1. HERMES: If you don’t mind, ferryman, let’s work out how much you owe me at the moment, so that we won’t quarrel about it later.
1. ΕΡΜΗΣ: Λογισώμεθα, ὦ πορθμεῦ, εἰ δοκεῖ, ὁπόσα μοι ὀφείλεις ἤδη, ὅπως μὴ αὖθις ἐρίζωμέν τι περὶ αὐτῶν.
CHARON: Let’s do that, Hermes. It’s better to have this settled, and it’ll save trouble.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Λογισώμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ· ἄμεινον γὰρ ὡρίσθαι καὶ ἀπραγμονέστερον.
HERMES: I brought you an anchor as you ordered; five drachmae.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ἄγκυραν ἐντειλαμένῳ ἐκόμισα πέντε δραχμῶν.
CHARON: That’s dear.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Πολλοῦ λέγεις.
HERMES: By Hades, that’s what I paid for it, and a thong for an oar cost me two obols.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Νὴ τὸν Ἀϊδωνέα, τῶν πέντε ὠνησάμην, καὶ τροπωτῆρα δύο ὀβολῶν.
CHARON: Put down five drachmae and two obols.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Τίθει πέντε δραχμὰς καὶ ὀβολοὺς δύο.
HERMES: And a darning-needle for your sail. Five obols it cost me.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Καὶ ἀκέστραν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἱστίου· πέντε ὀβολοὺς ἐγὼ κατέβαλον.
CHARON: Put that down too.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Καὶ τούτους προστίθει.
HERMES: And wax to plug up the leaks in your boat, and nails, and a bit of rope which you made into a brace, costing two drachmae in all.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Καὶ κηρὸν ὡς ἐπιπλάσαι τοῦ σκαφιδίου τὰ ἀνεῳγότα καὶ ἥλους δὲ καὶ καλῴδιον, ἀφ' οὗ τὴν ὑπέραν ἐποίησας, δύο δραχμῶν ἅπαντα.
CHARON: You got these cheap too!
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Καὶ ἄξια ταῦτα ὠνήσω.
HERMES: That’s all, unless we’ve forgotten something in our calculations. Well, when do you say that you are going to pay me?
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ταῦτά ἐστιν, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο ἡμᾶς διέλαθεν ἐν τῷ λογισμῷ. πότε δ’ οὖν ταῦτα ἀποδώσειν φῄς;
CHARON: For the moment, Hermes, it’s impossible, but if an epidemic or a war sends me down a large batch, I can then make a profit, by overcharging on the fares in the rush.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Νῦν μέν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, ἀδύνατον, ἢν δὲ λοιμός τις ἢ πόλεμος καταπέμψῃ ἀθρόους τινάς, ἐνέσται τότε ἀποκερδᾶναι παραλογιζόμενον ἐν τῷ πλήθει τὰ πορθμεῖα.
2. HERMES: So, for the present, I’ll have to sit down and pray for the worst to happen so that I may be paid?
2. ΕΡΜΗΣ: Νῦν οὖν ἐγὼ καθεδοῦμαι τὰ κάκιστα εὐχόμενος γενέσθαι, ὡς ἂν ἀπὸ τούτων ἀπολάβοιμι;
CHARON: It can’t be helped, Hermes. We get few coming here at the moment, as you can see. It’s peacetime.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλως, ὦ Ἑρμῆ. νῦν δὲ ὀλίγοι, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἀφικνοῦνται ἡμῖν· εἰρήνη γάρ.
HERMES: Better so, even if you do keep me waiting for what you owe me. Ah, but in the old days, Charon, you know what men they were that came, all of them brave, and most of them covered with blood and wounded; but now we get a few poisoned by a wife or a son, or with their legs and bellies all puffed out with rich living, a pale miserable lot, all of them, quite unlike the old ones. Most of them have money to thank for their coming here; they scheme against each other for it, apparently.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Ἄμεινον οὕτως, εἰ καὶ ἡμῖν παρατείνοιτο ὑπὸ σοῦ τὸ ὄφλημα. πλὴν ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν παλαιοί, ὦ Χάρων, οἶσθα οἷοι παρεγίγνοντο, ἀνδρεῖοι ἅπαντες, αἵματος ἀνάπλεῳ καὶ τραυματίαι οἱ πολλοί· νῦν δὲ ἢ φαρμάκῳ τις ὑπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποθανὼν ἢ ὑπὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἢ ὑπὸ τρυφῆς ἐξῳδηκὼς τὴν γαστέρα καὶ τὰ σκέλη, ὠχροὶ ἅπαντες καὶ ἀγεννεῖς, οὐδὲν ὅμοιοι ἐκείνοις. οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι αὐτῶν διὰ χρήματα ἥκουσιν ἐπιβουλεύοντες ἀλλήλοις, ὡς ἐοίκασι.
CHARON: Yes, it’s the grand passion.
ΧΑΡΩΝ: Πάνυ γὰρ περιπόθητά ἐστι ταῦτα.
HERMES: Then you won’t think it wrong of me if I dun you for my debt.
ΕΡΜΗΣ: Οὐκοῦν οὐδ’ ἐγὼ δόξαιμι ἂν ἁμαρτάνειν πικρῶς ἀπαιτῶν τὰ ὀφειλόμενα παρὰ σοῦ.