1. TRYPHENA: Who ever heard of a fellow who takes out a girl, pays her five drachmas, and then turns his back on her in bed, weeping and groaning? I don’t think you enjoyed the wine, or really wanted to dine alone with me. You were crying all through dinner; I noticed it. And now you keep on whimpering like a baby. Why, Charmides? Don’t keep it from me, so that I can have this further pleasure out of the sleepless night I’ve spent with you. CHARMIDES: I’m dying of love, Tryphena. It’s too terrible for me to bear any longer.
1. ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Ἑταίραν δέ τις παραλαβὼν πέντε δραχμὰς τὸ μίσθωμα δοὺς καθεύδει ἀποστραφεὶς δακρύων καὶ στένων; ἀλλ’ οὔτε πέπωκας ἡδέως, οἶμαι, οὔτε δειπνῆσαι μόνος ἠθέλησας· ἔκλαες γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τὸ δεῖπνον, ἑώρων γάρ· καὶ νῦν δὲ οὐ διαλέλοιπας ἀναλύζων ὥσπερ βρέφος. ταῦτα οὖν, ὦ Χαρμίδη, τίνος ἕνεκα ποιεῖς; μὴ ἀποκρύψῃ με, ὡς ἂν καὶ τοῦτο ἀπολαύσω τῆς νυκτὸς ἀγρυπνήσασα μετὰ σοῦ. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Ἔρως με ἀπόλλυσιν, ὦ Τρύφαινα, καὶ οὐκέτ' ἀντέχω πρὸς τὸ δεινόν.
TRYPHENA: Obviously I’m not the one you love, or you wouldn’t show such little interest in me, and keep pushing me away when I tried to hug you, or have ended by placing your cloak as a barrier between us, for fear of my touching you. But for all that tell me who she is. Perhaps I can help you in your love, for I know how to be of service in such matters. CHARMIDES: You are very well acquainted with each other; she’s a well-known member of your profession.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν οὐκ ἐμοῦ ἐρᾷς, δῆλον· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἔχων με ἠμέλεις καὶ ἀπωθοῦ περιπλέκεσθαι θέλουσαν καὶ τέλος διετείχιζες τὸ μεταξὺ ἡμῶν τῷ ἱματίῳ δεδιὼς μὴ ψαύσαιμί σου. τίς δὲ ὅμως ἐκείνη ἐστίν, εἰπέ· τάχα γὰρ ἄν τι καὶ συντελέσαιμι πρὸς τὸν ἔρωτα, οἶδα γὰρ ὡς χρὴ τὰ τοιαῦτα διακονεῖσθαι. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Καὶ μὴν οἶσθα καὶ πάνυ ἀκριβῶς αὐτὴν κἀκείνη σέ· οὐ γὰρ ἀφανὴς ἑταίρα ἐστίν.
2. TRYPHENA: Tell me her name, Charmides. CHARMIDES: Philematium, Tryphena.
2. ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Εἰπὲ τοὔνομα, ὦ Χαρμίδη. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Φιλημάτιον, ὦ Τρύφαινα.
TRYPHENA: Which one? There are two. Do you mean the one from the Piraeus, who lost her virginity only the other day, and is loved by Damylus, the son of one of this year’s Generals, or the other one, the one they call the “Trap”? CHARMIDES: That’s the one. I’m a poor victim that’s fallen right into her trap.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Ὁποτέραν λέγεις; δύο γάρ εἰσι· τὴν ἐκ Πειραιῶς, τὴν ἄρτι διακεκορευμένην, ἧς ἐρᾷ Δαμύλος ὁ τοῦ νῦν στρατηγοῦντος υἱός, ἢ τὴν ἑτέραν, ἣν Παγίδα ἐπικαλοῦσιν; ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Ἐκείνην, καὶ ἑάλωκα ὁ κακοδαίμων καὶ συνείλημμαι πρὸς αὐτῆς.
TRYPHENA: Then you were crying for her? CHARMIDES: Indeed I was.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Οὐκοῦν δι’ ἐκείνην ἔκλαες; ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Καὶ μάλα.
TRYPHENA: Have you loved for long, or was your initiation recent? CHARMIDES: Far from recent; it’s almost seven whole months since the Dionysia, and the time when I first saw her.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Πολὺς δὲ χρόνος ἔστι σοι ἐρῶντι ἢ νεοτελής τις εἶ; ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Οὐ νεοτελής, ἀλλὰ μῆνες ἑπτὰ σχεδὸν ἀπὸ Διονυσίων, ὅτε πρώτως εἶδον αὐτην.
TRYPHENA: Did you have a good look at her all over? Or did you only see her face, and the parts of her body immediately visible, and just as much as you should of a woman who’s forty-five if she’s a day? CHARMIDES: But she swears she’ll be twenty-two next March.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Εἶδες δὲ ὅλην ἀκριβῶς, ἢ τὸ πρόσωπον μόνον καὶ ὅσα τοῦ σώματος φανερὰ [ἃ] εἶδες Φιληματίου, καὶ ὡς χρῆν γυναῖκα πέντε καὶ τετταράκοντα ἔτη γεγονυῖαν ἤδη; ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Καὶ μὴν ἐπόμνυται δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐς τὸν ἐσόμενον Ἐλαφηβολιῶνα τελέσειν.
3. TRYPHENA: But which will you believe—her solemn oaths or your own eyes? Take a close and careful look at her temples, the only place where her hair is her own. The rest of it is a thick wig. But along her temples the grey hairs show pretty well all over, whenever the dye she uses loses its effect. But why do that? Insist on seeing her unclothed. CHARMIDES: Her favours to me have never extended so far.
3. ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Σὺ δὲ ποτέροις πιστεύσειας ἄν, τοῖς ἐκείνης ὅρκοις ἢ τοῖς σεαυτοῦ ὀφθαλμοῖς; ἐπίσκεψαι γὰρ ἀκριβῶς ὑποβλέψας ποτὲ τοὺς κροτάφους αὐτῆς, ἔνθα μόνον τὰς αὐτῆς τρίχας ἔχει· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα φενάκη βαθεῖα. παρὰ δὲ τοὺς κροτάφους ὁπόταν ἀσθενήσῃ τὸ φάρμακον, ᾧ βάπτεται, ὑπολευκαίνεται τὰ πολλά. καίτοι τί τοῦτο; βίασαί ποτε καὶ γυμνὴν αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Οὐδεπώποτέ μοι πρὸς τοῦτο ἐνέδωκεν.
TRYPHENA: That’s only to be expected. She knew you’d be revolted by her white spots, and she’s mottled like a leopard all the way from her neck down to her knees. Were you crying at being refused by a woman like that? Perhaps too she was cruel and proud to you? CHARMIDES: Yes, Tryphena, even though I always give her so much; and now that I’ve found it difficult to give her the thousand drachmas that she’s asking because I’m dependent on a stingy father, she’s let Moschion in, and locked me out. I wanted to get even for that by annoying her, and so I asked you to accompany me.TRYPHENA: By our Lady Aphrodite, I wouldn’t have come if I’d been warned that that was why my company was wanted—to annoy another woman, and Philematium, the Coffin, at that! No, I’ll be off, for this is already the third time that the cock’s crowed.
ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Εἰκότως· ἠπίστατο γὰρ μυσαχθησόμενόν σε τὰς λεύκας. ὅλη δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐχένος ἐς τὰ γόνατα παρδάλει ἔοικεν. ἀλλὰ σὺ ἐδάκρυες τοιαύτῃ μὴ συνών; ἦ που τάχα καὶ ἐλύπει σε καὶ ὑπερεώρα; ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Ναί, ὦ Τρύφαινα, καίτοι τοσαῦτα παρ' ἐμοῦ λαμβάνουσα. καὶ νῦν ἐπειδὴ χιλίας αἰτούσῃ οὐκ εἶχον διδόναι ῥᾳδίως ἅτε ὑπὸ πατρὶ φειδομένῳ τρεφόμενος, Μοσχίωνα ἐσδεξαμένη ἀπέκλεισέ με, ἀνθ' ὧν λυπῆσαι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐθέλων αὐτὴν σὲ παρείληφα ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Μὰ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην οὐκ ἂν ἧκον, εἴ μοι προεῖπέ τις ὡς ἐπὶ τούτοις παραλαμβανοίμην, λυπῆσαι ἄλλην, καὶ ταῦτα Φιλημάτιον τὴν σορόν. ἀλλ’ ἄπειμι, καὶ γὰρ ἤδη τρίτον τοῦτο ᾖσεν ἁλεκτρυών.
4. CHARMIDES: Don’t you be in such a hurry, Tryphena. If it’s true what you tell me about her wig, her dyed hair, and the white spots besides, I won’t be able to look at Philematium again. TRYPHENA: Ask your mother, if they’ve ever been at the baths together. Her age you can find out from your grandfather, if he’s still living. CHARMIDES: Well, since she’s like that, let’s remove the barrier this instant, snuggle up closer, kiss, and really enjoy each other’s company. To the devil with Philematium!
4. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Μὴ σύ γε οὕτως ταχέως, ὦ Τρύφαινα· εἰ γὰρ ἀληθῆ ἐστιν ἃ φῂς περὶ Φιληματίου, τὴν πηνήκην καὶ ὅτι βάπτεται καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀλφῶν, οὐδὲ προσβλέπειν ἂν ἔτι ἐδυνάμην αὐτῇ. ΤΡΥΦΑΙΝΑ: Ἐροῦ τὴν μητέρα, εἴ ποτε λέλουται μετ' αὐτῆς· περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἐτῶν κἂν ὁ πάππος διηγήσεταί σοι, εἴ γε ζῇ ἔτι. ΧΑΡΜΙΔΗΣ: Οὐκοῦν ἐπεὶ τοιαύτη ἐκείνη, ἀφῃρήσθω μὲν ἤδη τὸ διατείχισμα, περιβάλλωμεν δὲ ἀλλήλους καὶ φιλῶμεν καὶ ἀληθῶς συνῶμεν· Φιλημάτιον δὲ πολλὰ χαιρέτω.