- 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-grc2:672-745
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Hermes and Trygaeus discuss the well-disposed Athenian Cleonymus, the current leader Hyperbolus, and the state of contemporary poets as prompted by Eirene's silent inquiries. Trygaeus then receives Opora as his wife, prepares to return to earth, and the Chorus begins the Parabasis, praising the poet's innovations and criticizing his rivals.
χὤστις φίλος κἄσπευδεν εἶναι μὴ μάχας.
and who was a friend and strove for there to be no battles.
εὐνούστατος μὲν ἦν μακρῷ Κλεώνυμος.
Cleonymus was by far the most well-disposed.
ποῖός τις οὖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὰ πολεμικὰὁ Κλεώνυμος;
What kind of man, then, does Cleonymus seem to be in matters of war?
ψυχήν γʼ ἄριστος πλήν γʼ ὅτι
Most excellent in soul, except that
οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ οὗπέρ φησιν εἶναι τοῦ πατρός.1
he turned out not to be the son of the father he claims to be.
εἰ γάρ ποτʼ ἐξέλθοι στρατιώτης, εὐθέως
For if he ever went out as a soldier, he immediately
ἀποβολιμαῖος τῶν ὅπλων ἐγίγνετο.
became a caster-away of his weapons.
ἔτι νῦν ἄκουσον οἷον ἄρτι μʼ ἤρετο,
Hear further what she just asked me:
ὅστις κρατεῖ νῦν τοῦ λίθου τοῦ ʼν τῇ πυκνί.
who now holds power over the stone in the Pnyx.
Ὑπέρβολος νῦν τοῦτʼ ἔχει τὸ χωρίον.
Hyperbolus now holds that place.
αὕτη τί ποιεῖς; τὴν κεφαλὴν ποῖ περιάγεις;
You there, what are you doing? Where are you turning your head?
ἀποστρέφεται τὸν δῆμον ἀχθεσθεῖσʼ ὅτι
She turns away from the People, vexed because
αὑτῷ πονηρὸν προστάτην ἐπεγράψατο.
they chose a wicked leader for themselves.
ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ αὐτῷ χρησόμεθʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ νῦν
But we shall use him no longer; rather, now,
ἀπορῶν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτρόπου καὶ γυμνὸς ὢν
the People, lacking a guardian and being naked,
τοῦτον τέως τὸν ἄνδρα περιεζώσατο.
have temporarily girded themselves with this man.
πῶς οὖν ξυνοίσει ταῦτʼ ἐρωτᾷ τῇ πόλει.
She asks, then, how this will benefit the city.
εὐβουλότεροι γενησόμεθα.
We shall be more prudent.
τρόπῳ τίνι;
In what way?
ὅτι τυγχάνει λυχνοποιὸς ὤν. πρὸ τοῦ μὲν οὖν
Because he happens to be a lamp-maker. Before this, indeed,
ἐψηλαφῶμεν ἐν σκότῳ τὰ πράγματα,
we were groping in the dark in our affairs,
νυνὶ δʼ ἅπαντα πρὸς λύχνον βουλεύσομεν.
but now we shall deliberate everything by lamp-light.
ὢ ὤ,
Oh, oh,
οἷά μʼ ἐκέλευσεν ἀναπυθέσθαι σου.
what things she ordered me to inquire of you!
τὰ τί;
What things?
πάμπολλα καὶ τἀρχαῖʼ ἃ κατέλιπεν τότε·
Very many things, and the old things she left behind back then;
πρῶτον δʼ ὅ τι πράττει Σοφοκλέης ἀνήρετο.
and first she asked how Sophocles is doing.
εὐδαιμονεῖ, πάσχει δὲ θαυμαστόν.
He is doing well, but something strange is happening to him.
τὸ τί;
What’s that?
ἐκ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους γίγνεται Σιμωνίδης.
Sophocles is turning into Simonides.
Σιμωνίδης; πῶς;
Simonides? How?
ὅτι γέρων ὢν καὶ σαπρὸς
Because, being old and decayed,
κέρδους ἕκατι κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοι.2
for the sake of gain he would sail even on a wicker mat.
τί δαί; Κρατῖνος ὁ σοφὸς ἔστιν;
What then? Is the wise Cratinus alive?
ἀπέθανεν
He died
ὅθʼ οἱ Λάκωνες ἐνέβαλον.
when the Laconians invaded.
τί παθών;
What happened to him?
ὅ τι;
What?
ὼρακιάσας· οὐ γὰρ ἐξηνέσχετο
He swooned; for he could not bear
ἰδὼν πίθον καταγνύμενον οἴνου πλέων.
seeing a wine-jar full of wine being smashed.
χἄτερα πόσʼ ἄττʼ οἴει γεγενῆσθʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει;
And how many other things do you think have happened in the city?
ὥστʼ οὐδέποτʼ ὦ δέσποινʼ ἀφησόμεσθά σου.
So that, O mistress, we shall never let you go.
ἴθι νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τὴν Ὀπώραν λάμβανε
Go now, on these terms take this Opora
γυναῖκα σαυτῷ τήνδε· κᾆτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς
as your wife; and then, living with her in the fields,
ταύτῃ ξυνοικῶν ἐκποιοῦ σαυτῷ βότρυς.
produce grapes for yourself.
ὦ φιλτάτη δεῦρʼ ἐλθὲ καὶ δός μοι κύσαι.
O dearest one, come here and give me a kiss.
ἆρʼ ἂν βλαβῆναι διὰ χρόνου τί σοι δοκῶ
Do you think I would suffer any harm, master Hermes,
ὦ δέσποθʼ Ἑρμῆ τῆς Ὀπώρας κατελάσας;3
after a long time, if I drive into Opora?
οὐκ εἴ γε κυκεῶνʼ ἐπιπίοις βληχωνίαν.
Not if you drink a pennyroyal potion afterwards.
ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα τήνδε τὴν Θεωρίαν
But as quickly as possible take this Theoria
ἀπάγαγε τῇ βουλῇ λαβών, ἧσπέρ ποτʼ ἦν.
and lead her away to the Council, whose she once was.
ὦ μακαρία βουλὴ σὺ τῆς Θεωρίας,
O blessed Council, because of Theoria,
ὅσον ῥοφήσει ζωμὸν ἡμερῶν τριῶν,
how much three-day soup you will gulp down,
ὅσας δὲ κατέδει ξόλικας ἑφθὰς καὶ κρέα.
and how many boiled sausages and meats you will devour!
ἀλλʼ ὦ φίλʼ Ἑρμῆ χαῖρε πολλά.
Farewell indeed, dear Hermes.
καὶ σύ γε
And you too,
ὦνθρωπε χαίρων ἄπιθι καὶ μέμνησό μου.
man, go in joy and remember me.
ὦ κάνθαρʼ οἴκαδʼ οἴκαδʼ ἀποπετώμεθα.
O dung-beetle, let’s fly home, home!
οὐκ ἐνθάδʼ ὦ τᾶν ἔστι.
He is not here, my friend.
ποῖ γὰρ οἴχεται;
Where has he gone then?
ὑφʼ ἅρματʼ ἐλθὼν Ζηνὸς ἀστραπηφορεῖ.
He has gone under Zeus’s chariot and carries his lightning.
πόθεν οὖν ὁ τλήμων ἐνθάδʼ ἕξει σιτία;
Where then will the wretched creature get food there?
τὴν τοῦ Γανυμήδους ἀμβροσίαν σιτήσεται.
He will feed on Ganymede’s ambrosia.
πῶς δῆτʼ ἐγὼ καταβήσομαι;
How indeed shall I get down?
θάρρει, καλῶς·
Cheer up, it’s fine:
τῃδὶ παρʼ αὐτὴν τὴν θεόν.
this way, right past the goddess herself.
δεῦρʼ ὦ κόραι
Come here, girls,
ἕπεσθον ἅμʼ ἐμοὶ θᾶττον, ὡς πολλοὶ πάνυ
follow me quickly, for very many
ποθοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἀναμένουσʼ ἐστυκότες.
who desire you are waiting with erections.
ἀλλʼ ἴθι χαίρων· ἡμεῖς δὲ τέως τάδε τὰ σκεύη παραδόντες
But go in joy; and meanwhile let us hand over these utensils
τοῖς ἀκολούθοις δῶμεν σῴζειν, ὡς εἰώθασι μάλιστα
to our attendants to keep safe, since very many
περὶ τὰς σκηνὰς πλεῖστοι κλέπται κυπτάζειν καὶ κακοποιεῖν.
thieves are accustomed to loiter around the tents and do mischief.
ἀλλὰ φυλάττετε ταῦτʼ ἀνδρείως· ἡμεῖς δʼ αὖ τοῖσι θεαταῖς
But guard these bravely; and we, in turn, shall address to the spectators
ἣν ἔχομεν ὁδὸν λόγων εἴπωμεν ὅσα τε νοῦς ἔχει.
the path of words we have, and all that is in our mind.
χρῆν μὲν τύπτειν τοὺς ῥαβδούχους, εἴ τις κωμῳδοποιητὴς
The staff-bearers ought indeed to beat any comic poet who,
αὑτὸν ἐπῄνει πρὸς τὸ θέατρον παραβὰς4 ἐν τοῖς ἀναπαίστοις·
stepping forward in the anapaests, praised himself before the theatre;
εἰ δʼ οὖν εἰκός τινα τιμῆσαι, θύγατερ Διός, ὅστις ἄριστος
but if it is right to honor anyone, O daughter of Zeus, who has become the best
κωμῳδοδιδάσκαλος ἀνθρώπων καὶ κλεινότατος γεγένηται,
and most famous comic teacher of men,
ἄξιος εἶναί φησʼ εὐλογίας μεγάλης ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν.
our teacher says he is worthy of great praise.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τοὺς ἀντιπάλους μόνος ἀνθρώπων κατέπαυσεν
For first, he alone among men stopped his rivals
ἐς τὰ ῥάκια σκώπτοντας ἀεὶ καὶ τοῖς φθειρσὶν πολεμοῦντας,
from always making jokes about rags and fighting with lice;
τούς θʼ Ἡρακλέας τοὺς μάττοντας καὶ τοὺς πεινῶντας ἐκείνους
and those bread-kneading and starving Heracleses
ἐξήλασʼ ἀτιμώσας πρῶτος, καὶ τοὺς δούλους παρέλυσεν
he first drove out with dishonor, and he released those slaves
τοὺς φεύγοντας κἀξαπατῶντας καὶ τυπτομένους ἐπίτηδες,
who run away and deceive and get beaten on purpose,
οὓς ἐξῆγον κλάοντας ἀεί, καὶ τούτους οὕνεκα τουδί,
whom they always brought out weeping, and that for this reason,
ἵνʼ ὁ σύνδουλος σκώψας αὐτοῦ τὰς πληγὰς εἶτʼ ἀνέροιτο,
so that a fellow-slave, mocking his blows, might then ask:
- 676οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ οὗπέρ φησιν εἶναι τοῦ πατρός
The relative pronoun οὗπερ, functioning as the predicate (sc. viós 'son') of εἶναι in the relative clause, is attracted to the genitive case of the antecedent or the governing noun τοῦ πατρός. The imperfect ἦν with the particle ἄρα (ἄρʼ) expresses a sudden realization or discovery of a present/past fact ('turned out after all not to be').
- 699κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς πλέοι
The crasis κἂν represents καὶ ἄν, which here goes with the optative πλέοι (third-person singular present optative active of πλέω) to express a potential action ('he would even sail'). The phrase ἐπὶ ῥιπός ('on a wicker mat') serves as a metaphor for an extremely precarious vessel, emphasizing Sophocles' greed which would drive him to take any risky voyage.
- 711τῆς Ὀπώρας κατελάσας
The participle κατελάσας (aorist active of κατελαύνω, meaning 'to drive down' or 'ride into') is used here with a sexual double meaning regarding the personified harvest goddess, Opora. The genitive τῆς Ὀπώρας functions as the genitive of object after the verb of physical contact or driving into.
- 734χρῆν μὲν τύπτειν... εἴ τις... παραβάς
The imperfect χρῆν (from the impersonal verb χρή) expresses an unfulfilled past obligation ('ought to have beaten'). The conjunction εἰ with the aorist participle παραβάς (modifying the subject of the conditional clause, with an implied past indicative verb like ἐπῄνεσε) sets up a past particular condition ('if any poet stepped forward and praised'). The participle παραβάς ('stepping aside/forward') refers to the formal movement of the chorus towards the audience, which gives the parabasis its name.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1