- Source
- Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:1257-1331
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The Sausage-Seller reveals his true name as Agoracritus, takes charge of Demus, and deposes Cleon. He then rejuvenates Demus by "boiling him down," restoring him to his former glory as the splendid leader of ancient Athens.
ἐμοὶ δέ γʼ ὅ τι σοι τοὔνομʼ εἴπʼ.
Demus: But tell me indeed what your name is.
Ἀγοράκριτος·
Agoracritus: Agoracritus.
ἐν τἀγορᾷ γὰρ κρινόμενος1 ἐβοσκόμην.
For I was nourished and grew up by being judged in the marketplace.
Ἀγορακρίτῳ τοίνυν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιτρέπω,
Demus: Then I entrust myself to Agoracritus,
καὶ τὸν Παφλαγόνα παραδίδωμι τουτονί.
and deliver this Paphlagonian over to you.
καὶ μὴν ἐγώ σʼ ὦ Δῆμε θεραπεύσω καλῶς,
Agoracritus: And indeed, Demus, I will serve you well,
ὥσθʼ ὁμολογεῖν σε μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ
so that you will confess that you have seen no man
ἰδεῖν ἀμείνω τῇ Κεχηναίων πόλει.
better than me to look after the city of the Gapers.
τί κάλλιον ἀρχομένοισιν
Chorus: What is more beautiful for those who begin
ἢ καταπαυομένοισιν
or for those who make an end
ἢ θοᾶν ἵππων ἐλατῆρας ἀείδειν, †μηδὲν ἐσ† Λυσίστρατον,2
than to sing of the drivers of swift horses, without touching at all upon Lysistratus,
μηδὲ Θούμαντιν τὸν ἀνέστιον αὖ λυπεῖν ἑκούσῃ καρδίᾳ;
nor again vexing the hearthless Thoumantis with willing heart?
καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ὦ φίλʼ Ἄπολλον ἀεὶ πεινῇ, θαλεροῖς δακρύοις
For indeed he, o dear Apollo, is always starving, and with warm tears
σᾶς ἁπτόμενος φαρέτρας Πυθῶνι δίᾳ μὴ κακῶς πένεσθαι.
touching your quiver at divine Pytho, praying that he may not be miserably poor.
λοιδορῆσαι τοὺς πονηροὺς οὐδέν ἐστʼ ἐπίφθονον,
To abuse the wicked is not at all a matter for envy,
ἀλλὰ τιμὴ τοῖσι χρηστοῖς, ὅστις εὖ λογίζεται.
but an honor to the good, for anyone who reasons well.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἄνθρωπος, ὃν δεῖ πόλλʼ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ κακά,
If, then, the man who deserves to hear many bad things
αὐτὸς ἦν ἔνδηλος, οὐκ ἂν3 ἀνδρὸς ἐμνήσθην φίλου.
were well-known himself, I would not have mentioned a friendly man.
νῦν δʼ Ἀρίγνωτον γὰρ οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἐπίσταται,
But now, there is no one who does not know Arignotus,
ὅστις ἢ τὸ λευκὸν οἶδεν ἢ τὸν ὄρθιον νόμον.
whoever knows either white from black or the upright musical mode.
ἔστιν οὖν ἀδελφὸς αὐτῷ τοὺς τρόπους οὐ συγγενής,
Now he has a brother who is not akin to him in character,
Ἀριφράδης πονηρός. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν καὶ βούλεται·
the wicked Ariphrades. But indeed he even wishes for this;
ἔστι δʼ οὐ μόνον πονηρός, οὐ γὰρ οὐδʼ ἂν ᾐσθόμην,
for he is not only wicked (for then I would not even have noticed it),
οὐδὲ παμπόνηρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσεξηύρηκέ τι.
nor merely utterly wicked, but he has also invented something extra.
τὴν γὰρ αὑτοῦ γλῶτταν αἰσχραῖς ἡδοναῖς λυμαίνεται,
For he defiles his own tongue with shameful pleasures,
ἐν κασωρείοισι λείχων τὴν ἀπόπτυστον δρόσον,
licking the detestable fluid in brothels,
καὶ μολύνων τὴν ὑπήνην καὶ κυκῶν τὰς ἐσχάρας,
and polluting his beard and defiling the female parts,
καὶ Πολυμνήστεια ποιῶν καὶ ξυνὼν Οἰωνίχῳ.
and performing Polymnestan acts and associating with Oeonichus.
ὅστις οὖν τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα μὴ σφόδρα βδελύττεται,
Whoever, then, does not extremely loathe such a man,
οὔ ποτʼ ἐκ ταὐτοῦ μεθʼ ἡμῶν πίεται ποτηρίου.
shall never drink from the same cup with us.
ἦ πολλάκις ἐννυχίαισι
Indeed, often in nightly
φροντίσι συγγεγένημαι,
meditations have I been,
καὶ διεζήτηχʼ ὁπόθεν ποτὲ φαύλως ἐσθίει Κλεώνυμος.
and have searched out from where on earth Cleonymus eats so greedily.
φασὶ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐρεπτόμενον τὰ τῶν ἐχόντων ἀνέρων
For they say that when he was grazing on the food of rich men,
οὐκ ἂν ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς σιπύης· τοὺς δʼ ἀντιβολεῖν ἂν ὅμως·
he would not come away from the bread-bin; and they would nevertheless entreat him:
ἴθʼ ὦ ἄνα πρὸς γονάτων, ἔξελθε καὶ σύγγνωθι τῇ τραπέζῃ.
”Go, o master, by your knees, get out and spare the table!”
φασὶν ἀλλήλαις ξυνελθεῖν τὰς τριήρεις ἐς λόγον,
They say that the triremes met together for a discussion,
καὶ μίαν λέξαι τινʼ αὐτῶν ἥτις ἦν γεραιτέρα·
and one of them, which was older, said:
οὐδὲ πυνθάνεσθε ταῦτʼ ὦ παρθένοι τἀν τῇ πόλει;
”Do you not even hear of these things, o maidens in the city?
φασὶν αἰτεῖσθαί τινʼ ἡμῶν ἑκατὸν ἐς Καρχηδόνα
They say that a hundred of us are being demanded for Carthage,
ἄνδρα μοχθηρὸν πολίτην ὀξίνην Ὑπέρβολον·
by that wretched citizen, the sour-wine Hyperbolus.”
ταῖς δὲ δόξαι δεινὸν εἶναι τοῦτο κοὐκ ἀνασχετόν,
And to them this seemed dreadful and intolerable,
καί τινʼ εἰπεῖν ἥτις ἀνδρῶν ἆσσον οὐκ ἐληλύθει·
and one of them said, which had never gone near men:
ἀποτρόπαἰ οὐ δῆτʼ ἐμοῦ γʼ ἄρξει ποτʼ, ἀλλʼ ἐάν με χρῇ,
”Heaven forbid! He shall never rule me indeed; but if I must,
ὑπὸ τερηδόνων σαπεῖσʼ ἐνταῦθα καταγηράσομαι·
rotted by shipworms, I will grow old right here.
οὐδὲ Ναυφάντης γε τῆς Ναύσωνος, οὐ δῆτʼ ὦ θεοί,
Nor indeed shall Nauphante, daughter of Nauson, submit—no, by the gods!—
εἴπερ ἐκ πεύκης γε κἀγὼ καὶ ξύλων ἐπηγνύμην.
if indeed I too was built of pine and timber.
ἢν δʼ ἀρέσκῃ ταῦτʼ Ἀθηναίοις, καθῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖ
But if this pleases the Athenians, it seems best to me that we sail
ἐς τὸ Θησεῖον πλεούσαις ἢ ʼπὶ τῶν σεμνῶν θεῶν.
to the Theseum or to the temple of the August Goddesses and sit there.
οὐ γὰρ ἡμῶν γε στρατηγῶν ἐγχανεῖται τῇ πόλει·
For he shall not mock our city by commanding us.
ἀλλὰ πλείτω χωρὶς αὐτὸς ἐς κόρακας, εἰ βούλεται,
But let him sail alone to the crows, if he wants to,
τὰς σκάφας, ἐν αἷς ἐπώλει τοὺς λύχνους, καθελκύσας.
having launched the troughs in which he used to sell his lamps.”
εὐφημεῖν χρὴ καὶ στόμα κλῄειν καὶ μαρτυριῶν ἀπέχεσθαι,
Agoracritus: It is necessary to keep holy silence, and close the mouth, and abstain from testimonies,
καὶ τὰ δικαστήρια συγκλῄειν οἷς ἡ πόλις ἥδε γέγηθεν,
and close the law-courts in which this city rejoiced,
ἐπὶ καιναῖσιν δʼ εὐτυχίαισιν παιωνίζειν τὸ θέατρον.
and let the theater sing paeans for the new fortunes.
ὦ ταῖς ἱεραῖς φέγγος Ἀθήναις καὶ ταῖς νήσοις ἐπίκουρε,
Chorus: O light to sacred Athens and helper of the islands,
τίνʼ ἔχων φήμην ἀγαθὴν ἥκεις, ἐφʼ ὅτῳ κνισῶμεν ἀγυιάς;
with what good news have you come, for which we should fill the streets with sacrificial smoke?
τὸν Δῆμον ἀφεψήσας4 ὑμῖν καλὸν ἐξ αἰσχροῦ πεποίηκα.
Agoracritus: By boiling down Demus, I have made him beautiful for you instead of ugly.
καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν νῦν ὦ θαυμαστὰς ἐξευρίσκων ἐπινοίας;
Chorus: And where is he now, o discoverer of marvelous inventions?
ἐν ταῖσιν ἰοστεφάνοις οἰκεῖ ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις.
Agoracritus: He dwells in the ancient, violet-crowned Athens.
πῶς ἂν ἴδοιμεν; ποίαν τινʼ ἔχει σκευήν; ποῖος γεγένηται;
Chorus: How might we see him? What kind of attire does he wear? What has he become?
οἷός περ Ἀριστείδῃ πρότερον καὶ Μιλτιάδῃ ξυνεσίτει.
Agoracritus: Such as he used to dine with Aristides and Miltiades of old.
ὄψεσθε δέ· καὶ γὰρ ἀνοιγνυμένων ψόφος ἤδη τῶν προπυλαίων.
You shall see indeed; for already there is the sound of the Propylaea being opened.
ἀλλʼ ὀλολύξατε φαινομέναισιν ταῖς ἀρχαίαισιν Ἀθήναις
But raise a joyful shout for the ancient Athens appearing,
καὶ θαυμασταῖς καὶ πολυύμνοις, ἵνʼ ὁ κλεινὸς Δῆμος ἐνοικεῖ.
both marvelous and much-sung, where the glorious Demus dwells.
ὦ ταὶ λιπαραὶ καὶ ἰοστέφανοι καὶ ἀριζήλωτοι Ἀθῆναι,
Chorus: O glittering and violet-crowned and highly-envied Athens,
δείξατε τὸν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ὑμῖν καὶ τῆς γῆς τῆσδε μόναρχον.
show to us the monarch of Hellas and of this land.
ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τεττιγοφόρας, ἀρχαίῳ σχήματι λαμπρός,
Agoracritus: There is he himself, wearing the cicada-locust, splendid in ancient attire,
- 1258κρινόμενος
Present passive participle of κρίνω, meaning "being judged" or "brought to trial". Used with the prepositional phrase ἐν τἀγορᾷ ("in the marketplace") to explain the etymological origin of the name Agoracritus (Ἀγοράκριτος, from agora "marketplace" + kritos "judged/decided"). It suggests that he earned his livelihood through constant involvement in public lawsuits in the agora.
- 1266μηδὲν ἐς Λυσίστρατον
An elliptical phrase lacking a verb, standing either in parallel with the following infinitive λυπεῖν ("to vex") or implying an omitted verb of attacking or mentioning ("without at all attacking/mentioning Lysistratus"). The chorus uses paralipsis, a rhetorical device where they claim they will not mock someone, yet do so by mentioning their name.
- 1277οὐκ ἂν ἐξελθεῖν... τοὺς δʼ ἀντιβολεῖν ἂν
Infinitive with ἄν in indirect discourse, dependent on φασίν ("they say"). This construction represents the iterative or habitual past (ἄν + imperfect indicative in direct discourse: οὐκ ἂν ἐξῆλθεν... οἱ δʼ ἠντιβόλουν ἄν). It depicts a repeatedly occurring comic scene in the past: "he would never come away... and they would entreat him."
- 1321ἀφεψήσας
Active aorist participle of ἀφέψω ("to boil down", "rejuvenate by boiling"). It references the mythical magic of Medea, who rejuvenated old individuals by boiling them in a cauldron. Here, it humorously suggests that the Sausage-Seller (Agoracritus), applying his culinary trade of boiling meats, has dramatically rejuvenated the decrepit "Demus" back to his glorious golden age.