Hierocles Disrupts the Sacrifice and Trygaios's Rebuttal — Aristophanes, Peace, lines 1027–1103, Greek & English

1027

πῶς δʼ οὐχί; τί γάρ σε πέφευγʼ

How could it be otherwise? For what of all that a wise man must know has escaped you?

ὅσα χρὴ σοφὸν ἄνδρα; τί δʼ οὐ

And what do you

σὺ φρονεῖς ὁπόσα χρεών ἐστιν

not grasp, as many things as are fitting for

1030

τόν γε σοφῇ δόκιμον

one approved for his wise

φρενὶ πορίμῳ τε τόλμῃ;

mind and resourceful daring?

ἡ σχίζα γοῦν ἐνημμένη τὸν Στιλβίδην πιέζει,

At any rate, the burning firewood presses hard upon Stilbides,

καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν οἴσομαι, καὶ παιδὸς οὐ δεήσει.

and I will bring the table, and there will be no need of a servant.

τίς οὖν ἂν οὐκ ἐπαινέσειεν

Who then would not praise

1035

ἄνδρα τοιοῦτον, ὅστις

such a man, who

πόλλʼ ἀνατλὰς ἔσωσε

having endured many things saved

τὴν ἱερὰν πόλιν;

the sacred city?

ὥστʼ οὐχὶ μὴ παύσῃ¹ ποτʼ ὢν

So that you will never indeed cease to be

ζηλωτὸς ἅπασιν.

envied by all.

ταυτὶ δέδραται. τίθεσο τὼ μηρὼ λαβών.

This has been done. Take the two thigh-bones and place them.

1040

ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπὶ σπλάγχνʼ εἶμι καὶ θυλήματα.

And I will go for the entrails and the offering-cakes.

ἐμοὶ μελήσει ταῦτά γʼ· ἀλλʼ ἥκειν ἐχρῆν.

These things indeed shall be my care; but you ought to be back.

ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. μῶν ἐπισχεῖν σοι δοκῶ;

Look, I am here. Do I seem to you to delay?

ὄπτα καλῶς νυν αὐτά· καὶ γὰρ οὑτοσὶ

Roast them well now; for indeed here

προσέρχεται δάφνῃ τις ἐστεφανωμένος.

approaches someone crowned with laurel.

1045

τίς ἄρα ποτʼ ἐστίν;

Who on earth is he?

ὡς ἀλαζὼν φαίνεται·

How like an impostor he appears!

μάντις τίς ἐστιν.

He is some seer.

οὐ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ Ἱεροκλέης

No, by Zeus, but indeed this is Hierocles,

οὗτός γέ πού ʼσθʼ ὁ χρησμολόγος οὑξ Ὠρεοῦ.

I suppose, the oracle-monger from Oreus.

τί ποτʼ ἄρα λέξει;

What indeed will he say?

δῆλός ἐσθʼ οὗτός γʼ ὅτι²

It is clear indeed that he

ἐναντιώσεταί τι ταῖς διαλλαγαῖς.

will oppose the reconciliation in some way.

1050

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν κνῖσαν εἰσελήλυθεν.

No, but he has entered because of the smell of the fat.

μή νυν ὁρᾶν δοκῶμεν αὐτόν.

Let’s pretend not to see him then.

εὖ λέγεις.

Well said.

τίς ἡ θυσία ποθʼ αὑτηὶ καὶ τῷ θεῶν;

What is this sacrifice here and to which of the gods?

ὀπτα σὺ σιγῇ κἄπαγʼ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀσφύος.

You, roast in silence and keep away from the loin.

ὅτῳ δὲ θύετʼ οὐ φράσεθʼ;

Won’t you say to whom you are sacrificing?

ἡ κέρκος ποιεῖ

Is the tail doing

1055

καλῶς;

well?

καλῶς δῆτʼ ὦ πότνιʼ Εἰρήνη φίλη.

Very well indeed, O dear queen Peace.

ἄγε νυν ἀπάρχου κᾆτα δὸς τἀπάργματα.

Come now, make the first offering, and then give the firstfruits.

ὀπτᾶν ἄμεινον πρῶτον.

It’s better to roast first.

ἀλλὰ ταυταγὶ

But these indeed

ἤδη ʼστὶν ὀπτά.

are already roasted.

πολλὰ πράττεις, ὅστις εἶ.

You are meddling, whoever you are.

κατάτεμνε. ποῦ τράπεζα; τὴν σπονδὴν φέρε.

Cut it up. Where is the table? Bring the libation.

1060

ἡ γλῶττα χωρὶς τέμνεται.

The tongue is cut separately.

μεμνήμεθα.

We remember.

ἀλλʼ οἶσθʼ ὃ δρᾶσον;³

But do you know what you should do?

ἢν φράσῃς.

If you tell us.

μὴ διαλέγου

Don’t speak

νῷν μηδέν· Εἰρήνῃ γὰρ ἱερὰ θύομεν.

to us at all; for we are sacrificing holy things to Peace.

ὦ μέλεοι θνητοὶ καὶ νήπιοι,

O wretched mortals and foolish,

ἐς κεφαλὴν σοί.

Upon your own head!

οἵτινες ἀφραδίῃσι θεῶν νόον οὐκ ἀίοντες

who in your folly, not understanding the mind of the gods,

1065

συνθήκας πεποίησθʼ ἄνδρες χαροποῖσι πιθήκοις,

have made a treaty, you men, with fierce-eyed apes,

αἰβοιβοῖ.

Ha, ha!

τί γελᾷς;

Why do you laugh?

ἥσθην χαροποῖσι πιθήκοις.

I am delighted by “fierce-eyed apes”.

καὶ κέπφοι τρήρωνες ἀλωπεκιδεῦσι πέπεισθε,

and you, timid sea-birds, have trusted fox-cubs,

ὧν δόλιαι ψυχαί, δόλιαι φρένες.

whose souls are treacherous, whose minds are treacherous.

εἴθε σου εἶναι

I wish, you impostor,

ὤφελεν⁴ ὦλαζὼν οὑτωσὶ θερμὸς ὁ πλεύμων.

your lung were as hot as this!

1070

εἰ γὰρ μὴ νύμφαι γε θεαὶ Βάκιν ἐξαπάτασκον,

For if the divine nymphs did not deceive Bakis,

μηδὲ Βάκις θνητούς, μηδʼ αὖ νύμφαι Βάκιν αὐτὸν—

nor Bakis mortals, nor again the nymphs Bakis himself—

ἐξώλης ἀπόλοιʼ, εἰ μὴ παύσαιο βακίζων.

May you perish utterly, if you don’t stop “Bakis-ing”!

οὔπω θέσφατον ἦν Εἰρήνης δέσμʼ ἀναλῦσαι,

It was not yet fated to loosen the chain of Peace,

ἀλλὰ τόδε πρότερον—

but first this—

τοῖσδʼ ἁλσί γε παστέα ταυτί.

These must be sprinkled with salt.

1075

οὐ γάρ πω τοῦτʼ ἐστὶ φίλον μακάρεσσι θεοῖσιν,

For this is not yet pleasing to the blessed gods,

φυλόπιδος λῆξαι, πρίν κεν λύκος οἶν ὑμεναιοῖ.

to cease from strife, until the wolf marries the sheep.

καὶ πῶς ὦ κατάρατε λύκος ποτʼ ἂν οἶν ὑμεναιοῖ;

And how, you accursed one, could a wolf ever marry a sheep?

ὡς ἡ σφονδύλη φεύγουσα πονηρότατον βδεῖ,

As the beetle fleeing smells most foully,

†χἠ κώδων† ἀκαλανθὶς ἐπειγομένη τυφλὰ τίκτει,

and the finch in its haste gives birth to blind young,

τουτάκις οὔπω χρῆν τὴν εἰρήνην πεποιῆσθαι.

until then it was not yet right for peace to be made.

1080

ἀλλὰ τί χρῆν ἡμᾶς; οὐ παύσασθαι πολεμοῦντας,

But what should we have done? Not cease from fighting,

ἢ διακαυνιάσαι πότεροι κλαυσούμεθα μεῖζον,

or draw lots to see which of us would weep more,

ἐξὸν⁵ σπεισαμένοις κοινῇ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἄρχειν;

when we could make peace and rule Greece together?

οὔποτε ποιήσεις τὸν καρκίνον ὀρθὰ βαδίζειν.

You will never make the crab walk straight.

οὔποτε δειπνήσεις ἔτι τοῦ λοιποῦ νʼ πρυτανείῳ,

You will never dine again for the future in the Prytaneum,

1085

οὐδʼ ἐπὶ τῷ πραχθέντι ποιήσεις ὕστερον οὐδέν.

nor after this deed will you achieve anything else.

οὐδέποτʼ ἂν θείης λεῖον τὸν τραχὺν ἐχῖνον.

You could never make the rough urchin smooth.

ἆρα φενακίζων ποτʼ Ἀθηναίους ἔτι παύσει;

Will you ever indeed stop deceiving the Athenians?

ποῖον γὰρ κατὰ χρησμὸν ἐκαύσατε μῆρα θεοῖσιν;

According to what oracle did you burn the thigh-bones for the gods?

ὅνπερ κάλλιστον δήπου πεποίηκεν Ὅμηρος·

According to the very best one, which Homer indeed composed:

1090

ὣς οἱ μὲν νέφος ἐχθρὸν ἀπωσάμενοι πολέμοιο

”Thus they, having driven away the hateful cloud of war,

Εἰρήνην εἵλοντο καὶ ἱδρύσανθʼ ἱερείῳ.

chose Peace and established her with a sacrifice.

αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ κατὰ μῆρʼ ἐκάη καὶ σπλάγχνʼ ἐπάσαντο,

But when the thigh-bones were burnt down and they tasted the inner parts,

ἔσπενδον δεπάεσσιν· ἐγὼ δʼ ὁδὸν ἡγεμόνευον·

they made libations with cups; and I led the way;

χρησμολόγῳ δʼ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου κώθωνα φαεινόν.

but to the oracle-monger no one gave a shining cup.”

1095

οὐ μετέχω τούτων· οὐ γὰρ ταῦτʼ εἶπε Σίβυλλα.

I have no part in these; for Sibyl did not say this.

ἀλλʼ ὁ σοφός τοι νὴ Δίʼ Ὅμηρος δεξιὸν εἶπεν·

But the wise Homer indeed, by Zeus, spoke well:

ἀφρήτωρ ἀθέμιστος ἀνέστιός ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος,

”Clanless, lawless, hearthless is that man

ὃς πολέμου ἔραται ἐπιδημίου ὀκρυόεντος.

who loves domestic, chilling war.”

φράζεο δὴ μή πώς σε δόλῳ φρένας ἐξαπατήσας

Take heed now lest by some trick, having deceived your mind,

1100

ἰκτῖνος μάρψῃ.

a kite snatch it.

τουτὶ μέντοι σὺ φυλάττου,

You indeed watch out for this,

ὡς οὗτος φοβερὸς τοῖς σπλάγχνοις ἐστὶν ὁ χρησμός.

for this oracle is fearsome for the entrails.

ἔγχει δὴ σπονδὴν καὶ τῶν σπλάγχνων φέρε δευρί.

Pour the libation and bring here some of the entrails.

ἀλλʼ εἰ ταῦτα δοκεῖ, κἀγὼ ʼμαυτῷ βαλανεύσω.

But if this is decided, I too will serve myself.

Syntax notes5 items

1037οὐχὶ μὴ παύσῃ
The emphatic double negative οὐχὶ μή followed by the aorist subjunctive (παύσῃ) expresses a strong, definite denial about a future event ('you will never indeed cease...').
1048bδῆλός ἐσθʼ οὗτός γʼ ὅτι
A proleptic (anticipatory) construction where the subject of the ὅτι clause (οὗτος) is raised to the main clause as the subject of the personal adjective δῆλος. Literally, 'this man is clear that...', meaning 'it is clear that he...'.
1061οἶσθʼ ὃ δρᾶσον
An idiomatic expression combining the question οἶσθα ('do you know?') with a relative clause containing an imperative (δρᾶσον). It is colloquially used to mean 'Do you know what you must do?' or 'Listen to what you should do'.
1068bεἴθε σου εἶναι ὤφελεν
The particle εἴθε paired with ὤφελεν (past indicative of ὀφείλω) and the infinitive εἶναι expresses an unattainable wish for the present ('I wish your lung were...').
1082ἐξὸν
The accusative absolute of the impersonal verb ἔξεστι ('it is allowed/possible'). It functions here as a concessive or conditional participle, meaning 'although we could' or 'since it was possible'.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:1027-1103