ἔτυπτον ἐγὼ τὸ παιδάριον, ὅτε εἰσελθὼν ὁ ἀστυνόμος
ἥρπασέ με εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον,
I was beating the boy, when the policeman
entering took me to prison.
γέγραφα ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα σου
λέγων παῖδά σε εἶναι κόσμιον τοὺς τρόπους,
I have written a letter to your father saying
that you are a well-behaved young man.
ἐτύγχανον ὕπτιος κείμενος ἐν τῇ κοίτῃ ὅτε μέγας τις μῦς
ὑπερπηδήσας τὰ στρώματα δεινόν μοι ἐνεποίησε φόβον,
I happened to be lying on my back in the bed when a rat,
leaping over the bedcover, gave me a great fright.
δικαίως γε, and with good reason.
τὰ νῦν δὲ ποῦστι τὸ ἀναιδὲς θρέμμα;
and now, where is the shameless creature?
κέκαφεν αὐτὸ τὸ κυνάριόν μου τὸ ἐκ τῆς Ὀρεινῆς,
my little Skye terrier has just snapped it up.
δίκαια ἔπαθεν, served it right!
ποῦστι τὸ μελανοδοχεῖόν μου;
where is my inkstand?
εὕρηκα, εὕρηκα, ἐν τῷ λουτρῶνι,
I have found it, I have found it, in the bathroom.
παράδοξον τοῦτο· οὐκ ἔγραφον ἔγωγε ἐν τῷ λουτρῶνι,
strange; I was not writing in the bathroom.