1.7 The First Counter-ruse i: the Spilt Wine (primer)
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Καὶ ὁ μὲν, καὶ ὡς λέγων πολλὰ
And he, even when saying many things
ὅμως οὐκ ἔπειθε τὴν μητέρα,
still he was not persuading his mother,
πρῶτον μὲν ἠθύμει·
at first he was despairing.
ταχὺ δὲ ἐπι-τεχνησάμενός τι
But quickly having devised something
κατ-εσκευάσατο ὄνους
he fitted out for himself donkeys τε καὶ ἐν-έπλησεν οἴνου ἀσκοὺς,
and filled full of wine wineskins ,
καὶ οὕτω δὴ
and in this way
ἐπι-θεὶς τοὺς ἀσκοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ὄνων
having placed the wineskins upon the donkeys
ἤλαυνε πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος·
he was driving < them> towards the city-wall. ὡς δὲ ἐλαύνων ἐγένετο
And when driving he became
ἐγγὺς τῶν φυλασσόντων τόν κρεμάμενον νέκυν,
near of [=to] those guarding the hanging corpse,
τότε λανθάνει δὴ
then he escapes notice
ὑπο-λύων δύο ἢ τρεῖς ποδεῶνας τῶν ἀσκῶν·
untying two or three necks of the wineskins.
ὡς δὲ ὁ οἶνος ἀπ-έρρει,
And when the wine was pouring out,
ἐκόπτετό τὴν κεφαλὴν τε καὶ ἐβόα μεγάλα,
he was beating his head and was shouting loud things,
ὡς οὐκ ἔχων δὴ
as if not having at all < any idea> πρὸς ὅντινα τῶν ὄνων τράποιτο πρῶτον ·
towards whichever of the donkeys he should turn to first.
οἱ δὲ αὖ φύλακες
Then the guards,
ὁρῶντες τὸν οἶνον ῥέοντα πολὺν
seeing the wine flowing much,
συν-τρέχουσί εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ἔχοντες ἄγγεῖα,
run together into the street holding wine-jars,
τε καὶ συγ-κομίζουσιν τὸν οἶνον ἐκ-κεχυμένον,
and they collect up the wine having been poured out.
ποιούμενοι τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐν κέρδει·
considering the matter < as> in a gain. ὁ δὲ αὖ οὐ παύεται δια-λοιδορούμενος πᾶσι,
But he does not cease yelling at everything,
προς-ποιούμενος ὀργὴν δῆθεν.
pretending anger of course.
