- 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.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:410-506
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Trygaios wins Hermes over by gifting him a gold cup, after which they offer prayers and libations for the recovery of Peace. The assembly begins pulling the ropes to excavate Peace, but progress is hindered as various Greek city-states pull in different directions or shirk their duties.
ἡμεῖς μὲν ὑμῖν θύομεν, τούτοισι δὲ
We indeed sacrifice to you, but to them
οἱ βάρβαροι θύουσι. διὰ τοῦτʼ εἰκότως
the barbarians sacrifice. For this reason, naturally,
βούλοιντʼ ἂν ἡμᾶς πάντας ἐξολωλέναι,
they would wish us all to be utterly destroyed,
ἵνα τὰς τελετὰς λάβοιεν αὐτοὶ τῶν θεῶν.
so that they themselves might receive the festivals of the gods.
ταῦτʼ ἄρα πάλαι τῶν ἡμερῶν παρεκλεπτέτην
That’s why they have been stealthily stealing some of the days
καὶ τοῦ κύκλου παρέτρωγον1 ὑφʼ ἁμαρτωλίας.
and nibbling away at their orbit out of malice.
ναὶ μὰ Δία. πρὸς ταῦτʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ ξύλλαβε
Yes, by Zeus! Therefore, O dear Hermes, eagerly help
ἡμῖν προθύμως τήνδε καὶ ξυνέλκυσον.
us with this and pull her up with us.
καί σοι τὰ μεγάλʼ ἡμεῖς Παναθήναιʼ ἄξομεν
And we will celebrate the Great Panathenaia for you,
πάσας τε τὰς ἄλλας τελετὰς τὰς τῶν θεῶν,
and all the other festivals of the gods,
μυστήριʼ Ἑρμῇ, Διιπόλειʼ, Ἀδώνια·
the Mysteries as Hermes’ own, the Diipolieia, the Adonia;
ἄλλαι τέ σοι πόλεις πεπαυμέναι κακῶν
and other cities, freed from evils,
ἀλεξικάκῳ θύσουσιν Ἑρμῇ πανταχοῦ.
will everywhere sacrifice to Hermes the Averter of Evil.
χἄτερʼ ἔτι πόλλʼ ἕξεις ἀγαθά. πρῶτον δέ σοι
And you will have many other good things besides. And first
δῶρον δίδωμι τήνδʼ, ἵνα σπένδειν ἔχῃς.
I give you this gift, so that you may have something to pour libations with.
οἴμʼ ὡς ἐλεήμων εἴμʼ ἀεὶ τῶν χρυσίδων.2
Ah me! How full of pity I always am for gold cups.
ὑμέτερον ἐντεῦθεν ἔργον ὦνδρες. ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἄμαις
From now on it is your job, men! So entering with your shovels
εἰσιόντες ὡς τάχιστα τοὺς λίθους ἀφέλκετε.
as quickly as possible, drag away the stones.
ταῦτα δράσομεν· σὺ δʼ ἡμῖν ὦ θεῶν σοφώτατε
We will do this. And you, O wisest of gods, standing over us,
ἅττα χρὴ ποιεῖν ἐφεστὼς φράζε δημιουργικῶς·
tell us like a master-craftsman what we must do;
τἄλλα δʼ εὑρήσεις ὑπουργεῖν ὄντας ἡμᾶς οὐ κακούς.
for the rest, you will find us not bad at assisting you.
ἄγε δὴ σὺ ταχέως ὕπεχε τὴν φιάλην, ὅπως
Come now, quickly hold out the cup, so that
ἔργῳ ʼφιαλοῦμεν3 εὐξάμενοι τοῖσιν θεοῖς.
we may set to work in earnest, having prayed to the gods.
σπονδὴ σπονδή·
Libation! Libation!
εὐφημεῖτε εὐφημεῖτε.
Keep holy silence! Keep holy silence!
σπένδοντες εὐχόμεσθα τὴν νῦν ἡμέραν
As we pour libations, we pray that this present day
Ἕλλησιν ἄρξαι πᾶσι πολλῶν κἀγαθῶν,
may begin many good things for all Greeks,
χὤστις προθύμως ξυλλάβοι τῶν σχοινίων,
and that whoever eagerly takes hold of the ropes,
τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα μὴ λαβεῖν ποτʼ ἀσπίδα.
that man may never take up a shield.
μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἐν εἰρήνῃ διαγαγεῖν τὸν βίον,
No, by Zeus, but may he spend his life in peace,
ἔχονθʼ ἑταίραν καὶ σκαλεύοντʼ ἄνθρακας.
keeping a mistress and poking the embers.
ὅστις δὲ πόλεμον μᾶλλον εἶναι βούλεται
And whoever wishes there to be war rather,
μηδέποτε παύσασθʼ αὐτὸν ὦ Διόνυσʼ ἄναξ
may he never cease, O Lord Dionysus,
ἐκ τῶν ὀλεκράνων ἀκίδας ἐξαιρούμενον.
extracting arrow-heads from his elbows.
κεἴ τις ἐπιθυμῶν ταξιαρχεῖν σοὶ φθονεῖ
And if anyone, desiring to be a taxiarch, grudges you
ἐς φῶς ἀνελθεῖν ὦ πότνιʼ, ἐν ταῖσιν μάχαις
coming into the light, O revered lady, in battles
πάσχοι γε τοιαῦθʼ οἷάπερ Κλεώνυμος.
may he suffer such things as Cleonymus did.
κεἴ τις δορυξὸς ἢ κάπηλος ἀσπίδων,
And if any spear-carver or seller of shields,
ἵνʼ ἐμπολᾷ βέλτιον, ἐπιθυμεῖ μαχῶν
in order to sell better, desires battles,
ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ λῃστῶν ἐσθίοι κριθὰς μόνας.
may he be captured by pirates and eat only barley.
κεἴ τις στρατηγεῖν βουλόμενος μὴ ξυλλάβοι,
And if anyone, wishing to be a general, does not help,
ἢ δοῦλος αὐτομολεῖν παρεσκευασμένος
or a slave preparing to desert,
ἐπὶ τοῦ τροχοῦ γʼ ἕλκοιτο μαστιγούμενος.
may he be stretched on the wheel and whipped.
ἡμῖν δʼ ἀγαθὰ γένοιτʼ. ἰὴ παιὼν ἰή.
And may good things come to us! Ie Paian, ie!
ἄφελε τὸ παίειν ἀλλʼ ἰὴ μόνον λέγε.
Drop the “strike”, but say “ie” only.
ἰὴ ἰὴ τοίνυν, ἰὴ μόνον λέγω.
Ie, ie then, “ie” only I say.
Ἑρμῇ Χάρισιν Ὥραισιν Ἀφροδίτῃ Πόθῳ.
To Hermes, the Graces, the Seasons, Aphrodite, Desire.
Ἄρει δέ;
And to Ares?
μὴ μή.
No, no!
μηδʼ Ἐνυαλίῳ γε;
Nor to Enyalius?
μή.
No!
ὑπότεινε δὴ πᾶς καὶ κάταγε τοῖσιν κάλῳς.
Now every man stretch the rope and pull down with the cables!
ὦ εἶα.
O heave ho!
εἶα μάλα.
Heave hard!
ὦ εἶα.
O heave ho!
εἶα ἔτι μάλα.
Heave still harder!
ὦ εἶα, ὦ εἶα.
O heave ho, o heave ho!
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ἕλκουσʼ ἅνδρες ὁμοίως.
But the men are not pulling equally.
οὐ ξυλλήψεσθʼ; οἷʼ ὀγκύλλεσθʼ·
Won’t you help? How you puff yourselves out!
οἰμώξεσθʼ οἱ Βοιωτοί.
You Boeotians will howl!
εἶά νυν.
Heave now!
εἶα ὦ.
Heave oh!
ἀλλʼ ἄγετε ξυνανέλκετε καὶ σφώ.
But come, pull up together, you two as well!
οὔκουν ἕλκω κἀξαρτῶμαι
Am I not pulling and hanging onto it
κἀπεμπίπτω καὶ σπουδάζω;
and throwing myself into it, and working hard?
πῶς οὖν οὐ χωρεῖ τοὔργον;
Then why is the work not progressing?
ὦ Λάμαχʼ ἀδικεῖς ἐμποδὼν καθήμενος.
O Lamachus, you do wrong by sitting in the way.
οὐδὲν δεόμεθʼ ὦνθρωπε τῆς σῆς μορμόνος.
We have no need of your bugbear, man!
οὐδʼ οἵδε γʼ εἷλκον οὐδὲν ἁργεῖοι πάλαι
Nor did these Argives pull at all for a long time,
ἀλλʼ ἢ κατεγέλων τῶν ταλαιπωρουμένων,
but they did nothing but laugh at those who were in distress,
καὶ ταῦτα διχόθεν μισθοφοροῦντες ἄλφιτα.
and that too while receiving barley-pay from both sides.
ἀλλʼ οἱ Λάκωνες ὦγάθʼ ἕλκουσʼ ἀνδρικῶς.
But the Spartans, my good man, are pulling manfully.
ἆρʼ οἶσθʼ ὅσοι γʼ αὐτῶν ἔχονται τοῦ ξύλου,4
Do you know that only those of them who are held by the wood
μόνοι προθυμοῦντʼ· ἀλλʼ ὁ χαλκεὺς οὐκ ἐᾷ.
are eager? But the smith does not allow them.
οὐδʼ οἱ Μεγαρῆς δρῶσʼ οὐδέν· ἕλκουσιν δʼ ὅμως
Nor do the Megarians do anything; yet they pull
γλισχρότατα σαρκάζοντες ὥσπερ κυνίδια,
in a most miserable way, grinning like little dogs,
ὑπὸ τοῦ γε λιμοῦ νὴ Δίʼ ἐξολωλότες.
ruined by hunger, by Zeus.
οὐδὲν ποιοῦμεν ὦνδρες· ἀλλ ὁμοθυμαδὸν
We are accomplishing nothing, men; but with one mind
ἅπασιν ἡμῖν αὖθις ἀντιληπτέον.
we must all take hold of it again.
ὦ εἶα.
O heave ho!
εἶα μάλα.
Heave hard!
ὦ εἶα.
O heave ho!
εἶα νὴ Δία.
Heave, by Zeus!
μικρόν γε κινοῦμεν.
We are moving it just a little.
οὔκουν δεινὸν
Isn’t it terrible
τοὺς μὲν τείνειν τοὺς δʼ ἀντισπᾶν;
that some are straining while others pull against them?
πληγὰς λήψεσθʼ ὦργεῖοι.
You Argives will get a beating!
εἶά νυν.
Heave now!
εἶα ὦ.
Heave oh!
ὡς κακόνοι τινές εἰσιν ἐν ἡμῖν.
How some ill-disposed people are among us!
ὑμεῖς μὲν γοῦν οἱ κιττῶντες
You at least, who are longing for
τῆς εἰρήνης σπᾶτʼ ἀνδρείως.
peace, pull manfully.
ἀλλʼ εἴσʼ οἳ κωλύουσιν.
But there are those who prevent us.
ἄνδρες Μεγαρῆς οὐκ ἐς κόρακας ἐρρήσετε;
Megarian men, won’t you go to the crows?
μισεῖ γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἡ θεὸς μεμνημένη·
For the goddess hates you, remembering;
πρῶτοι γὰρ αὐτὴν τοῖς σκορόδοις ἠλείψατε.5
for you first rubbed her with garlic.
καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοισι παύσασθαι λέγω
And to the Athenians I say: stop
ἐντεῦθεν ἐχομένοις ὅθεν νῦν ἕλκετε·
holding on from where you are pulling now;
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο δρᾶτε πλὴν δικάζετε.
for you do nothing else but judge court cases.
ἀλλʼ εἴπερ ἐπιθυμεῖτε τήνδʼ ἐξελκύσαι,
But if you really desire to drag her out,
- 414παρεκλεπτέτην / παρέτρωγον
The former verb παρεκλεπτέτην is a third-person dual imperfect active, matching the dual subject 'Moon and Sun', whereas the latter παρέτρωγον is a third-person plural imperfect active. This demonstrates the grammatical flexibility in Attic Greek, where dual subjects can easily take plural verbs.
- 425τῶν χρυσίδων
An objective genitive triggered by the adjective ἐλεήμων (compassionate, pitiful), indicating the object of the emotion. Hermes humorously expresses 'pity' for the gold cups, which in fact highlights his greed.
- 432ἔργῳ ʼφιαλοῦμεν
The verb ʼφιαλοῦμεν (for ἐφιαλοῦμεν) is the future indicative of ἐφιάλλω (to set to work, to launch), forming a standard Attic purpose/effort clause with ὅπως + future indicative. It also functions as a pun on the preceding word φιάλη (libation cup).
- 479ἔχονται τοῦ ξύλου
A partitive genitive of contact governed by the middle verb ἔχομαι (to cling to, to be held by). 'Those who are held by the wood' euphemistically and humorously refers to Spartan prisoners of war bound in wooden stocks.
- 502τοῖς σκορόδοις ἠλείψατε
The dative τοῖς σκορόδοις (garlic) is a dative of instrument. 'Anointing her with garlic' is a comedic double-entendre referring to Megara's famous garlic crop, metaphorically implying they irritated Peace and provoked the war.