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Διὰ τοῦτο προεθυμήθην ἀπὸ τῶν νομιζομένων παρ ὑμῖν τιμίων παριστᾶν ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα σωφρονεῖ, τὰ δὲ ὑμέτερα ἔθη μανίας ἔχεται πολλῆς. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν γυναιξὶ καὶ μειρακίοις, παρθένοις τε καὶ πρεσβύταις φλυαρεῖν ἡμᾶς λέγοντες, καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ σὺν ὑμῖν εἶναι χλευάζοντες, ἀκούσατε τῶν παρ Ἑλλήνων πραγμάτων τὸν λῆρον. Ληραίνει γὰρ διὰ δόξης μᾶλλον πολλῆς τῶν παρ ὑμῖν θεῶν τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ διὰ τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ἀσχημονεῖτε. Πράξιλλαν μὲν γὰρ Λύσιππος ἐχαλκούργησεν, μηδὲν εἰποῦσαν διὰ τῶν ποιημάτων χρήσιμον, Λεαρχίδα δὲ Μενέστρατος, Σιλανίων δὲ Σαπφὼ τὴν ἑταίραν, Ἤρινναν τὴν Λεσβίαν Ναυκύδης, Βοΐσκος Μυρτίδα, Μυρὼ τὴν Βυζαντίαν Κηφισόδοτος, Γόμφος Πραξιγορίδα καὶ Ἀμφίστρατος Κλειτώ. Τί γὰρ μοι περὶ Ἀνύτης λέγειν, Τελεσίλλης τε καὶ Μυστίδος; Τῆς μὲν γὰρ Εὐθυκράτης τε καὶ Κηφισόδοτος, τῆς δὲ Νικήρατος, τῆς δὲ Ἀριστόδοτός εἰσιν οἱ δημιουργοί· Μνησιαρχίδος τῆς Ἐφεσίας Εὐθυκράτης, Κορίννης Σιλανίων, Θαλαρχίδος τῆς Ἀργείας Εὐθυκράτης. Ταύτας δὲ εἰπεῖν προυθυμήθην, ἵνα μηδὲ παρ ἡμῖν ξένον τι πράττεσθαι νομίζητε, καὶ συγκρίναντες τὰ ὑπ ὄψιν ἐπιτηδεύματα μὴ χλευάζητε τὰς παρ ἡμῖν φιλοσοφούσας.Καὶ ἡ μὲν Σαπφὼ γύναιον πορνικὸν ἐρωτομανές, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἀσέλγειαν ᾄδει· πᾶσαι δὲ αἱ παρ ἡμῖν σωφρονοῦσι, καὶ περὶ τὰς ἠλακάτας αἱ παρθένοι τὰ κατὰ θεὸν λαλοῦσιν ἐκφωνήματα τῆς παρ ὑμῖν παιδὸς σπουδαιότερον. Τούτου χάριν αἰδέσθητε, μαθηταὶ μὲν ὑμεῖς τῶν γυναίων εὑρισκόμενοι, τὰς δὲ σὺν ἡμῖν πολιτευομένας σὺν τῇ μετ αὐτῶν πανηγύρει χλευάζοντες. Τί γὰρ ὑμῖν ἡ Γλαυκίππη σεμνὸν εἰσηγήσατο παιδίον, ἥτις τεράστιον ἐγέννησεν, καθὼς δείκνυσιν αὐτῆς ἡ εἰκών, Νικηράτου τοῦ Εὐκτήμονος Ἀθηναίου τὸ γένος χαλκεύσαντος; Εἰ γὰρ ἐκύησεν ἐλέφαντα, τί τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ δημοσίας ἀπολαύσαι τιμῆς τὴν Γλαυκίππην; Φρύνην τε τὴν ἑταίραν ὑμῖν Πραξιτέλης καὶ Ἡρόδοτος πεποιήκασι, καὶ Παντευχίδα συλλαμβάνουσαν ἐκ φθορέως Εὐθυκράτης ἐχαλκούργησεν. Βησαντίδα, τὴν Παιόνων βασίλισσαν, ὅτι παιδίον μέλαν ἐκύησε, Δεινομένης διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τέχνης μνημονεύεσθαι παρεσκεύασεν. Ἐγὼ καὶ Πυθαγόρου κατέγνωκα, τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐπὶ τοῦ ταύρου καθιδρύσαντος, καὶ ὑμῶν, οἵτινες τοῦ Διὸς τὸν κατήγορον διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τέχνην τετιμήκατε. Γελῶ καὶ τὴν Μύρωνος ἐπιστήμην ποιήσαντος μόσχον, ἐπὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ Νίκην, ὅτι τὴν Ἀγήνορος ἁρπάσας θυγατέρα μοιχείας καὶ ἀκρασίας βραβεῖον ἀπηνέγκατο. Τὴν Γλυκέραν τὴν ἑταίραν καὶ Ἀργείαν τὴν ψάλτριαν ὁ Ὀλύνθιος Ἡρόδοτος κατεσκεύασεν. Βρύαξις Πασιφάην ἔστησεν, ἧς τὴν ἀσέλγειαν μνημονεύσαντες μονονουχὶ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς νῦν τοιαύτας εἶναι προῄρησθε. Μελανίππη τις ἦν σοφή· διὰ τοῦτο ταύτην ὁ Λυσίστρατος ἐδημιούργησεν.Ἦ ὑμεῖς δὲ εἶναι παρ ἡμῖν σοφὰς οὐ πεπιστεύκατε
為這緣故，我急於要從你們所看重之物，證明我們的事是清醒節制的，你們的習俗卻充滿許多瘋狂。因為那些說我們在婦女、少年、童女、老婦中間胡言，又因我們不與你們同夥而譏笑我們的人——請聽聽希臘人那些荒唐事。原來他們的勾當比你們諸神的行徑更靠虛名而胡鬧，你們又藉婦女之事行醜陋之舉。呂西波斯為普拉克西拉鑄了銅像，她的詩卻沒說出什麼有益的話；墨涅斯特拉托斯為勒阿耳喀斯鑄像，西拉尼翁為妓女薩福鑄像，瑙庫得斯為勒斯波斯的厄里娜鑄像，玻伊斯科斯為密耳提斯鑄像，刻菲索多托斯為拜占庭的密羅鑄像，貢福斯為普拉克薩戈里斯鑄像，安菲斯特拉托斯為克勒托鑄像。我何必再提阿尼忒、忒勒西拉與密斯提斯呢？阿尼忒的雕塑者是歐提克拉特斯與刻菲索多托斯，另一位是尼刻拉托斯，又一位是阿里斯托多托斯；以弗所的姆涅西阿耳喀斯的，是歐提克拉特斯；科林娜的，是西拉尼翁；阿耳戈斯的塔拉耳喀斯的，是歐提克拉特斯。我急於提這些人，是要叫你們不以為我們當中行了什麼怪事，又叫你們比較眼前的這些勾當，就不致譏笑我們當中那些研習哲學的婦女。薩福原是個淫蕩的小婦人，為情慾發狂，竟歌詠自己的放蕩；但我們當中的婦女都是貞潔的，那些童女在紡線桿旁所說關乎神的話，比你們那女子更為認真嚴肅。為這緣故，你們當羞愧，你們竟被發現是小婦人的門徒，卻又譏笑那些與我們同作公民的婦女、連同與她們同在的聚會。格勞喀珀為你們引介了什麼莊嚴之事呢——她生了個怪物，正如她的雕像所示，是雅典人歐克忒蒙後裔尼刻拉托斯鑄的銅像？倘若她懷的是一頭象，格勞喀珀又憑什麼配享公眾的尊榮呢？妓女芙律涅，普拉克西特利斯與希羅多德也為你們造了像；歐提克拉特斯為那由淫媒受孕的潘透喀斯鑄了銅像。派俄尼亞的王后貝桑提斯因生了個黑孩子，得伊諾墨涅斯憑其技藝使她得以被人記念。我連畢達哥拉斯也定了罪，他把歐羅巴安置在公牛背上；也定你們的罪，你們竟因那人的技藝尊崇了那「宙斯的控告者」。我也嗤笑米隆的技藝，他造了一頭小母牛，上面又安了個勝利女神，因為（宙斯）擄了阿革諾耳的女兒，便奪得了姦淫與縱慾的獎賞。奧林索斯的希羅多德塑造了妓女格律刻拉與彈琴女阿耳革婭。布律阿克西斯立了帕西法厄的像，他們既紀念她的淫蕩，便幾乎是揀選了如今的婦女要成為她那等樣式。從前有個叫墨蘭尼珀的，是個有智慧的婦人；為這緣故呂西斯特拉托斯塑造了她。那麼你們呢——你們竟不信我們當中也有有智慧的婦女嗎？
For this reason I was eager, from the things esteemed among you, to establish that our affairs are sober, while your customs are possessed of much madness. For those who say that we babble among women and youths, maidens and old women, and who mock us because we are not with you—hear the nonsense of the affairs among the Greeks. For their pursuits drivel through much more reputation than the practices of the gods among you, and through the women's quarters you behave shamefully. For Lysippus cast in bronze a statue of Praxilla, who said nothing useful through her poems, and Menestratus one of Learchis, and Silanion one of Sappho the courtesan, and Naucydes one of Erinna the Lesbian, and Boiscus one of Myrtis, and Cephisodotus one of Myro of Byzantium, and Gomphus one of Praxagoris, and Amphistratus one of Cleito. What need have I to speak of Anyte, and Telesilla, and Mystis? For of the one Euthycrates and Cephisodotus are the sculptors, of another Niceratus, of another Aristodotus; of Mnesiarchis the Ephesian, Euthycrates; of Corinna, Silanion; of Thalarchis the Argive, Euthycrates. These I was eager to mention, so that you might not suppose anything strange is done among us, and that, comparing the practices before your eyes, you might not mock the women who philosophize among us. And Sappho indeed was a lewd little woman, mad with love, and she sings of her own licentiousness; but all the women among us are chaste, and at the distaff the maidens utter words concerning God more earnestly than that girl among you. For this reason be ashamed, you who are found to be disciples of little women, while you mock those who live as citizens with us, together with the assembly that is with them. For what solemn thing did Glaucippe introduce to you as a child—she who bore a monstrous thing, as her statue shows, Niceratus, of the lineage of Euctemon the Athenian, having cast it in bronze? For if she conceived an elephant, what was the reason for Glaucippe to enjoy public honor? Phryne the courtesan, too, Praxiteles and Herodotus made for you, and Euthycrates cast in bronze Panteuchis conceiving by a seducer. Besantis, the queen of the Paeonians, because she bore a black child, Deinomenes by his own art contrived to be remembered. I have condemned even Pythagoras, who set up Europa upon the bull, and you too, who have honored the accuser of Zeus on account of that man's art. I laugh too at the skill of Myron, who made a heifer, and upon it a Victory, because, having seized the daughter of Agenor, he carried off the prize of adultery and incontinence. Glycera the courtesan and Argeia the harp-player, Herodotus of Olynthus fashioned. Bryaxis set up Pasiphae, whose licentiousness they commemorated, and so all but chose the women now to be such as she. There was a certain Melanippe, a wise woman; for this reason Lysistratus fashioned her. And you, then—have you not believed that there are wise women among us?