρ κἀκεῖνος τῆς Νεβρίδος.
CHELIDONIUM: Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. I think I’ll write up on the wall in the Ceramicus, where Architeles often takes a walk, “Aristaenetus is corrupting Clinias”, so that we can charge to the swift support of Dromo’s charge. DROSIS: How can you write it up without being seen?
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Θάρρει, πάντα ἔσται καλῶς. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἐπιγράψειν μοι δοκῶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τοίχου ἐν Κεραμεικῷ, ἔνθα ὁ Ἀρχιτέλης εἴωθε περιπατεῖν, Ἀρισταίνετος διαφθείρει Κλεινίαν, ὥστε καὶ ἐκ τούτου συνδραμεῖν τῇ παρὰ τοῦ Δρόμωνος διαβολῇ. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Πῶς δ’ ἂν λάθοις ἐπιγράψασα;
CHELIDONIUM: By night, my dear. I’ll get a bit of charcoal somewhere. DROSIS: Capital, Chelidonium. If only you can help me fight that old impostor Aristaenetus!
ΧΕΛΙΔΟΝΙΟΝ: Τῆς νυκτός, Δροσί, ἄνθρακά ποθεν λαβοῦσα. ΔΡΟΣΙΣ: Εὖ γε, συστράτευε μόνον, ὦ Χελιδόνιον, κατὰ τοῦ ἀλαζόνος Ἀρισταινέτου.