- 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.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:1118-1196
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
After the chorus promises benefits and issues threats to the judges, Strepsiades goes to fetch his son Pheidippides, fearing the upcoming due date for his debts. Pheidippides, having mastered sophistry, surprises his father with his legal arguments regarding the end of the month.
ὕσομεν πρώτοισιν ὑμῖν, τοῖσι δʼ ἄλλοις ὕστερον.
We will rain upon you first, and upon the others later.
εἶτα τὸν καρπὸν τεκούσας ἀμπέλους φυλάξομεν,
Then we will guard the grapevines that produce fruit,
ὥστε μήτʼ αὐχμὸν πιέζειν μήτʼ ἄγαν ἐπομβρίαν.
so that neither drought nor excessive rain oppresses them.
ἢν δʼ ἀτιμάσῃ τις ἡμᾶς θνητὸς ὢν οὔσας θεάς,
But if anyone, being a mortal, dishonors us who are goddesses,
προσεχέτω τὸν νοῦν, πρὸς ἡμῶν οἷα πείσεται κακά,
let him pay attention to what kind of evils he will suffer from us,
λαμβάνων οὔτʼ οἶνον οὔτʼ ἄλλʼ οὐδὲν ἐκ τοῦ χωρίου.
receiving neither wine nor anything else from his land.
ἡνίκʼ ἂν γὰρ αἵ τʼ ἐλαῖαι βλαστάνωσʼ αἵ τʼ ἄμπελοι,
For whenever the olives and the vines sprout,
ἀποκεκόψονται· τοιαύταις σφενδόναις παιήσομεν.
they will be cut off; we will strike with such slingshots.
ἢν δὲ πλινθεύοντʼ ἴδωμεν, ὕσομεν καὶ τοῦ τέγους
And if we see him making bricks, we will rain, and
τὸν κέραμον αὐτοῦ χαλάζαις στρογγύλαις συντρίψομεν.
we will shatter the tiles of his roof with round hailstones.
κἂν γαμῇ ποτʼ αὐτὸς ἢ τῶν ξυγγενῶν ἢ τῶν φίλων,
And if ever he himself, or any of his kinsmen or friends, gets married,
ὕσομεν τὴν νύκτα πᾶσαν· ὥστʼ ἴσως βουλήσεται
we will rain the whole night; so that he will probably wish
κἂν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τυχεῖν ὢν μᾶλλον ἢ κρῖναι κακῶς.
even to have happened to be in Egypt rather than to have judged badly.
πέμπτη, τετράς, τρίτη, μετὰ ταύτην δευτέρα,
Strepsiades: Fifth, fourth, third, and after this the second,
εἶθʼ ἣν ἐγὼ μάλιστα πασῶν ἡμερῶν
and then the day which I, most of all days,
δέδοικα καὶ πέφρικα καὶ βδελύττομαι,
fear and shudder at and detest,
εὐθὺς μετὰ ταύτην ἔσθʼ ἕνη τε καὶ νέα.
straight after this is the Old-and-New day.
πᾶς γάρ τις ὀμνὺς οἷς ὀφείλων τυγχάνω,
For everyone to whom I happen to owe money,
θείς μοι πρυτανεῖʼ ἀπολεῖν μέ φησι κἀξολεῖν,
depositing court fees, says he will ruin and destroy me,
κἀμοῦ μέτριά τε καὶ δίκαιʼ αἰτουμένου,
and when I ask for moderate and just terms, saying,
ὦ δαιμόνιε τὸ μέν τι νυνὶ μὴ λάβῃς,
“My good sir, don’t take one part now,
τὸ δʼ ἀναβαλοῦ μοι, τὸ δʼ ἄφες , οὔ φασίν ποτε
and postpone another part for me, and forgive another,” they say they will never
οὕτως ἀπολήψεσθʼ, ἀλλὰ λοιδοροῦσί με
receive it back in this way, but they abuse me,
ὡς ἄδικός εἰμι, καὶ δικάσεσθαί φασί μοι.
saying that I am unjust, and say they will sue me.
νῦν οὖν δικαζέσθων· ὀλίγον γάρ μοι μέλει,
Now then let them sue! For I care little,
εἴπερ μεμάθηκεν εὖ λέγειν Φειδιππίδης.
if indeed Pheidippides has learned to speak well.
τάχα δʼ εἴσομαι κόψας1 τὸ φροντιστήριον.
And soon I shall know, having knocked at the Thinkery.
παῖ, ἠμί, παῖ παῖ.
Boy! I say, boy, boy!
Στρεψιάδην ἀσπάζομαι.
Socrates: I greet Strepsiades.
κἄγωγέ σʼ· ἀλλὰ τουτονὶ πρῶτον λαβέ·
Strepsiades: And I you; but first take this here;
χρὴ γὰρ ἐπιθαυμάζειν τι τὸν διδάσκαλον.
for one must pay some tribute of admiration to the teacher.
καί μοι τὸν υἱὸν εἰ μεμάθηκε τὸν λόγον
And tell me if my son has learned that argument,
ἐκεῖνον εἴφʼ ὃν ἀρτίως εἰσήγαγες.
the one which you recently introduced him to.
μεμάθηκεν.
Socrates: He has learned it.
εὖ γʼ ὦ παμβασίλειʼ Ἀπαιόλη.
Strepsiades: Splendid, O all-ruling Deceit!
ὥστʼ ἀποφύγοις ἂν ἥντινʼ ἂν βούλῃ δίκην.
Socrates: So that you could escape whatever lawsuit you wish.
κεἰ μάρτυρες παρῆσαν, ὅτʼ ἐδανειζόμην;
Strepsiades: Even if witnesses were present when I was borrowing?
πολλῷ γε μᾶλλον, κἂν παρῶσι χίλιοι.
Socrates: Much more so, even if a thousand were present.
βοάσομαί τἄρα τὰν ὑπέρτονον
Strepsiades: Then indeed I will shout that loudest
βοάν. ἰὼ κλάετʼ ὦ ʼβολοστάται
shout. “Ho, weep, O obol-weighers,
αὐτοί τε καὶ τἀρχαῖα καὶ τόκοι τόκων·
both yourselves and your principals and interest upon interest!
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄν με φλαῦρον ἐργάσαισθʼ ἔτι,
For you could never do anything harmful to me anymore,
οἷος ἐμοὶ τρέφεται
such a son is being reared for me
τοῖσδʼ ἐνὶ δώμασι παῖς,
in these houses,
ἀμφήκει γλώττῃ λάμπων,
shining with a double-edged tongue,
πρόβολος ἐμός, σωτὴρ δόμοις, ἐχθροῖς βλάβη,
my champion, savior for the home, harm to enemies,
λυσανίας πατρῴων μεγάλων κακῶν·
deliverer from great paternal troubles!
ὃν κάλεσον τρέχων ἔνδοθεν ὡς ἐμέ.
Run and call him out from within to me.”
ὦ τέκνον ὦ παῖ ἔξελθʼ οἴκων,
“O child, O son, come out of the house,
ἄιε σοῦ πατρός.
listen to your father.”
ὅδʼ ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ.
Socrates: Here is that man.
ὦ φίλος ὦ φίλος.
Strepsiades: O dear one, O dear one!
ἄπιθι συλλαβών.
Socrates: Take him and go.
ἰὼ ἰὼ τέκνον, ἰὼ ἰοῦ ἰοῦ.
Strepsiades: Oh, oh, child! Oh, oh, oh!
ὡς ἥδομαί σου πρῶτα τὴν χρόαν ἰδών.
How pleased I am, first at seeing your complexion!
νῦν μέν γʼ ἰδεῖν2 εἶ πρῶτον ἐξαρνητικὸς
Now indeed, to look at, you are first of all denying,
κἀντιλογικός, καὶ τοῦτο τοὐπιχώριον
and argumentative, and this local thing
ἀτεχνῶς ἐπανθεῖ, τὸ τί λέγεις σύ; καὶ δοκεῖν
absolutely blooms: the “what do you say?” and the seeming,
ἀδικοῦντʼ ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ κακουργοῦντʼ οἶδʼ ὅτι·
even when doing wrong to seem to be wronged, I know well.
ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου τʼ ἐστὶν Ἀττικὸν βλέπος.
And upon your face is an Attic look.
νῦν οὖν ὅπως σώσεις μʼ, ἐπεὶ κἀπώλεσας.
Now then, see that you save me, since you also ruined me.
φοβεῖ δὲ δὴ τί;
Pheidippides: What indeed do you fear?
τὴν ἕνην τε καὶ νέαν.
Strepsiades: The Old-and-New day.
ἕνη γάρ ἐστι καὶ νέα τις ἡμέρα;
Pheidippides: For is there any day that is old and new?
εἰς ἥν γε θήσειν τὰ πρυτανεῖά φασί μοι.
Strepsiades: On which indeed they say they will deposit the court fees against me.
ἀπολοῦσʼ ἄρʼ αὔθʼ οἱ θέντες· οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅπως
Pheidippides: Then those who deposit them will lose them; for there is no way
μίʼ ἡμέρα γένοιτʼ ἂν ἡμέρα δύο.
one day could become two days.
οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο;
Strepsiades: It could not?
πῶς γάρ; εἰ μή πέρ γʼ ἅμα
Pheidippides: For how? Unless indeed at the same time
αὑτὴ γένοιτʼ ἂν γραῦς τε καὶ νέα γυνή.
the same woman could become both an old woman and a young woman.
καὶ μὴν νενόμισταί γʼ.
Strepsiades: And yet it is established by law.
οὐ γάρ, οἶμαι, τὸν νόμον
Pheidippides: Yes, because, I think, they do not know
ἴσασιν ὀρθῶς ὅ τι νοεῖ.
the law correctly, what it intends.
νοεῖ δὲ τί;
Strepsiades: And what does it intend?
ὁ Σόλων ὁ παλαιὸς ἦν φιλόδημος τὴν φύσιν.
Pheidippides: Ancient Solon was by nature a friend of the people.
τουτὶ μὲν οὐδέν πω πρὸς ἕνην τε καὶ νέαν.
Strepsiades: This is not yet anything to do with the Old-and-New.
ἐκεῖνος οὖν τὴν κλῆσιν ἐς δύʼ ἡμέρας
Pheidippides: He therefore set the summons for two days,
ἔθηκεν, ἔς γε τὴν ἕνην τε καὶ νέαν,
to the Old-and-New day,
ἵνʼ αἱ θέσεις γίγνοιντο τῇ νουμηνίᾳ.
so that the deposits might be made on the new moon.
ἵνα δὴ τί3 τὴν ἕνην προσέθηχʼ;
Strepsiades: For what purpose then did he add the “Old” day?
ἵνʼ ὦ μέλε
Pheidippides: So that, my good sir,
παρόντες οἱ φεύγοντες ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ
the defendants, being present, on the day before
πρότερον ἀπαλλάττοινθʼ ἑκόντες, εἰ δὲ μή,
might settle and get off voluntarily; otherwise,
ἕωθεν ὑπανιῷντο τῇ νουμηνία.
they would be harassed early in the morning on the new moon.
πῶς οὐ δέχονται δῆτα τῇ νουμηνίᾳ
Strepsiades: Why then indeed do they not receive them on the new moon,
- 1144εἴσομαι κόψας
The participle construction with εἴσομαι (future of οἶδα). Usually meaning "I will know that I...", here it functions to express "I will find out by knocking" or "I will soon know once I have knocked."
- 1172ἰδεῖν
The infinitive ἰδεῖν is used to limit the adjectives ἐξαρνητικὸς and ἀντιλογικός, functioning as an epexegetic (or qualifying) infinitive meaning "to look at" or "in appearance".
- 1192ἵνα δὴ τί
An elliptical idiomatic expression meaning "for what purpose?" or "why indeed?". It is shortened from ἵνα γένηται τί ("in order that what might happen?"), with the verb omitted.