- 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-grc2:164-243
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Strepsiades enters the Thinkery, where the disciple recounts Socrates' strange scientific inquiries and trickery, and subsequently confronts Socrates himself suspending in a basket, begging to be taught how to speak to escape his debts.
τὸν πρωκτὸν ἠχεῖν1 ὑπὸ βίας τοῦ πνεύματος.
and that its rump resounds by the force of the breath.
σάλπιγξ ὁ πρωκτός ἐστιν ἄρα τῶν ἐμπίδων.
So the rump of gnats is a trumpet after all!
ὦ τρισμακάριος τοῦ διεντερεύματος.2
O thrice-blessed for this intestine-exploration!
ἦ ῥᾳδίως φεύγων ἂν ἀποφύγοι δίκην
Surely one who knows the intestine of a gnat
ὅστις δίοιδε τοὔντερον τῆς ἐμπίδος.
would easily escape a lawsuit.
πρώην δέ γε γνώμην μεγάλην ἀφῃρέθη
But just recently he was deprived of a great idea
ὑπʼ ἀσκαλαβώτου.
by a gecko.
τίνα τρόπον; κάτειπέ μοι.
In what way? Tell me.
ζητοῦντος αὐτοῦ3 τῆς σελήνης τὰς ὁδοὺς
While he was investigating the paths of the moon
καὶ τὰς περιφορὰς εἶτʼ ἄνω κεχηνότος
and its revolutions, and then was gaping upwards,
ἀπὸ τῆς ὀροφῆς νύκτωρ γαλεώτης κατέχεσεν.
in the night a gecko defecated on him from the ceiling.
ἥσθην γαλεώτῃ καταχέσαντι Σωκράτους.
I am delighted by the gecko that defecated on Socrates!
ἐχθὲς δέ γʼ ἡμῖν δεῖπνον οὐκ ἦν ἑσπέρας.
And yet, yesterday evening we had no dinner.
εἶεν· τί οὖν πρὸς τἄλφιτʼ ἐπαλαμήσατο;
Well then; what device did he contrive for some barley-meal?
κατὰ τῆς τραπέζης καταπάσας λεπτὴν τέφραν
Having sprinkled fine ash over the table,
κάμψας ὀβελίσκον εἶτα διαβήτην λαβὼν
and bent a roasting-spit, then taking a pair of compasses—
ἐκ τῆς παλαίστρας θοἰμάτιον ὑφείλετο.
he filched a cloak from the palaestra.
τί δῆτʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν Θαλῆν θαυμάζομεν;
Why indeed do we marvel at that Thales?
ἄνοιγʼ ἄνοιγʼ ἀνύσας τὸ φροντιστήριον,
Open, open the Thinkery quickly,
καὶ δεῖξον ὡς τάχιστά μοι τὸν Σωκράτη.
and show me Socrates as fast as possible.
μαθητιῶ γάρ· ἀλλʼ ἄνοιγε τὴν θύραν.
For I long to be a disciple; open the door.
ὦ Ἡράκλεις ταυτὶ ποδαπὰ τὰ θηρία;
O Heracles, what kind of beasts are these?
τί ἐθαύμασας; τῷ σοι δοκοῦσιν εἰκέναι;
What are you amazed at? What do they seem to you to resemble?
τοῖς ἐκ Πύλου ληφθεῖσι τοῖς Λακωνικοῖς.
Those Lacones captured at Pylos.
ἀτὰρ τί ποτʼ ἐς τὴν γῆν βλέπουσιν οὑτοιί;
But why on earth are these looking toward the ground?
ζητοῦσιν οὗτοι τὰ κατὰ γῆς.
These are searching for things under the earth.
βολβοὺς ἄρα
Then they are searching
ζητοῦσι. μή νυν τουτογὶ φροντίζετε·
for bulbs. Do not worry about this then;
ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδʼ ἵνʼ εἰσὶ μεγάλοι καὶ καλοί.
for I know where there are big and fine ones.
τί γὰρ οἵδε δρῶσιν οἱ σφόδρʼ ἐγκεκυφότες;
Then what are these doing, who are bent down so low?
οὗτοι δʼ ἐρεβοδιφῶσιν ὑπὸ τὸν Τάρταρον.
These are searching through Erebos under Tartarus.
τί δῆθʼ ὁ πρωκτὸς ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπει;
Why indeed does the rump look toward the heaven?
αὐτὸς καθʼ αὑτὸν ἀστρονομεῖν διδάσκεται.
It is learning astronomy all by itself.
ἀλλʼ εἴσιθʼ, ἵνα μὴ ʼκεῖνος ὑμῖν ἐπιτύχῃ.
But go inside, so that he may not light upon you.
μήπω γε μήπω γʼ· ἀλλʼ ἐπιμεινάντων, ἵνα
Not yet, not yet! But let them remain, so that
αὐτοῖσι κοινώσω τι πραγμάτιον ἐμόν.
I may share a little business of my own with them.
ἀλλʼ οὐχ οἷόν τʼ αὐτοῖσι πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα
But it is not possible for them to spend
ἔξω διατρίβειν πολὺν ἄγαν ἐστὶν χρόνον.
too much time outside in the open air.
πρὸς τῶν θεῶν τί γὰρ τάδʼ ἐστίν; εἰπέ μοι.
By the gods, what indeed is this? Tell me.
ἀστρονομία μὲν αὑτηί.
This is astronomy.
τουτὶ δὲ τί;
And what is this?
γεωμετρία.
Geometry.
τοῦτʼ οὖν τί ἐστι χρήσιμον;
What then is this useful for?
γῆν ἀναμετρῆσαι.
To measure the earth.
πότερα τὴν κληρουχικήν;
Whether the land-allotment?
οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὴν σύμπασαν.
No, but the whole of it.
ἀστεῖον λέγεις.
You speak of a clever thing.
τὸ γὰρ σόφισμα δημοτικὸν καὶ χρήσιμον.
For the invention is popular and useful.
αὕτη δέ σοι γῆς περίοδος πάσης. ὁρᾷς;
And here is a map of the whole earth for you. Do you see?
αἵδε μὲν Ἀθῆναι.
Here is Athens.
τί σὺ λέγεις; οὐ πείθομαι,
What do you say? I don’t believe you,
ἐπεὶ δικαστὰς οὐχ ὁρῶ καθημένους.
since I don’t see judges sitting.
ὡς τοῦτʼ ἀληθῶς Ἀττικὸν τὸ χωρίον.
In truth, this place is Attica.
καὶ ποῦ Κικυννῆς εἰσὶν οὑμοὶ δημόται;
And where are my fellow-demesmen of Cicynna?
ἐνταῦθʼ ἔνεισιν. ἡ δέ γʼ Εὔβοἰ, ὡς ὁρᾷς,
They are in here. And Euboea, as you see,
ἡδὶ παρατέταται μακρὰ πόρρω πάνυ.
is stretched out here, very long and far.
οἶδʼ· ὑπὸ γὰρ ἡμῶν παρετάθη4 καὶ Περικλέους.
I know; for it was stretched out (racked) by us and Pericles.
ἀλλʼ ἡ Λακεδαίμων ποῦ ʼσθʼ;
But where is Lacedaemon?
ὅπου ʼστίν; αὑτηί.
Where is it? Right here.
ὡς ἐγγὺς ἡμῶν. τοῦτο πάνυ φροντίζετε,
How close to us! Think very hard on this,
ταύτην ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ἀπαγαγεῖν πόρρω πάνυ.
to move it very far away from us.
ἀλλʼ οὐχ οἷόν τε.
But it is not possible.
νὴ Δίʼ οἰμώξεσθʼ ἄρα.
By Zeus, you will lament then!
φέρε τίς γὰρ οὗτος οὑπὶ τῆς κρεμάθρας ἀνήρ;
Come, who is this man up on the hanging basket?
αὐτός.
Himself.
τίς αὐτός;
Who is “Himself”?
Σωκράτης.
Socrates.
ὦ Σώκρατες.
O Socrates!
ἴθʼ οὗτος, ἀναβόησον αὐτόν μοι μέγα.
Go, you, call him loud for me.
αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν σὺ κάλεσον· οὐ γάρ μοι σχολή.
Rather call him yourself; for I have no leisure.
ὦ Σώκρατες,
O Socrates!
ὦ Σωκρατίδιον.
O dear little Socrates!
τί με καλεῖς ὦφήμερε;
Why do you call me, O creature of a day?
πρῶτον μὲν ὅ τι δρᾷς ἀντιβολῶ κάτειπέ μοι.
First of all, I entreat you, tell me what you are doing.
ἀεροβατῶ καὶ περιφρονῶ τὸν ἥλιον.
I walk on air and look down upon (contemplate) the sun.
ἔπειτʼ ἀπὸ ταρροῦ τοὺς θεοὺς ὑπερφρονεῖς,
Then from a basket you look down on the gods,
ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, εἴπερ;
and not from the earth, if indeed?
οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποτε
For I could never
ἐξηῦρον ὀρθῶς τὰ μετέωρα πράγματα,
have correctly discovered celestial matters,
εἰ μὴ κρεμάσας τὸ νόημα καὶ τὴν φροντίδα
if I had not suspended my mind and mixed my subtle
λεπτὴν καταμείξας ἐς τὸν ὅμοιον ἀέρα.
thought into the kindred air.
εἰ δʼ ὢν χαμαὶ τἄνω κάτωθεν ἐσκόπουν,
And if I, being on the ground, looked at things above from below,
οὐκ ἄν ποθʼ ηὗρον· οὐ γὰρ ἀλλʼ5 ἡ γῆ βίᾳ
I would never have found them; for the earth by force
ἕλκει πρὸς αὑτὴν τὴν ἰκμάδα τῆς φροντίδος.
draws to itself the moisture of thought.
πάσχει δὲ ταὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ κάρδαμα.
And this very same thing happens also to watercress.
τί φῄς;
What do you say?
ἡ φροντὶς ἕλκει τὴν ἰκμάδʼ ἐς τὰ κάρδαμα;
Thought draws moisture to watercress?
ἴθι νυν κατάβηθʼ ὦ Σωκρατίδιον ὡς ἐμέ,
Come down then, O dear little Socrates, to me,
ἵνα με διδάξῃς ὧνπερ οὕνεκʼ ἐλήλυθα.
so that you may teach me those things for which I have come.
ἦλθες δὲ κατὰ τί;
And for what have you come?
βουλόμενος μαθεῖν λέγειν.
Wishing to learn how to speak.
ὑπὸ γὰρ τόκων χρήστων τε δυσκολωτάτων
For by interest and most difficult creditors
ἄγομαι φέρομαι, τὰ χρήματʼ ἐνεχυράζομαι.
I am plundered and despoiled, and my property is distrained.
πόθεν δʼ ὑπόχρεως σαυτὸν ἔλαθες γενόμενος;
And how did you become a debtor without knowing it?
νόσος μʼ ἐπέτριψεν ἱππικὴ δεινὴ φαγεῖν.
A horse-disease, terrible to eat away, ruined me.
- 164τὸν πρωκτὸν ἠχεῖν
An accusative and infinitive construction (indirect discourse) continued from the main verb ἔφασκεν ('he said') in the previous section (§160-163). The subject of the infinitive is τὸν πρωκτὸν, meaning '[he said] that the rump resounds'.
- 166τοῦ διεντερεύματος
Genitive of cause accompanying the exclamatory adjective ὦ τρισμακάριος.
- 171ζητοῦντος αὐτοῦ
Genitive absolute expressing time, meaning 'while he [Socrates] was investigating [the paths of the moon]'. The subsequent participle κεχηνότος (§172) also agrees with αὐτοῦ.
- 213παρετάθη
Aorist passive indicative of παρατείνω. It plays on a double meaning: the physical stretching out of the island Euboea on the map (§212), and being 'stretched out' (racked or exhausted) by war and taxation under Athenian rule.
- 232οὐ γὰρ ἀλλʼ
An idiomatic phrase expressing strong affirmation or emphatic explanation, meaning 'for indeed... non-other than' or 'for nothing other than...'. It emphasizes the causal relationship.