- 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-grc2:83-160
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The servants hit upon drinking wine to gain good ideas, and steal the sacred oracle from the sleeping Paphlagonian. The oracle prophesies that a series of merchants will rule Athens, each worse than the last, until a sausage-seller utterly destroys the Paphlagonian; they immediately begin persuading a passing sausage-seller.
βέλτιστον ἡμῖν αἷμα ταύρειον πιεῖν.1
The best thing for us is to drink bull’s blood.
ὁ Θεμιστοκλέους γὰρ θάνατος αἱρετώτερος.
For the death of Themistocles is more desirable.
μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἄκρατον οἶνον ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος.
No, by Zeus, but rather the unmixed wine of the Good Spirit.
ἴσως γὰρ ἂν χρηστόν τι βουλευσαίμεθα.
For perhaps we might form some good plan.
ἰδού γʼ ἄκρατον. περὶ πότου γοῦν ἐστί σοι;
Unmixed wine indeed! Is your mind really on drinking?
πῶς δʼ ἂν μεθύων χρηστόν τι βουλεύσαιτʼ ἀνήρ;
How could a drunk man form any good plan?
ἄληθες οὗτος; κρουνοχυτρολήραιον2 εἶ.
Is that true, you? You are a spout-pot-babbler.
οἶνον σὺ τολμᾷς εἰς ἐπίνοιαν λοιδορεῖν;
Do you dare to insult wine with respect to intelligence?
οἴνου γὰρ εὕροις ἄν τι πρακτικώτερον;
Could you find anything more practical than wine?
ὁρᾷς, ὅταν πίνωσιν ἄνθρωποι τότε
You see, whenever men drink, then
πλουτοῦσι διαπράττουσι νικῶσιν δίκας
they grow rich, they accomplish things, they win lawsuits,
εὐδαιμονοῦσιν ὠφελοῦσι τοὺς φίλους.
they are happy, they help their friends.
ἀλλʼ ἐξένεγκέ μοι ταχέως οἴνου χοᾶ,
But bring out to me quickly a pitcher of wine,
τὸν νοῦν ἵνʼ ἄρδω καὶ λέγω τι δεξιόν.
so that I may water my mind and say something clever.
οἴμοι τί ποθʼ ἡμᾶς ἐργάσει τῷ σῷ πότῳ;
Ah me! What on earth will you do to us with your drinking?
ἀγάθʼ· ἀλλʼ ἔνεγκʼ· ἐγὼ δὲ κατακλινήσομαι.
Good things. But bring it; and I will lie down.
ἢν γὰρ μεθυσθῶ, πάντα ταυτὶ καταπάσω
For if I get drunk, I will sprinkle all these things
βουλευματίων καὶ γνωμιδίων καὶ νοιδίων.
with little plans, and little maxims, and little thoughts.
ὡς εὐτυχῶς ὅτι οὐκ ἐλήφθην ἔνδοθεν
How lucky I am that I wasn’t caught inside
κλέπτων τὸν οἶνον.
stealing the wine!
εἰπέ μοι Παφλαγὼν τί δρᾷ;
Tell me, what is the Paphlagonian doing?
ἐπίπαστα λείξας δημιόπραθʼ ὁ βάσκανος
That ill-omened fellow, having licked the sauce-sprinkled public breads,
ῥέγκει μεθύων ἐν ταῖσι βύρσαις ὕπτιος.
is snoring, drunk, flat on his back among the hides.
ἴθι νυν ἄκρατον ἐγκάναξόν μοι πολὺν
Go now, pour me a great deal of unmixed wine
σπονδήν.
as a libation.
λαβὲ δὴ καὶ σπεῖσον ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος.
Take it indeed and pour a libation to the Good Spirit.
ἕλχʼ ἕλκε τὴν τοῦ δαίμονος τοῦ Πραμνίου.
Drink, drink deep of the Pramnian wine of the spirit.
ὦ δαῖμον ἀγαθὲ σὸν τὸ βούλευμʼ, οὐκ ἐμόν.
O Good Spirit, the plan is yours, not mine.
εἴπʼ, ἀντιβολῶ, τί ἔστι;
Speak, I entreat you, what is it?
τοὺς χρησμοὺς ταχὺ
Quickly steal and bring
κλέψας ἔνεγκε τοῦ Παφλαγόνος ἔνδοθεν,
the Paphlagonian’s oracles from inside,
ἕως καθεύδει.
while he is asleep.
ταῦτʼ. ἀτὰρ τοῦ δαίμονος
Very well. But I fear
δέδοιχʼ ὅπως μὴ τεύξομαι κακοδαίμονος.
lest I meet with an evil spirit instead of the Good Spirit.
φέρε νυν ἐγὼ μʼ αὐτῷ προσαγάγω τὸν χοᾶ.
Come now, let me bring the pitcher to myself,
τὸν νοῦν ἵνʼ ἄρδω καὶ λέγω τι δεξιόν.
so that I may water my mind and say something clever.
ὡς μεγάλʼ ὁ Παφλαγὼν πέρδεται καὶ ῥέγκεται,
How loudly the Paphlagonian farts and snores,
ὥστʼ ἔλαθον αὐτὸν τὸν ἱερὸν χρησμὸν λαβών,
so that I escaped his notice while taking the sacred oracle,
ὅνπερ μάλιστʼ ἐφύλαττεν.
which he was guarding most of all.
ὦ σοφώτατε.
O wisest one!
φέρʼ αὐτὸν ἵνʼ ἀναγνῶ· σὺ δʼ ἔγχεον πιεῖν
Bring it, so that I may read it; and you, pour me something to drink
ἀνύσας τι. φέρʼ ἴδω τί ἄρʼ ἔνεστιν αὐτόθι.
in a hurry. Come, let me see what is actually in there.
ὦ λόγια. δός μοι δὸς τὸ ποτήριον ταχύ.
O prophecies! Give me, give me the cup quickly.
ἰδού. τί φησʼ ὁ χρησμός;
Here. What does the oracle say?
ἑτέραν ἔγχεον.3
Pour another.
ἐν τοῖς λογίοις ἔνεστιν ἑτέραν ἔγχεον;
Is ‘pour another’ written in the prophecies?
ὦ Βάκι.
O Bacis!
τί ἔστι;
What is it?
δὸς τὸ ποτήριον ταχύ.
Give me the cup quickly.
πολλῷ γʼ ὁ Βάκις ἐχρῆτο τῷ ποτηρίῳ.
Bacis indeed made great use of the cup.
ὦ μιαρὲ Παφλαγὼν ταῦτʼ ἄρʼ ἐφυλάττου πάλαι,
O filthy Paphlagonian, was it for this that you were guarding it so long,
τὸν περὶ σεαυτοῦ χρησμὸν ὀρρωδῶν;
dreading the oracle about yourself?
τιή;
Why?
ἐνταῦθʼ ἔνεστιν, αὐτὸς ὡς ἀπόλλυται.
It is in here, how he himself is destroyed.
καὶ πῶς;
And how?
ὅπως; ὁ χρησμὸς ἄντικρυς λέγει
How? The oracle says outright
ὡς πρῶτα μὲν στυππειοπώλης γίγνεται,
that first of all a hemp-seller arises,
ὃς πρῶτος ἕξει τῆς πόλεως τὰ πράγματα.
who will be the first to manage the city’s affairs.
εἷς οὑτοσὶ πώλης. τί τοὐντεῦθεν; λέγε.
Here is one seller. What next? Tell me.
μετὰ τοῦτον αὖθις προβατοπώλης δεύτερος.
After him, next, a sheep-seller arises second.
δύο τώδε πώλα. καὶ τί τόνδε χρὴ παθεῖν;
Here are two sellers. And what is this one destined to suffer?
κρατεῖν, ἕως ἕτερος ἀνὴρ βδελυρώτερος
To rule until another man more detestable
αὐτοῦ γένοιτο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἀπόλλυται.
than he arises; and after that, he is destroyed.
ἐπιγίγνεται γὰρ βυρσοπώλης ὁ Παφλαγών,
For after him arises a leather-seller, the Paphlagonian,
ἅρπαξ κεκράκτης Κυκλοβόρου φωνὴν ἔχων.
a robber, a bawler, having the voice of Cycloborus.
τὸν προβατοπώλην ἦν ἄρʼ ἀπολέσθαι χρεὼν
So the sheep-seller was destined to be destroyed
ὑπὸ βυρσοπώλου;
by the leather-seller?
νὴ Δίʼ.
Yes, by Zeus.
οἴμοι δείλαιος.
Ah, wretched me!
πόθεν οὖν ἂν ἔτι γένοιτο πώλης εἶς μόνος;
Where then could there still arise just one more seller?
ἔτʼ ἐστὶν εἷς ὑπερφυᾶ τέχνην ἔχων.
There is still one who has a wonderful craft.
εἴπʼ, ἀντιβολῶ, τίς ἐστιν;
Speak, I entreat you, who is it?
εἴπω;
Shall I say?
νὴ Δία.
Yes, by Zeus.
ἀλλαντοπώλης ἔσθʼ ὁ τοῦτον ἐξολῶν.4
It is a sausage-seller who will utterly destroy him.
ἀλλαντοπώλης; ὦ Πόσειδον τῆς τέχνης.
A sausage-seller? O Poseidon, what a craft!
φέρε ποῦ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐξευρήσομεν;
Come, where shall we find this man?
ζητῶμεν αὐτόν.
Let us look for him.
ἀλλʼ ὁδὶ προσέρχεται
But look, here he comes,
ὥσπερ κατὰ θεὸν εἰς ἀγοράν.
as if by divine guidance, toward the market.
ὦ μακάριε
O blessed
ἀλλαντοπῶλα, δεῦρο δεῦρʼ ὦ φίλτατε
sausage-seller! Come here, come here, my dearest friend,
ἀνάβαινε σωτὴρ τῇ πόλει καὶ νῷν φανείς.
appear as a savior to the city and to us, and come up.
τί ἔστι; τί με καλεῖτε;
What is it? Why do you call me?
δεῦρʼ ἔλθʼ, ἵνα πύθῃ
Come here, so that you may learn
ὡς εὐτυχὴς εἶ καὶ μεγάλως εὐδαιμονεῖς.
how lucky you are and how greatly blessed.
ἴθι δὴ κάθελʼ αὐτοῦ τοὐλεὸν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ
Go now, take down his chopping block for him, and instruct him
τὸν χρησμὸν ἀναδίδαξον αὐτὸν ὡς ἔχει·
in the oracle of the god, how it stands;
ἐγὼ δʼ ἰὼν προσκέψομαι τὸν Παφλαγόνα.
and I will go and keep an eye on the Paphlagonian.
ἄγε δὴ σὺ κατάθου πρῶτα τὰ σκεύη χαμαί·
Come now, first put your equipment down on the ground;
ἔπειτα τὴν γῆν πρόσκυσον καὶ τοὺς θεούς.
then make obeisance to the earth and the gods.
ἰδού· τί ἔστιν;
There. What is it?
ὦ μακάριʼ ὦ πλούσιε,
O blessed, O wealthy one,
ὦ νῦν μὲν οὐδεὶς αὔριον δʼ ὑπέρμεγας,
O you who are nothing today, but tomorrow shall be exceedingly great,
ὦ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ταγὲ τῶν εὐδαιμόνων.
O leader of happy Athens!
τί μʼ ὦγάθʼ οὐ πλύνειν ἐᾷς τὰς κοιλίας
Why, my good sir, do you not let me wash my tripes?
- 83αἷμα ταύρειον πιεῖν
This infinitive phrase acts as the subject of the sentence, functioning with the predicate adjective βέλτιστον. In context, 'drinking bull's blood' refers to the legendary suicide of the Athenian general Themistocles, proposed as a means for the servants to escape their miserable situation 'most manfully'.
- 89κρουνοχυτρολήραιον
This is a comic compound adjective unique to Aristophanes, made up of κροῦνος ('jet/spring'), χύτρα ('pot'), and λῆρος ('nonsense/babble'), coined to abuse a sober critic of wine. It means 'one who spouts non-stop nonsense like a bubbling pot.' Translations in each language capture this mocking nuance.
- 121bἑτέραν ἔγχεον
The word ἑτέραν is feminine accusative singular, with a noun like κύλικα ('cup', feminine) understood. While reading the oracle, Demosthenes delivers his demand for more wine ('pour another') with mock solemnity as if it were part of the sacred text, leading to the humorous confusion of his companion.
- 143ἀλλαντοπώλης ἔσθʼ ὁ τοῦτον ἐξολῶν
The future participle ἐξολῶν (from ἐξόλλυμι, 'to destroy utterly') with the definite article ὁ functions substantively as 'the one who will destroy him.' This clause presents the identity of the next merchant (the sausage-seller) and his prophesied destiny to overthrow the Paphlagonian.