Strepsiades Persuading Pheidippides to Attend the School — Aristophanes, Clouds, lines 787–868b, Greek & English

787

φέρʼ ἴδω τί μέντοι πρῶτον ἦν; τί πρῶτον ἦν;

Strepsiades: Let me see, what indeed was the first thing? What was the first thing?

τίς ἦν ἐν ᾗ ʼματτόμεθα¹ μέντοι τἄλφιτα;

What was the thing in which we used to knead the barley-meal indeed?

οἴμοι τίς ἦν;

Oh, what was it?

οὐκ ἐς κόρακας ἀποφθερεῖ,

Socrates: Will you not go to the crows and perish,

790

ἐπιλησμότατον καὶ σκαιότατον γερόντιον;

most forgetful and most awkward little old man?

οἴμοι τί οὖν δῆθʼ ὁ κακοδαίμων πείσομαι;

Strepsiades: Oh, what then indeed shall I, unfortunate wretch, suffer?

ἀπὸ γὰρ ὀλοῦμαι² μὴ μαθὼν γλωττοστροφεῖν.

For I shall utterly perish if I do not learn to twist the tongue.

ἀλλʼ ὦ Νεφέλαι χρηστόν τι συμβουλεύσατε.

But, O Clouds, give me some good advice.

ἡμεῖς μὲν ὦ πρεσβῦτα συμβουλεύομεν,

Chorus: We indeed, old man, advise you,

795

εἴ σοί τις υἱός ἐστιν ἐκτεθραμμένος,

if you have a grown-up son,

πέμπειν ἐκεῖνον ἀντὶ σαυτοῦ μανθάνειν.

to send him to learn in your place.

ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ ἔμοιγʼ υἱὸς καλός τε κἀγαθός·

Strepsiades: But I do have a son, beautiful and good;

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐθέλει γὰρ μανθάνειν. τί ἐγὼ πάθω;

but indeed he is not willing to learn. What am I to do?

σὺ δʼ ἐπιτρέπεις;

Chorus: And you permit this?

εὐσωματεῖ γὰρ καὶ σφριγᾷ,

Strepsiades: For he is healthy in body and vigorous,

800

κἄστʼ ἐκ γυναικῶν εὐπτέρων τῶν Κοισύρας.

and he is from those high-flown women of the family of Koisyra.

ἀτὰρ μέτειμί γʼ αὐτόν· ἢν δὲ μὴ ʼθέλῃ,

But anyway I will go for him; and if he is not willing,

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐκ ἐξελῶ³ κʼ τῆς οἰκίας.

there is no way I will not drive him out of the house.

ἀλλʼ ἐπανάμεινόν μʼ ὀλίγον εἰσελθὼν χρόνον.

But wait for me a little time, going inside.

ἆρʼ αἰσθάνει πλεῖστα διʼ ἡμᾶς ἀγάθʼ αὐτίχʼ ἕξων

Chorus: Do you perceive that you will immediately have the most benefits through us,

805

μόνας θεῶν; ὡς

alone of the gods? Since

ἕτοιμος ὅδʼ ἐστὶν ἅπαντα δρᾶν

this man is ready to do everything

ὅσʼ ἂν κελεύῃς.

whatever you may command.

810

σὺ δʼ ἀνδρὸς ἐκπεπληγμένου καὶ φανερῶς ἐπηρμένου

And you, having recognized the state of a man stunned and clearly excited,

γνοὺς ἀπολάψεις ὅ τι πλεῖστον δύνασαι,

will lap up as much as you can,

ταχέως· φιλεῖ γάρ πως τὰ τοιαῦθʼ ἑτέρᾳ τρέπεσθαι.

quickly; for such things somehow love to turn to the other side.

οὔτοι μὰ τὴν Ὁμίχλην ἔτʼ ἐνταυθοῖ μενεῖς·

Strepsiades: By Mist, you shall certainly not stay here any longer;

815

ἀλλʼ ἔσθιʼ ἐλθὼν τοὺς Μεγακλέους κίονας.

but go and eat the pillars of Megakles.

ὦ δαιμόνιε, τί χρῆμα πάσχεις ὦ πάτερ;

Pheidippides: O extraordinary father, what is happening to you?

οὐκ εὖ φρονεῖς μὰ τὸν Δία τὸν Ὀλύμπιον.

By Olympian Zeus, you are not in your right mind.

ἰδού γʼ ἰδού, Δίʼ Ὀλύμπιον· τῆς μωρίας,

Strepsiades: Look at that, look, “Olympian Zeus”! What folly,

τὸν Δία νομίζειν⁴ ὄντα τηλικουτονί.

to believe in Zeus, being of such an age as this.

820

τί δὲ τοῦτʼ ἐγέλασας ἐτεόν;

Pheidippides: But why indeed did you laugh at this?

ἐνθυμούμενος

Strepsiades: Because I was thinking

ὅτι παιδάριον εἶ καὶ φρονεῖς ἀρχαιϊκά.

that you are a mere child and think in an old-fashioned way.

ὅμως γε μὴν πρόσελθʼ, ἵνʼ εἰδῇς πλείονα,

Yet nevertheless come here, so that you may know more,

καί σοι φράσω τι πρᾶγμʼ ὃ μαθὼν ἀνὴρ ἔσει.

and I will tell you something which, having learned, you will be a man.

ὅπως δὲ τοῦτο μὴ διδάξεις μηδένα.

But see that you do not teach this to anyone.

825

ἰδού· τί ἔστιν;

Pheidippides: Look, what is it?

ὤμοσας νυνὶ Δία.

Strepsiades: You just now swore by Zeus.

ἔγωγʼ.

Pheidippides: I did.

ὁρᾷς οὖν ὡς ἀγαθὸν τὸ μανθάνειν;

Strepsiades: Do you see then how good learning is?

οὐκ ἔστιν ὦ Φειδιππίδη Ζεύς.

There is no Zeus, Pheidippides.

ἀλλὰ τίς;

Pheidippides: But who is there?

Δῖνος βασιλεύει τὸν Δίʼ ἐξεληλακώς.

Vortex rules, having driven out Zeus.

αἰβοῖ τί ληρεῖς;

Pheidippides: Bah! What nonsense are you talking?

ἴσθι τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχον.

Strepsiades: Know that this is so.

830

τίς φησι ταῦτα;

Pheidippides: Who says this?

Σωκράτης ὁ Μήλιος

Strepsiades: Socrates the Melian,

καὶ Χαιρεφῶν, ὃς οἶδε τὰ ψυλλῶν ἴχνη.

and Chaerephon, who knows the footprints of fleas.

σὺ δʼ ἐς τοσοῦτον τῶν μανιῶν ἐλήλυθας

Pheidippides: Have you come to such a pitch of madness

ὥστʼ ἀνδράσιν πείθει χολῶσιν;

as to believe men who are full of bile?

εὐστόμει

Strepsiades: Speak well of them,

καὶ μηδὲν εἴπῃς φλαῦρον ἄνδρας δεξιοὺς

and do not say anything worthless of clever men

835

καὶ νοῦν ἔχοντας· ὧν ὑπὸ τῆς φειδωλίας

and those who have sense; from whose thriftiness

ἀπεκείρατʼ οὐδεὶς πώποτʼ οὐδʼ ἠλείψατο,

no one ever cut his hair or anointed himself,

οὐδʼ ἐς βαλανεῖον ἦλθε λουσόμενος· σὺ δὲ

nor went to a bathhouse to wash; but you

ὥσπερ τεθνεῶτος καταλόει⁵ μου τὸν βίον.

are washing away my life as if I were a dead man.

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστʼ ἐλθὼν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ μάνθανε.

But go as quickly as possible and learn in my stead.

840

τί δʼ ἂν παρʼ ἐκείνων καὶ μάθοι χρηστόν τις ἄν;

Pheidippides: And what useful thing could anyone learn from them?

ἄληθες; ὅσαπερ ἔστʼ ἐν ἀνθρώποις σοφά·

Strepsiades: Really? As many things as are wise among men;

γνώσει δὲ σαυτὸν ὡς ἀμαθὴς εἶ καὶ παχύς.

and you will know yourself, how ignorant and thick you are.

ἀλλʼ ἐπανάμεινόν μʼ ὀλίγον ἐνταυθοῖ χρόνον.

But wait for me here a little time.

οἴμοι τί δράσω παραφρονοῦντος τοῦ πατρός;

Pheidippides: Alas, what shall I do, my father being out of his mind?

845

πότερον παρανοίας αὐτὸν εἰσαγαγὼν ἕλω,

Should I bring him in for insanity and convict him,

ἢ τοῖς σοροπηγοῖς τὴν μανίαν αὐτοῦ φράσω;

or should I tell the coffin-makers about his madness?

φέρʼ ἴδω, σὺ τοῦτον τί ὀνομάζεις; εἰπέ μοι.

Strepsiades: Let me see, what do you call this? Tell me.

ἀλεκτρυόνα.

Pheidippides: A chicken.

καλῶς γε. ταυτηνὶ δὲ τί;

Strepsiades: Good indeed. And this one, what?

ἀλεκτρυόνʼ.

Pheidippides: A chicken.

ἄμφω ταὐτό; καταγέλαστος εἶ.

Strepsiades: Both the same? You are ridiculous.

850

μή νυν τὸ λοιπόν, ἀλλὰ τήνδε μὲν καλεῖν

Do not do so for the future, but call this one

ἀλεκτρύαιναν τουτονὶ δʼ ἀλέκτορα.

a “chickeness”, and this other one a “cock”.

ἀλεκτρύαιναν; ταῦτʼ ἔμαθες τὰ δεξιὰ

Pheidippides: A “chickeness”? Did you learn these clever things

εἴσω παρελθὼν ἄρτι παρὰ τοὺς γηγενεῖς;

just now, having gone inside to those sons of the Earth?

χἄτερά γε πόλλʼ· ἀλλʼ ὅ τι μάθοιμʼ ἑκάστοτε,

Strepsiades: And many other things too; but whatever I learned each time,

855

ἐπελανθανόμην ἂν εὐθὺς ὑπὸ πλήθους ἐτῶν.

I would immediately forget because of the multitude of my years.

διὰ ταῦτα δὴ καὶ θοἰμάτιον ἀπώλεσας;

Pheidippides: Is it indeed because of this that you also lost your cloak?

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀπολώλεκʼ, ἀλλὰ καταπεφρόντικα.

Strepsiades: I have not lost it, but have thought it away.

τὰς δʼ ἐμβάδας ποῖ τέτροφας ὦνόητε σύ;

Pheidippides: And where have you wasted your shoes, you foolish man?

ὥσπερ Περικλέης ἐς τὸ δέον ἀπώλεσα.

Strepsiades: Like Pericles, I lost them for a necessary purpose.

860

ἀλλʼ ἴθι βάδιζʼ, ἴωμεν· εἶτα τῷ πατρὶ

But come, walk, let us go; and then, having obeyed

πιθόμενος ἐξάμαρτε· κἀγώ τοί ποτε,

your father, err; and indeed I too once,

οἶδʼ, ἑξέτει σοι τραυλίσαντι πιθόμενος,

I know, obeyed you when you were six years old and lisping,

ὃν πρῶτον ὀβολὸν ἔλαβον ἡλιαστικόν,

and the first obol I received as a court-fee,

τούτου⁶ ʼπριάμην σοι Διασίοις ἁμαξίδα.

with this I bought you a little toy cart at the Diasia.

865

ἦ μὴν σὺ τούτοις τῷ χρόνῳ ποτʼ ἀχθέσει.

Pheidippides: Truly you will some day be grieved by these things in time.

εὖ γʼ ὅτι ἐπείσθης. δεῦρο δεῦρʼ ὦ Σώκρατες,

Strepsiades: It is good indeed that you were persuaded. Come here, come here, Socrates,

ἔξελθʼ· ἄγω γάρ σοι τὸν υἱὸν τουτονὶ

come out; for I bring you this son of mine,

ἄκοντʼ ἀναπείσας.

having persuaded him against his will.

νηπύτιος γάρ ἐστʼ ἔτι,

Socrates: For he is still a mere child,

Syntax notes6 items

788τίς ἦν ἐν ᾗ ʼματτόμεθα
The relative pronoun ἐν ᾗ is in the feminine gender because it anticipates the feminine noun κάρδοπος (kneading-trough) which Strepsiades is struggling to recall.
792ἀπὸ γὰρ ὀλοῦμαι
ἀπὸ ... ὀλοῦμαι is a tmesis of ἀπολοῦμαι (future middle of ἀπόλλυμι), with the particle γάρ inserted between them. The participle μὴ μαθών expresses a conditional meaning ("if I do not learn").
802οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐκ ἐξελῶ
The double negation οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐκ followed by a future tense expresses strong necessity or certainty ("there is no way I will not..."). ἐξελῶ is the Attic future of ἐξελάω.
818τῆς μωρίας, τὸν Δία νομίζειν
τῆς μωρίας is a genitive of exclamation, followed by τὸν Δία νομίζειν which is an accusative with infinitive expressing indignation or disbelief ("to think that you believe in Zeus!").
838ὥσπερ τεθνεῶτος καταλόει
In ὥσπερ τεθνεῶτος, ἐμοῦ is omitted in the genitive absolute construction. The verb καταλόει plays on a double meaning: "to wash a corpse" and "to wash away/squander one's livelihood".
863ὃν πρῶτον ὀβολὸν ... τούτου
The antecedent ὀβολόν is incorporated into the relative clause introduced by ὅν, and is subsequently referred to in the main clause by τούτου (genitive of price).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:787-868b