The Moon's Warning and Lessons on Meter and Gender — Aristophanes, Clouds, lines 621–698, Greek & English

621

πολλάκις δʼ ἡμῶν ἀγόντων τῶν θεῶν ἀπαστίαν,

Often, while we gods are keeping a fast,

ἡνίκʼ ἂν πενθῶμεν ἢ τὸν Μέμνονʼ ἢ Σαρπηδόνα,

whenever we mourn either Memnon or Sarpedon,

σπένδεθʼ ὑμεῖς καὶ γελᾶτʼ· ἀνθʼ ὧν λαχὼν Ὑπέρβολος

you pour libations and laugh; in return for which, Hyperbolus, having been chosen

τῆτες ἱερομνημονεῖν, κἄπειθʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν τῶν θεῶν

this year to be hieromnemon, was then by us gods

625

τὸν στέφανον ἀφῃρέθη·¹ μᾶλλον γὰρ οὕτως εἴσεται

deprived of his crown; for in this way he will rather know

κατὰ σελήνην ὡς ἄγειν χρὴ τοῦ βίου τὰς ἡμέρας.

how he must guide the days of his life according to the moon.

μὰ τὴν Ἀναπνοὴν μὰ τὸ Χάος μὰ τὸν Ἀέρα

By Respiration, by Chaos, by Air!

οὐκ εἶδον οὕτως ἄνδρʼ ἄγροικον οὐδένα

I have never seen any man so rustic,

οὐδʼ ἄπορον οὐδὲ σκαιὸν οὐδʼ ἐπιλήσμονα·

nor so helpless, nor so clumsy, nor so forgetful;

630

ὅστις σκαλαθυρμάτιʼ ἄττα μικρὰ μανθάνων

who, learning some tiny little quibbles,

ταῦτʼ ἐπιλέλησται πρὶν μαθεῖν· ὅμως γε μὴν

has forgotten them before learning them. Nevertheless, however,

αὐτὸν καλῶ θύραζε δευρὶ πρὸς τὸ φῶς.

I call him out here to the light.

ποῦ Στρεψιάδης; ἔξει τὸν ἀσκάντην λαβών;

Socrates: Where is Strepsiades? Will you come out, bringing your bed?

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐῶσί μʼ ἐξενεγκεῖν οἱ κόρεις.

Strepsiades: But the bugs do not allow me to carry it out.

635

ἀνύσας τι κατάθου καὶ πρόσεχε τὸν νοῦν.

Socrates: Put it down quickly and pay attention.

ἰδού.

Strepsiades: There, it is done.

ἄγε δὴ τί βούλει πρῶτα νυνὶ μανθάνειν

Socrates: Come now, what do you wish to learn first now

ὧν οὐκ ἐδιδάχθης πώποτʼ οὐδέν; εἰπέ μοι.

of those things of which you have never been taught anything? Tell me.

πότερα περὶ μέτρων ἢ περὶ ἐπῶν ἢ ῥυθμῶν;

Whether about measures, or about verses, or about rhythms?

περὶ τῶν μέτρων ἔγωγʼ· ἔναγχος γάρ ποτε

Strepsiades: I indeed about measures; for lately

640

ὑπʼ ἀλφιταμοιβοῦ παρεκόπην διχοινίκῳ.

I was cheated by a meal-seller by two choenikes.

οὐ τοῦτʼ ἐρωτῶ σʼ, ἀλλʼ ὅ τι κάλλιστον μέτρον

Socrates: I do not ask you this, but what you consider to be

ἡγεῖ· πότερα τὸ τρίμετρον ἢ τὸ τετράμετρον;

the most beautiful measure: the trimeter or the tetrameter?

ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν πρότερον ἡμιεκτέου.

Strepsiades: I indeed nothing before the hemi-hecteus.

οὐδὲν λέγεις ὦνθρωπε.

Socrates: You are speaking nonsense, man.

περίδου² νυν ἐμοί,

Strepsiades: Bet me then,

645

εἰ μὴ τετράμετρόν ἐστιν ἡμιεκτέον.

if a hemi-hecteus is not a tetrameter.

ἐς κόρακας, ὡς ἄγροικος εἶ καὶ δυσμαθής.

Socrates: Go to the crows! How rustic and slow to learn you are.

ταχύ γʼ ἂν δύναιο μανθάνειν περὶ ῥυθμῶν.

You might quickly be able to learn about rhythms.

τί δέ μʼ ὠφελήσουσʼ οἱ ῥυθμοὶ πρὸς τἄλφιτα;

Strepsiades: But how will rhythms benefit me regarding barley-meal?

πρῶτον μὲν εἶναι κομψὸν ἐν συνουσίᾳ,

Socrates: First, to be elegant in company,

650

ἐπαΐονθʼ ὁποῖός ἐστι τῶν ῥυθμῶν

understanding what kind of rhythm is

κατʼ ἐνόπλιον, χὠποῖος αὖ κατὰ δάκτυλον.

according to the war-dance, and what kind again according to the dactyl.

κατὰ δάκτυλον; νὴ τὸν Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ οἶδʼ.

Strepsiades: According to the dactyl? By Zeus, but I know it!

εἰπὲ δή.

Socrates: Tell me then.

τίς ἄλλος ἀντὶ τουτουὶ τοῦ δακτύλου;

Strepsiades: What other than this finger?

πρὸ τοῦ μέν, ἔτʼ ἐμοῦ παιδὸς ὄντος, οὑτοσί.

In former times, while I was still a boy, this one.

655

ἀγρεῖος εἶ καὶ σκαιός.

Socrates: You are rustic and stupid.

οὐ γὰρ ᾠζυρὲ

Strepsiades: But, wretched man,

τούτων ἐπιθυμῶ μανθάνειν οὐδέν.

I do not desire to learn any of these things.

τί δαί;

Socrates: What then?

ἐκεῖνʼ ἐκεῖνο, τὸν ἀδικώτατον λόγον.

Strepsiades: That, that: the most unjust argument.

ἀλλʼ ἕτερα δεῖ σε πρότερα τούτου μανθάνειν,

Socrates: But you must learn other things before this:

τῶν τετραπόδων ἅττʼ ἐστὶν ὀρθῶς ἄρρενα.

which of the quadrupeds are correctly masculine.

660

ἀλλʼ οἶδʼ ἔγωγε τἄρρενʼ, εἰ μὴ μαίνομαι·

Strepsiades: But I indeed know the masculines, unless I am mad:

κριὸς τράγος ταῦρος κύων ἀλεκτρυών.

ram, he-goat, bull, dog, chicken.

ὁρᾷς ὃ πάσχεις; τήν τε θήλειαν καλεῖς

Socrates: Do you see what you are doing? You call the female

ἀλεκτρυόνα κατὰ ταὐτὸ καὶ τὸν ἄρρενα.

chicken by the same name as the male.

πῶς δὴ φέρʼ;

Strepsiades: How so, tell me?

ὅπως; ἀλεκτρυὼν κἀλεκτρυών.

Socrates: How? Chicken and chicken.

665

νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ. νῦν δὲ πῶς με χρὴ καλεῖν;

Strepsiades: By Poseidon! But now how must I call it?

ἀλεκτρύαιναν, τὸν δʼ ἕτερον ἀλέκτορα.

Socrates: “Alektryaina”, and the other “alektor”.

ἀλεκτρύαιναν; εὖ γε νὴ τὸν Ἀέρα·

Strepsiades: “Alektryaina”? Splendid, by Air!

ὥστʼ ἀντὶ τούτου τοῦ διδάγματος μόνου

So that in return for this single instruction,

διαλφιτώσω σου κύκλῳ τὴν κάρδοπον.

I will fill your kneading-trough all around with barley-meal.

670

ἰδοὺ μάλʼ αὖθις τοῦθʼ ἕτερον· τὴν κάρδοπον

Socrates: Look, once again, here is another error: you call the kneading-trough

ἄρρενα καλεῖς θήλειαν οὖσαν.

masculine, though it is feminine.

τῷ τρόπῳ

Strepsiades: In what way

ἄρρενα καλῶ ʼγὼ κάρδοπον;

do I call “kardopos” masculine?

μάλιστά γε,

Socrates: Assuredly,

ὥσπερ γε καὶ Κλεώνυμον.

just as you also call Cleonymus.

πῶς δή; φράσον.

Strepsiades: How so? Tell me.

ταὐτὸν δύναταί σοι κάρδοπος Κλεωνύμῳ.

Socrates: “Kardopos” has the same power for you as “Cleonymus”.

675

ἀλλʼ ὦγάθʼ οὐδʼ ἦν κάρδοπος Κλεωνύμῳ,

Strepsiades: But, my good sir, Cleonymus did not even have a kneading-trough,

ἀλλʼ ἐν θυείᾳ στρογγύλῃ γʼ ἂν ἐμάττετο.

but he used to knead in a round mortar.

ἀτὰρ τὸ λοιπὸν πῶς με χρὴ καλεῖν;

Strepsiades: But for the future, how must I call it?

ὅπως;

Socrates: How?

τὴν καρδόπην, ὥσπερ καλεῖς τὴν Σωστράτην.

”Kardope”, just as you call “Sostrate”.

τὴν καρδόπην θήλειαν;

Strepsiades: “Kardope” as feminine?

ὀρθῶς γὰρ λέγεις.

Socrates: Yes, for you speak correctly.

680

ἐκεῖνο δʼ ἦν ἄν, καρδόπη, Κλεωνύμη.

Strepsiades: That would be: kardope, Cleonyme.

ἔτι δή γε περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων μαθεῖν σε δεῖ,

Socrates: Still indeed you must learn about names,

ἅττʼ ἄρρενʼ ἐστίν, ἅττα δʼ αὐτῶν θήλεα.

which of them are masculine, and which of them are feminine.

ἀλλʼ οἶδʼ ἔγωγʼ ἃ θήλεʼ ἐστίν.

Strepsiades: But I indeed know which are feminine.

εἰπὲ δή.

Socrates: Tell me then.

Λύσιλλα Φίλιννα Κλειταγόρα Δημητρία.

Strepsiades: Lysilla, Philinna, Cleitagora, Demetria.

685

ἄρρενα δὲ ποῖα τῶν ὀνομάτων;

Socrates: And which of the names are masculine?

μυρία.

Strepsiades: Countless.

Φιλόξενος Μελησίας Ἀμυνίας.

Philoxenus, Melesias, Amynias.

ἀλλʼ ὦ πόνηρε ταῦτά γʼ ἐστʼ οὐκ ἄρρενα.

Socrates: But, you wretch, these are not masculine.

οὐκ ἄρρενʼ ὑμῖν ἐστιν;

Strepsiades: Are they not masculine to you?

οὐδαμῶς γʼ, ἐπεὶ

Socrates: Not at all, since

πῶς ἂν καλέσειας³ ἐντυχὼν Ἀμυνίᾳ;

how would you call Amynias if you met him?

690

ὅπως ἄν; ὡδί, δεῦρο δεῦρʼ Ἀμυνία.

Strepsiades: How? Thus: “Come here, come here, Amynia!”

ὁρᾷς; γυναῖκα τὴν Ἀμυνίαν καλεῖς.

Socrates: Do you see? You call Amynias a woman.

οὔκουν δικαίως ἥτις οὐ στρατεύεται;

Strepsiades: Is it not then justly, since she does not go to war?

ἀτὰρ τί ταῦθʼ ἃ πάντες ἴσμεν μανθάνω;

Strepsiades: But why do I learn these things which we all know?

οὐδὲν μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλὰ κατακλινεὶς δευρὶ —

Socrates: Nothing, by Zeus, but lie down here—

τί δρῶ;

Strepsiades: What should I do?

695

ἐκφρόντισόν τι τῶν σεαυτοῦ πραγμάτων.

Socrates: Think out some of your own affairs.

μὴ δῆθʼ ἱκετεύω σʼ ἐνγεταῦθʼ· ἀλλʼ εἴ γε χρή,

Strepsiades: No, indeed, I beseech you, not here; but if I must,

χαμαί μʼ ἔασον αὐτὰ ταῦτʼ ἐκφροντίσαι.

permit me to think out these very things on the ground.

οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ ταῦτʼ ἄλλα.

Socrates: There is no other way besides this.

Syntax notes3 items

625τὸν στέφανον ἀφῃρέθη
The passive construction of the verb ἀφαιρέω (to deprive/take away), which in the active voice takes a double accusative of person and thing. When made passive, the person (Hyperbolus) becomes the subject, while the thing taken away (τὸν στέφανον) is retained in the accusative case (retained accusative).
644bπερίδου
The second-person singular aorist middle imperative of the verb περίδομαι (meaning 'to wager/bet' in the middle voice). It introduces a colloquial challenge in dialogue, followed by the conjunction εἰ in line 645 to state the condition of the bet.
689πῶς ἂν καλέσειας
A potential optative construction consisting of the particle ἄν and the second-person singular optative καλέσειας. It expresses potentiality under a hypothetical condition: 'how would you call him (assuming you met Amynias)?'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:621-698