- 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-grc2:849-923
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The Sausage-Seller gains Demus's trust by exposing Cleon's preservation of the Pylos shields with their handles as a conspiracy to control the populace. The two rivals compete in flattering Demus with gifts of shoes and tunics, culminating in Cleon's threat to ruin the Sausage-Seller by burdening him with a trierarchy.
ταύτας ἐᾶν αὐτοῖσι τοῖς πόρπαξιν1 ἀνατεθῆναι.
Sausage-Seller:...to allow them to be dedicated with their handles and all.
ἀλλʼ ἐστὶ τοῦτʼ ὦ Δῆμε μηχάνημʼ, ἵνʼ ἢν σὺ βούλῃ
But this, O Demus, is a device, so that if you wish
τὸν ἄνδρα κολάσαι τουτονί, σοὶ τοῦτο μὴ κʼγένηται.2
to punish this man, this may not be possible for you.
ὁρᾷς γὰρ αὐτῷ στῖφος οἷόν ἐστι βυρσοπωλῶν
For you see what a crowd of young leather-sellers he has; and around them dwell honey-sellers
νεανιῶν· τούτους δὲ περιοικοῦσι μελιτοπῶλαι
and cheese-sellers; and this crowd is huddled together into one,
καὶ τυροπῶλαι· τοῦτο δʼ εἰς ἕν ἐστι συγκεκυφός,
so that if you should snort with anger and look as if playing ostrakinda,
ὥστʼ εἰ σὺ βριμήσαιο καὶ βλέψειας ὀστρακίνδα,
they would snatch up the shields in the night, and running,
νύκτωρ καθαρπάσαντες ἂν τὰς ἀσπίδας θέοντες
occupy our barley-supply entries.
τὰς ἐσβολὰς τῶν ἀλφίτων ἂν καταλάβοιεν ἡμῶν.3
Demus: Alas, wretch that I am! Do they indeed have handles? O you scoundrel,
οἴμοι τάλας· ἔχουσι γὰρ πόρπακας; ὦ πόνηρε
how long you have been cheating me, tricking the people with such devices!
ὅσον με παρεκόπτου χρόνον τοιαῦτα κρουσιδημῶν.
Cleon: My good sir, do not be at the mercy of the speaker, nor think that you will ever
ὦ δαιμόνιε μὴ τοῦ λέγοντος ἴσθι,4 μηδʼ οἰηθῇς
find a better friend than me; who, being single-handed,
ἐμοῦ ποθʼ εὑρήσειν φίλον βελτίονʼ· ὅστις εἷς ὢν
stopped the conspirators, and nothing that is being plotted in the city escapes me,
ἔπαυσα τοὺς ξυνωμότας, καί μʼ οὐ λέληθεν οὐδὲν
but I cry out immediately.
ἐν τῇ πόλει ξυνιστάμενον, ἀλλʼ εὐθέως κέκραγα.
Sausage-Seller: For you are just like those who hunt for eels.
ὅπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰς ἐγχέλεις θηρώμενοι πέπονθας.
When the lake is calm, they catch nothing;
ὅταν μὲν ἡ λίμνη καταστῇ, λαμβάνουσιν οὐδέν·
but if they stir the mud up and down,
ἐὰν δʼ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω τὸν βόρβορον κυκῶσιν,
they catch them. And you too catch things, if you disturb the city.
αἱροῦσι· καὶ σὺ λαμβάνεις, ἢν τὴν πόλιν ταράττῃς.
But tell me just this one thing: selling so many hides,
ἓν δʼ εἰπέ μοι τοσουτονί· σκύτη τοσαῦτα πωλῶν
have you ever yet given this man a sole from your own store
ἔδωκας ἤδη τουτῳὶ κάττυμα παρὰ σεαυτοῦ
for his shoes, while claiming to love him?
ταῖς ἐμβάσιν φάσκων φιλεῖν;
Cleon: Certainly not, by Apollo!
οὐ δῆτα μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω.
Sausage-Seller: Have you then indeed realized what kind of man he is? But I,
ἔγνωκας οὖν δῆτʼ αὐτὸν οἷός ἐστιν; ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σοι
having bought this pair of shoes, give them to you to wear.
ζεῦγος πριάμενος ἐμβάδων τουτὶ φορεῖν δίδωμι.
Demus: I judge you to be the best man of all I know toward the Demus,
κρίνω σʼ ὅσων ἐγᾦδα περὶ τὸν δῆμον ἄνδρʼ ἄριστον
and most well-disposed to the city and to my toes.
εὐνούστατόν τε τῇ πόλει καὶ τοῖσι δακτύλοισιν.
Cleon: Is it not indeed terrible for shoes to have so much power,
οὐ δεινὸν οὖν δῆτʼ ἐμβάδας τοσουτονὶ δύνασθαι,
and for you to have no memory of how many benefits you have received from me? I,
ἐμοῦ δὲ μὴ μνείαν ἔχειν ὅσων πέπονθας; ὅστις
who stopped the pathics, erasing Gryttus from the register!
ἔπαυσα τοὺς βινουμένους, τὸν Γρύττον ἐξαλείψας.
Sausage-Seller: Is it not indeed terrible for you to be a proctologist
οὔκουν σε δῆτα ταῦτα δεινόν ἐστι πρωκτοτηρεῖν
and to stop the pathics? And there is no way that you did not stop them
παῦσαί τε τοὺς βινουμένους; κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ἐκείνους
out of envy, so that they might not become orators.
οὐχὶ φθονῶν ἔπαυσας, ἵνα μὴ ῥήτορες γένωνται.
But seeing this man without a tunic, being of such an age,
τονδὶ δʼ ὁρῶν ἄνευ χιτῶνος ὄντα τηλικοῦτον
you never deemed Demus worthy of a double-sleeved coat,
οὐπώποτʼ ἀμφιμασχάλου τὸν Δῆμον ἠξίωσας
though it is winter! But I give you this one.
χειμῶνος ὄντος· ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σοι τουτονὶ δίδωμι.
Demus: Themistocles never thought of such a thing!
τοιουτονὶ Θεμιστοκλῆς οὐπώποτʼ ἐπενόησεν.
To be sure, that Peiraeus of his was clever; but to me indeed,
καίτοι σοφὸν κἀκεῖνʼ ὁ Πειραιεύς· ἔμοιγε μέντοι
it does not seem a greater invention than this tunic.
οὐ μεῖζον εἶναι φαίνετʼ ἐξεύρημα τοῦ χιτῶνος.
Cleon: Alas, wretch that I am! With what monkey-tricks you outmaneuver me!
οἴμοι τάλας οἵοις πιθηκισμοῖς με περιελαύνεις.
Sausage-Seller: No, but just as a drinking man does when he wants to ease himself,
οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ὅπερ πίνων ἀνὴρ πέπονθʼ ὅταν χεσείῃ,
I am using your methods like borrowed slippers.
τοῖσιν τρόποις τοῖς σοῖσιν ὥσπερ βλαυτίοισι χρῶμαι.
Cleon: But you shall not surpass me in flattery! For I will wrap him
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὑπερβαλεῖ με θωπείαις· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτὸν
in this as well; and you go howl, you scoundrel!
προσαμφιῶ τοδί· σὺ δʼ οἴμωζʼ ὦ πόνηρʼ.
Sausage-Seller: Phew! Yuck!
ἰαιβοῖ.
Go to the crows, and take yourself off, smelling most vilely of hide!
οὐκ ἐς κόρακας ἀποφθερεῖ βύρσης κάκιστον ὄζων;
Indeed, he wrapped you in this on purpose, so that he might suffocate you!
καὶ τοῦτό γʼ ἐπίτηδές σε περιήμπεσχʼ, ἵνα σʼ ἀποπνίξῃ·
And before this, he plotted against you. Do you know that stalk of silphium,
καὶ πρότερον ἐπεβούλευσέ σοι. τὸν καυλὸν οἶσθʼ ἐκεῖνον
which became so cheap?
τοῦ σιλφίου τὸν ἄξιον γενόμενον;
Demus: I do indeed.
οἶδα μέντοι.
Sausage-Seller: He purposely pushed for it to become so cheap,
ἐπίτηδες οὗτος αὐτὸν ἔσπευδʼ ἄξιον γενέσθαι,
so that people would buy and eat it, and then in the Heliaea,
ἵνʼ ἐσθίοιτʼ ὠνούμενοι, κἄπειτʼ ἐν ἡλιαίᾳ
the dicasts, by farting, might kill one another!
βδέοντες ἀλλήλους ἀποκτείνειαν οἱ δικασταί.
Demus: By Poseidon, a man from Copreus said that to me as well!
νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ τοῦτʼ εἶπʼ ἀνὴρ Κόπρειος.
Sausage-Seller: For were you not then indeed turned red by farting?
οὐ γὰρ τόθʼ ὑμεῖς βδεόμενοι δήπου ʼγένεσθε πυρροί;
Demus: And by Zeus, that was indeed the scheme of Pyrrandrus!
καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ἦν γε τοῦτο Πυρράνδρου τὸ μηχάνημα.
Cleon: With what buffooneries, you scoundrel, do you disturb me!
οἵοισί μʼ ὦ πανοῦργε βωμολοχεύμασιν ταράττεις.
Sausage-Seller: For the goddess ordered me to conquer you in braggartry.
ἡ γὰρ θεός μʼ ἐκέλευσε νικῆσαί σʼ ἀλαζονείαις.
Cleon: But you shall not win! For I declare that I will provide you,
ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ νικήσεις. ἐγὼ γάρ φημί σοι παρέξειν
O Demus, with a bowl of soup to sup up, without you doing anything, from your pay.
ὦ Δῆμε μηδὲν δρῶντι μισθοῦ τρύβλιον ῥοφῆσαι.
Sausage-Seller: And I give you a little jar and medicine
ἐγὼ δὲ κυλίχνιόν γέ σοι καὶ φάρμακον δίδωμι
to smear over the small sores on your shins.
τἀν τοῖσιν ἀντικνημίοις ἑλκύδρια περιαλείφειν.
Cleon: And I, plucking out your gray hairs, will make you young again!
ἐγὼ δὲ τὰς πολιάς γέ σοὐκλέγων νέον ποιήσω.
Sausage-Seller: Look, take this hare’s tail to wipe your dear little eyes.
ἰδοὺ δέχου κέρκον λαγῶ τὠφθαλμιδίω περιψῆν.
Cleon: O Demus, when you have blown your nose, wipe it on my head!
ἀπομυξάμενος ὦ Δῆμέ μου πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποψῶ.
Sausage-Seller: No, on mine!
ἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν.
Cleon: No, on mine!
ἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν.
I will make you perform the trierarchy,
ἐγώ σε ποιήσω τριηραρχεῖν
spending from your
ἀναλίσκοντα τῶν
own resources, having an old ship,
σαυτοῦ, παλαιὰν ναῦν ἔχοντʼ,
on which you will not stop spending
εἰς ἣν ἀναλῶν οὐκ ἐφέξεις
and building;
οὐδὲ ναυπηγούμενος·5
and I will contrive so that
διαμηχανήσομαί θʼ ὅπως
you receive a rotten sail!
ἂν ἱστίον σαπρὸν λάβῃς.
Chorus: The man is seething, stop, stop!
ἁνὴρ παφλάζει, παῦε παῦʼ,
Boiling over; we must draw away
ὑπερζέων· ὑφελκτέον
some of the firewood, and ladle out some
τῶν δᾳδίων ἀπαρυστέον
of his threats with this!
τε τῶν ἀπειλῶν ταυτῃί.δώσεις ἐμοὶ καλὴν δίκην
Sausage-Seller: You shall pay me a handsome penalty,
- 849αὐτοῖσι τοῖς πόρπαξιν
The construction of "αὐτός + dative" expressing accompaniment, meaning "together with..." or "handles and all".
- 850–851ἵνʼ ἢν σὺ βούλῃ τὸν ἄνδρα κολάσαι τουτονί, σοὶ τοῦτο μὴ κʼγένηται.
Within the purpose clause introduced by ἵνʼ, a conditional clause ἢν σὺ βούλῃ is embedded, leading to the subjunctive apodosis μὴ κʼγένηται (either γένηται or ἐγγένηται, "to be possible").
- 855–857ὥστʼ εἰ σὺ βριμήσαιο καὶ βλέψειας ὀστρακίνδα, νύκτωρ καθαρπάσαντες ἂν τὰς ἀσπίδας θέοντες τὰς ἐσβολὰς τῶν ἀλφίτων ἂν καταλάβοιεν ἡμῶν.
Following the consecutive conjunction ὥστʼ, a future-less-vivid conditional structure is formed by εἰ with optatives (βριμήσαιο, βλέψειας) in the protasis, and ἄν with optative (καταλάβοιεν) in the apodosis. The participles καθαρπάσαντες and θέοντες are nominative agreeing with the subject of the main verb. The particle ἄν is repeated for emphasis.
- 860μὴ τοῦ λέγοντος ἴσθι
The genitive τοῦ λέγοντος functions as a predicate genitive of possession/dependence with the imperative ἴσθι, meaning "do not be at the mercy of the speaker."
- 912–916ἐγώ σε ποιήσω τριηραρχεῖν ἀναλίσκοντα τῶν σαυτοῦ, παλαιὰν ναῦν ἔχοντʼ, εἰς ἣν ἀναλῶν οὐκ ἐφέξεις οὐδὲ ναυπηγούμενος
A causative construction with ποιήσω + accusative + infinitive (capsulating σε τριηραρχεῖν). The accusative participles ἀναλίσκοντα and ἔχοντʼ agree with σε, and the relative clause εἰς ἣν... modifies ναῦν (implied in the relative pronoun). The phrase οὐκ ἐφέξεις in the relative clause means "you will not stop."