Hermes Explains How Peace Was Lost to War — Aristophanes, Peace, lines 597–671, Greek & English

597

τἄλλα θʼ ὁπόσʼ ἔστι φυτὰ

And all the other plants,

600

προσγελάσεται λαβόντʼ ἄσμενα.

having received you gladly, will smile upon you.

ἀλλὰ ποῦ ποτʼ ἦν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὸν πολὺν τοῦτον χρόνον

But where on earth has she been, away from us all this long time?

ἥδε; τοῦθʼ ἡμᾶς δίδαξον ὦ θεῶν εὐνούστατε.

Teach us this, O most well-disposed of the gods.

ὦ σοφώτατοι γεωργοί, τἀμὰ δὴ ξυνίετε

O most wise farmers, understand my words,

ῥήματʼ, εἰ βούλεσθʼ ἀκοῦσαι τήνδʼ ὅπως ἀπώλετο.

if you wish to hear how she was lost.

605

πρῶτα μὲν γὰρ †αὐτῆς ἦρξεν¹† Φειδίας πράξας κακῶς·

For first Phidias, having fared badly, began her ruin;

εἶτα Περικλέης φοβηθεὶς μὴ μετάσχοι τῆς τύχης,

then Pericles, fearing lest he should share his fate,

τὰς φύσεις ὑμῶν δεδοικὼς καὶ τὸν αὐτοδὰξ τρόπον,

dreading your nature and your sharp-biting way,

πρὶν παθεῖν τι δεινὸν αὐτός, ἐξέφλεξε τὴν πόλιν.

before suffering anything terrible himself, set the city on fire.

ἐμβαλὼν σπινθῆρα μικρὸν Μεγαρικοῦ ψηφίσματος,

Throwing in a small spark of the Megarian decree,

610

ἐξεφύσησεν τοσοῦτον πόλεμον ὥστε τῷ καπνῷ

he blew up such a war that with the smoke

πάντας Ἕλληνας δακρῦσαι, τούς τʼ ἐκεῖ τούς τʼ ἐνθάδε.

all Greeks wept, both those yonder and those here.

ὡς δʼ ἅπαξ †τὸ πρῶτον ἄκουσʼ† ἐψόφησεν ἄμπελος

And once the vine crackled for the first time,

καὶ πίθος πληγεὶς ὑπʼ ὀργῆς ἀντελάκτισεν πίθῳ,

and a wine-jar, struck in anger, kicked back against another jar,

οὐκέτʼ ἦν οὐδεὶς ὁ παύσων, ἥδε δʼ ἠφανίζετο.

there was no longer anyone to stop it, and she began to disappear.

615

ταῦτα τοίνυν μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω ʼγὼ ʼπεπύσμην οὐδενός,

By Apollo, I had not learned these things from anyone,

οὐδʼ ὅπως αὐτῇ προσήκοι Φειδίας ἠκηκόη.

nor had I heard how Phidias was related to her.

οὐδʼ ἔγωγε πλήν γε νυνί. ταῦτʼ ἄρʼ εὐπρόσωπος ἦν,

Nor I, except just now. That’s why she was fair of face,

οὖσα συγγενὴς ἐκείνου. πολλά γʼ ἡμᾶς λανθάνει.

being his relative. Truly, many things escape our notice.

κᾆτʼ ἐπειδὴ ʼγνωσαν ὑμᾶς αἱ πόλεις ὧν ἤρχετε

And then, when the cities you ruled realized

620

ἠγριωμένους² ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοισι καὶ σεσηρότας,

that you were enraged against one another and snarling,

πάντʼ ἐμηχανῶντʼ ἐφʼ ὑμῖν τοὺς φόρους φοβούμεναι,

they devised everything against you, fearing the tributes,

κἀνέπειθον τῶν Λακώνων τοὺς μεγίστους χρήμασιν.

and they persuaded the greatest of the Lacanians with money.

οἱ δʼ ἅτʼ ὄντες αἰσχροκερδεῖς καὶ διειρωνόξενοι

And they, being greedy and deceitfully hostile to strangers,

τήνδʼ ἀπορρίψαντες αἰσχρῶς τὸν πόλεμον ἀνήρπασαν·

shamefully cast her aside and snatched up the war;

625

κᾆτα τἀκείνων γε κέρδη τοῖς γεωργοῖς ἦν κακά·

and then, their gains were evils for the farmers.

αἱ γὰρ ἐνθένδʼ αὖ τριήρεις ἀντιτιμωρούμεναι

For the triremes from here, in turn, taking vengeance,

οὐδὲν αἰτίων ἂν ἀνδρῶν τὰς κράδας κατήσθιον.

would devour the fig-branches of innocent men.

ἐν δίκῃ μὲν οὖν, ἐπεί τοι τὴν κορώνεών γέ μου

And justly so indeed, since they cut down my

ἐξέκοψαν, ἣν ἐγὼ ʼφύτευσα κἀξεθρεψάμην.

crow-fig tree, which I planted and reared.

630

νὴ Δίʼ ὦ μέλʼ ἐνδίκως γε δῆτʼ, ἐπεὶ κἀμοῦ λίθον

By Zeus, my friend, justly indeed, since in my case too,

ἐμβαλόντες ἑξμέδιμνον κυψέλην ἀπώλεσαν.

they threw in a six-medimnos stone and destroyed my beehive.

κᾆτα δʼ ὡς ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν ξυνῆλθεν οὑργάτης λεώς,

And then, when the working people came together from the fields,

τὸν τρόπον πωλούμενος τὸν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐμάνθανεν,

they did not realize they were being sold out in the same way,

ἀλλʼ ἅτʼ ὢν ἄνευ γιγάρτων καὶ φιλῶν τὰς ἰσχάδας

but being without grape-stones and loving dried figs,

635

ἔβλεπεν πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας· οἱ δὲ γιγνώσκοντες εὖ

they looked towards the speakers; and they, knowing well

τοὺς πένητας ἀσθενοῦντας κἀποροῦντας ἀλφίτων,

that the poor were weak and lacking barley-meal,

τήνδε μὲν δικροῖς ἐώθουν τὴν θεὸν κεκράγμασιν,

would push this goddess away with two-pronged shrieks,

πολλάκις φανεῖσαν αὐτὴν τῆσδε τῆς χώρας πόθῳ,

though she often appeared out of longing for this land,

τῶν δὲ συμμάχων ἔσειον τοὺς παχεῖς καὶ πλουσίους,

and they would shake down the fat and wealthy among the allies,

640

αἰτίας ἂν προστιθέντες, ὡς φρονεῖ τὰ Βρασίδου.

pinning charges on them, claiming they favored the cause of Brasidas.

εἶτʼ ἂν ὑμεῖς τοῦτον ὥσπερ κυνίδιʼ ἐσπαράττετε·

Then you would tear that man to pieces like little dogs;

ἡ πόλις γὰρ ὠχριῶσα κἀν φόβῳ καθημένη,

for the city, pale and sitting in fear,

ἅττα διαβάλοι τις αὐτῇ, ταῦτʼ ἂν ἥδιστʼ ἤσθιεν.

would most gladly devour whatever slanders anyone threw to her.

οἳ δὲ τὰς πληγὰς ὁρῶντες ἃς ἐτύπτονθʼ οἱ ξένοι

And they, seeing the blows the foreigners were receiving,

645

χρυσίῳ τῶν ταῦτα ποιούντων ἐβύνουν τὸ στόμα,

would stop the mouths of those who did this with gold,

ὥστʼ ἐκείνους μὲν ποιῆσαι πλουσίους, ἡ δʼ Ἑλλὰς ἂν

so as to make them rich, while Greece would have been

ἐξερημωθεῖσʼ ἂν ὑμᾶς ἔλαθε.³ ταῦτα δʼ ἦν ὁ δρῶν

devastated without your noticing. And the one who did this

βυρσοπώλης.

was a leather-seller.

παῦε παῦʼ ὦ δέσποθʼ Ἑρμῆ, μὴ λέγε,

Stop, stop, O master Hermes, do not say it,

ἀλλʼ ἔα τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἐκεῖνον οὗπερ ἔστʼ εἶναι κάτω·

but let that man remain where he is, below;

650

οὐ γὰρ ἡμέτερος ἔτʼ ἔστʼ ἐκεῖνος ἁνὴρ ἀλλὰ σός.

for that man is no longer ours, but yours.

ἅττʼ ἂν οὖν λέγῃς ἐκεῖνον,

Therefore, whatever you may say of him,

κεἰ πανοῦργος ἦν, ὅτʼ ἔζη,

even if he was a rascal when he lived,

καὶ λάλος καὶ συκοφάντης

and a chatterbox, and a sycophant,

καὶ κύκηθρον καὶ τάρακτρον,

and a stirrer, and a troubler,

655

ταῦθʼ ἁπαξάπαντα νυνὶ

all these things you are now

τοὺς σεαυτοῦ λοιδορεῖς.

abusing one of your own.

ἀλλʼ ὅ τι σιωπᾷς ὦ πότνια κάτειπέ μοι.

But tell me, O revered lady, why you are silent.

ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποι πρός γε τοὺς θεωμένους·

But she would not speak to the spectators;

ὀργὴν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὧν ἔπαθε πολλὴν ἔχει.

she holds great anger against them for what she suffered.

660

ἡ δʼ ἀλλὰ πρὸς σὲ μικρὸν εἰπάτω μόνον.

Then let her at least speak a little to you alone.

εἴφʼ ὅ τι νοεῖς αὐτοῖσι πρὸς ἔμʼ ὦ φιλτάτη.

Tell me, O dearest one, what you mind against them.

ἴθʼ ὦ γυναικῶν μισοπορπακιστάτη.

Come, O you who of all women hate shield-straps the most.

εἶεν, ἀκούω. ταῦτʼ ἐπικαλεῖς; μανθάνω.

Very well, I hear. You accuse them of these things? I understand.

ἀκούσαθʼ ὑμεῖς ὧν ἕνεκα μομφὴν ἔχει.

Listen, you people, to the reasons why she has a complaint.

665

ἐλθοῦσά φησιν αὐτομάτη μετὰ τἀν Πύλῳ

She says that, having come of her own accord after the events at Pylos,

σπονδῶν φέρουσα τῇ πόλει κίστην πλέαν

bringing a chest full of peace treaties to the city,

ἀποχειροτονηθῆναι τρὶς ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ.

she was rejected three times in the assembly.

ἡμάρτομεν ταῦτʼ· ἀλλὰ συγγνώμην ἔχε·

We erred in these things; but have forgiveness;

ὁ νοῦς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἦν τότʼ ἐν τοῖς σκύτεσιν.

for our mind then was in the hides.

670

ἴθι νυν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,

Come now, hear what she just asked me:

ὅστις κακόνους αὐτῇ μάλιστʼ ἦν ἐνθάδε,

who was most ill-disposed to her here.

Syntax notes3 items

605αὐτῆς ἦρξεν
The genitive αὐτῆς (referring to the goddess of Peace) is governed by the verb ἦρξεν (began, was the origin of). πράξας κακῶς ('having fared badly') is a nominative participle modifying Phidias, indicating cause or circumstance.
619ἔγνωσαν ὑμᾶς ... ἠγριωμένους
A construction of 'accusative + participle' where the verb of cognition ἔγνωσαν (they realized) takes the accusative object ὑμᾶς (you) and the accusative participle ἠγριωμένους (enraged, snarling) representing the state of the object.
646ἂν ἐξερημωθεῖσʼ ἂν ὑμᾶς ἔλαθε
The verb λανθάνω (here in the aorist indicative ἔλαθε) combined with the nominative participle ἐξερημωθεῖσα (having been devastated) and the accusative ὑμᾶς (you) means 'Greece would have been devastated without your noticing.' The particle ἄν is repeated twice (ἂν ... ἂν) to emphasize the counterfactual past potentiality.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:597-671