Demosthenes Expounds the Oracle to the Sausage-Seller — Aristophanes, Knights, lines 161–236, Greek & English

161

πωλεῖν τε τοὺς ἀλλᾶντας, ἀλλὰ καταγελᾷς;

To sell sausages, indeed! But are you mocking me?

ὦ μῶρε ποίας κοιλίας; δευρὶ βλέπε.

O fool, what do you mean by tripes? Look here.

τὰς στίχας ὁρᾷς τὰς τῶνδε τῶν λαῶν;

Do you see the ranks of these peoples?

ὁρῶ.

I see them.

τούτων ἁπάντων αὐτὸς ἀρχέλας ἔσει,

You yourself shall be the ruler over all of these,

165

καὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τῶν λιμένων καὶ τῆς πυκνός·

both of the marketplace, and of the harbors, and of the Pnyx;

βουλὴν πατήσεις καὶ στρατηγοὺς κλαστάσεις,

you shall trample on the Council, and cut the generals down,

δήσεις φυλάξεις, ἐν πρυτανείῳ λαικάσει.

you shall bind and guard them, and commit lewdness in the Prytaneum.

ἐγώ;

σὺ μέντοι· κοὐδέπω γε πάνθʼ ὁρᾷς.

You, indeed; and you do not yet see everything.

ἀλλʼ ἐπανάβηθι κἀπὶ τοὐλεὸν τοδὶ

But go up even onto this chopping block here

170

καὶ κάτιδε τὰς νήσους ἁπάσας ἐν κύκλῳ.

and look down upon all the islands in a circle.

καθορῶ.

I see them.

τί δαί; τἀμπόρια καὶ τὰς ὁλκάδας;

And what then? The emporiums and the merchant ships?

ἔγωγε.

Yes, indeed.

πῶς οὖν οὐ μεγάλως εὐδαιμονεῖς;

How then are you not greatly blessed?

ἔτι νῦν τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν παράβαλλʼ ἐς Καρίαν

Furthermore, cast your right eye now toward Caria,

τὸν δεξιόν, τὸν δʼ ἕτερον ἐς Καρχηδόνα.

and the other one toward Carthage.

175

εὐδαιμονήσω δʼ εἰ διαστραφήσομαι;

But shall I be happy if I squint?

οὐκ ἀλλὰ διὰ σοῦ ταῦτα πάντα πέρναται.

No, indeed, but all these things are sold through you.

γίγνει γάρ, ὡς ὁ χρησμὸς οὑτοσὶ λέγει,

For you are becoming, as this oracle says,

ἀνὴρ μέγιστος.

a most great man.

εἰπέ μοι καὶ πῶς ἐγὼ

Tell me, how shall I,

ἀλλαντοπώλης ὢν ἀνὴρ γενήσομαι;

being a sausage-seller, become a great man?

180

διʼ αὐτὸ γάρ τοι τοῦτο καὶ γίγνει μέγας,

For this very reason indeed you are becoming great,

ὁτιὴ πονηρὸς κἀξ ἀγορᾶς εἶ καὶ θρασύς.

because you are a rogue, from the marketplace, and bold.

οὐκ ἀξιῶ ʼγὼ ʼμαυτὸν ἰσχύειν μέγα.

I do not deem myself worthy of holding great power.

οἴμοι τί ποτʼ ἔσθʼ ὅτι σαυτὸν οὐ φῂς ἄξιον;

Ah me, why on earth do you say you are not worthy?

ξυνειδέναι τί μοι δοκεῖς σαυτῷ καλόν.

You seem to me to be conscious of something good in yourself.

185

μῶν ἐκ καλῶν εἶ κἀγαθῶν;

Surely you are not from noble and good families?

μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς

No, by the gods,

εἰ μὴ ʼκ πονηρῶν γʼ.

unless indeed from rogues.

ὦ μακάριε τῆς τύχης¹

O blessed in respect of your fortune,

ὅσον πέπονθας ἀγαθὸν ἐς τὰ πράγματα.

what a great advantage you have received for public affairs!

ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ οὐδὲ μουσικὴν ἐπίσταμαι

But, my good sir, I do not even know music,

πλὴν γραμμάτων, καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι κακὰ κακῶς.

except for reading and writing, and that indeed very poorly.

190

τουτὶ μόνον σʼ ἔβλαψεν, ὅτι καὶ κακὰ κακῶς.

Only this has harmed you, that you know it even poorly.

ἡ δημαγωγία γὰρ οὐ πρὸς μουσικοῦ

For demagogy is no longer the business of a cultured man

ἔτʼ ἐστὶν ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲ χρηστοῦ τοὺς τρόπους,

nor of one honest in character,

ἀλλʼ εἰς ἀμαθῆ καὶ βδελυρόν. ἀλλὰ μὴ παρῇς

but of an ignorant and abominable one. But do not let pass

ἅ σοι διδόασʼ ἐν τοῖς λογίοισιν οἱ θεοί.

what the gods are giving you in the oracles.

195

πῶς δῆτά φησʼ ὁ χρησμός;

How indeed does the oracle put it?

εὖ νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς

Well, by the gods,

καὶ ποικίλως πως καὶ σοφῶς ᾐνιγμένος·

and in a somewhat complex and clever way, riddling:

ἀλλʼ ὁπόταν μάρψῃ βυρσαίετος ἀγκυλοχήλης

’But when the crooked-taloned leather-eagle shall snatch

γαμφηλῇσι δράκοντα κοάλεμον αἱματοπώτην,

with his beak the silly, blood-drinking serpent,

δὴ τότε Παφλαγόνων μὲν ἀπόλλυται ἡ σκοροδάλμη,

then indeed the garlic-sauce of the Paphlagonians is destroyed,

200

κοιλιοπώλῃσιν δὲ θεὸς μέγα κῦδος ὀπάζει,

and to the tripe-sellers the god grants great glory,

αἴ κεν μὴ πωλεῖν ἀλλᾶντας μᾶλλον ἕλωνται.²

if they do not choose rather to stop selling sausages.’

πῶς οὖν πρὸς ἐμὲ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν; ἀναδίδασκέ με.

How then does this apply to me? Instruct me.

βυρσαίετος μὲν ὁ Παφλαγών ἐσθʼ οὑτοσί.

This leather-eagle is the Paphlagonian here.

τί δʼ ἀγκυλοχήλης ἐστίν;

And what is ‘crooked-taloned’?

αὐτό που λέγει,

It explains itself indeed,

205

ὅτι ἀγκύλαις ταῖς χερσὶν ἁρπάζων φέρει.

that he snatches and carries off with his crooked hands.

ὁ δράκων δὲ πρὸς τί;

And what is the serpent?

τοῦτο περιφανέστατον.

This is most obvious.

ὁ δράκων γάρ ἐστι μακρὸν ὅ τʼ ἀλλᾶς αὖ μακρόν.

For the serpent is long, and the sausage, in turn, is long.

εἶθʼ αἱματοπώτης ἔσθʼ ὅ τʼ ἀλλᾶς χὠ δράκων·

Then both the sausage and the serpent are blood-sellers;

τὸν οὖν δράκοντά φησι τὸν βυρσαίετον

so it says that the leather-eagle will soon be conquered

210

ἤδη κρατήσειν, αἴ κε μὴ θαλφθῇ λόγοις.

by the serpent, unless he is softened by words.

τὰ μὲν λόγιʼ αἰκάλλει με· θαυμάζω δʼ ὅπως

The oracles indeed flatter me; but I wonder how

τὸν δῆμον οἷός τʼ ἐπιτροπεύειν εἴμʼ ἐγώ.

I shall be capable of governing the people.

φαυλότατον ἔργον· ταῦθʼ ἅπερ ποιεῖς ποίει·

An easy task indeed; do just what you are doing;

τάραττε καὶ χόρδευʼ ὁμοῦ τὰ πράγματα

stir and mince all public affairs together,

215

ἅπαντα, καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀεὶ προσποιοῦ

and always win over the people

ὑπογλυκαίνων ῥηματίοις μαγειρικοῖς.

by sweetening them with little culinary phrases.

τὰ δʼ ἄλλα σοι πρόσεστι δημαγωγικά,

You have all other demagogic qualities,

φωνὴ μιαρά, γέγονας κακῶς, ἀγοραῖος εἶ·

a foul voice, low birth, and you are from the marketplace;

ἔχεις ἅπαντα πρὸς πολιτείαν ἃ δεῖ·

you have everything that is needed for politics;

220

χρησμοί τε συμβαίνουσι καὶ τὸ Πυθικόν.

both the oracles and the Pythian response agree.

ἀλλὰ στεφανοῦ καὶ σπένδε τῷ Κοαλέμῳ·

So crown yourself and pour a libation to Coalemus;

χὤπως ἀμυνεῖ³ τὸν ἄνδρα.

and see to it that you defend yourself against the man.

καὶ τίς ξύμμαχος

And who will be

γενήσεταί μοι; καὶ γὰρ οἵ τε πλούσιοι

an ally to me? For both the rich

δεδίασιν αὐτὸν ὅ τε πένης βδύλλει λεώς.

fear him, and the poor people shrink in terror.

225

ἀλλʼ εἰσὶν ἱππῆς ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ χίλιοι

But there are a thousand noble knights

μισοῦντες αὐτόν, οἳ βοηθήσουσί σοι,

who hate him, who will help you,

καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν οἱ καλοί τε κἀγαθοί,

and the noble and good among the citizens,

καὶ τῶν θεατῶν ὅστις ἐστὶ δεξιός,

and whoever among the spectators is clever,

κἀγὼ μετʼ αὐτῶν χὠ θεὸς ξυλλήψεται.

and I with them, and the god will assist.

230

καὶ μὴ δέδιθʼ· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἐξῃκασμένος,

And do not fear; for he is not represented with a likeness,

ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἤθελεν

for out of fear none of the mask-makers

τῶν σκευοποιῶν εἰκάσαι. πάντως γε μὴν

wanted to make a likeness of him. Yet surely

γνωσθήσεται· τὸ γὰρ θέατρον δεξιόν.

he will be recognized; for the theater is clever.

οἴμοι κακοδαίμων ὁ Παφλαγὼν ἐξέρχεται.

Ah me, the cursed Paphlagonian is coming out.

235

οὔτοι μὰ τοὺς δώδεκα θεοὺς χαιρήσετον,

By the twelve gods, you two shall not get away with this,

ὁτιὴ ʼπὶ τῷ δήμῳ ξυνόμνυτον πάλαι.

because you have long been conspiring against the people.

Syntax notes3 items

186bὦ μακάριε τῆς τύχης
Genitive of exclamation. The noun τῆς τύχης indicates the cause of the preceding exclamation ὦ μακάριε, meaning 'how fortunate in respect of your fortune.'
201αἴ κεν μὴ πωλεῖν ἀλλᾶντας μᾶλλον ἕλωνται
αἴ κεν is an Ionic/Epic dialectal form equivalent to ἐάν, introducing a conditional clause with the subjunctive. μὴ ... μᾶλλον ἕλωνται means 'should not choose rather [not to do so],' representing the condition 'if they do not choose rather to stop selling sausages (i.e., if they continue to sell them).'
222χὤπως ἀμυνεῖ
χὤπως is a crasis of καὶ ὅπως. The conjunction ὅπως followed by the future indicative (ἀμυνεῖ) expresses an independent command or strong exhortation ('see to it that you ward off...'), with the main verb of looking to/seeing to (such as ὁρᾶτε) being omitted.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:161-236