Trygaeus's Flight to Heaven on the Beetle — Aristophanes, Peace, lines 79–166, Greek & English

οἴμοι τάλας· ἴτε δεῦρο δεῦρ ὦ γείτονες·

Servant: Ah, poor me! Come here, come here, O neighbors!

ὁ δεσπότης γάρ μου μετέωρος αἴρεται

For my master is being raised up into the air,

ἱππηδὸν ἐς τὸν ἀέρʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανθάρου.

riding horse-fashion into the sky upon the beetle.

ἥσυχος ἥσυχος, ἠρέμα, κάνθων·

Trygaeus: Quiet, quiet, gently, my little donkey;

μή μοι σοβαρῶς χώρει λίαν

do not go too violently for me,

εὐθὺς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ῥώμῃ πίσυνος,

trusting in your strength right from the start,

πρὶν ἂν ἰδίῃς¹ καὶ διαλύσῃς

until you have sweated and loosened

ἄρθρων ἶνας πτερύγων ῥύμῃ.

the fibers of your joints by the rush of your wings.

καὶ μὴ πνεῖ μοι κακόν, ἀντιβολῶ σʼ·

And do not breathe foully on me, I entreat you;

εἰ δὲ ποιήσεις τοῦτο, κατʼ οἴκους

but if you are going to do this,

αὐτοῦ μεῖνον τοὺς ἡμετέρους.

remain right there at our house.

ὦ δέσποτʼ ἄναξ ὡς παραπαίεις.

Servant: O master, king, how mad you are!

σίγα σίγα.

Trygaeus: Be silent, be silent!

ποῖ δῆτʼ ἄλλως μετεωροκοπεῖς;

Servant: Where on earth are you beating the air in vain?

ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων πάντων πέτομαι

Trygaeus: I am flying on behalf of all the Greeks,

τόλμημα νέον παλαμησάμενος.

having devised a new and daring deed.

τί πέτει; τί μάτην οὐχ ὑγιαίνεις;

Servant: Why are you flying? Why are you foolishly out of your mind?

εὐφημεῖν χρὴ καὶ μὴ φλαῦρον

Trygaeus: You must speak auspiciously, and mutter nothing

μηδὲν γρύζειν ἀλλʼ ὀλολύζειν·

worthless, but raise a cry of joy.

τοῖς τʼ ἀνθρώποισι φράσον σιγᾶν,

And tell the people to be silent,

τοὺς τε κοπρῶνας καὶ τὰς λαύρας

and to build up the dung heaps and the alleys

100

καιναῖς πλίνθοισιν ἀνοικοδομεῖν

with new bricks,

καὶ τοὺς πρωκτοὺς ἐπικλῄειν.

and to lock up their backdoors.

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως σιγήσομʼ,² ἢν μή μοι φράσῃς

Servant: There is no way I will keep silent unless you tell me

ὅποι πέτεσθαι διανοεῖ.

where you intend to fly.

τί δʼ ἄλλο γʼ ἢ

Trygaeus: Where else indeed,

ὡς τὸν Δίʼ ἐς τὸν οὐρανόν;

but to Zeus in heaven?

τίνα νοῦν ἔχων;

Servant: With what purpose in mind?

105

ἐρησόμενος ἐκεῖνον Ἑλλήνων πέρι

Trygaeus: To ask him about all the Greeks,

ἁπαξαπάντων ὅ τι ποιεῖν βουλεύεται.

what on earth he is planning to do.

ἐὰν δὲ μή σοι καταγορεύῃ;

Servant: And what if he doesn’t tell you?

γράψομαι

Trygaeus: I will indict him

Μήδοισιν αὐτὸν προδιδόναι τὴν Ἑλλάδα.

for betraying Greece to the Medes.

μὰ τὸν Διόνυσον οὐδέποτε ζῶντός γʼ ἐμοῦ.

Servant: By Dionysus, never, not while I am alive!

110

οὐκ ἔστι παρὰ ταῦτʼ ἄλλʼ.

Trygaeus: There is no other way than this.

ἰοὺ ἰοὺ ἰού·

Servant: Help, help, help!

ὦ παιδίʼ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπολιπὼν ἀπέρχεται

O children, your father is departing, leaving

ὑμᾶς ἐρήμους ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν λάθρᾳ.

you desolate, secretly into heaven.

ἀλλʼ ἀντιβολεῖτε τὸν πατέρ ὦ κακοδαίμονα.

But entreat your father, O miserable children.

ὦ πάτερ ὦ πάτερ ἆρʼ ἔτυμός γε

Daughter: O father, O father, has a true

115

δώμασιν ἡμετέροις φάτις ἥκει,

rumor indeed come to our house,

ὡς σὺ μετʼ ὀρνίθων προλιρὼν ἐμὲ

that you are going to leave me and go off with the birds

ἐς κόρακας βαδιεῖ μεταμώνιος;

to the crows, flying high in the air?

ἔστι τι τῶνδʼ ἐτύμως; εἴπʼ ὦ πάτερ, εἴ τι φιλεῖς με.

Is any of this true? Tell me, father, if you love me at all.

δοξάσαι ἔστι κόραι, τὸ δʼ ἐτήτυμον ἄχθομαι ὑμῖν,³

Trygaeus: You may think so, girls, but the truth is I am grieved for you,

120

ἡνίκʼ ἂν αἰτίζητʼ ἄρτον πάππαν με καλοῦσαι,

whenever you ask me for bread, calling me “Papa,”

ἔνδον δʼ ἀργυρίου μηδὲ ψακὰς ᾖ πάνυ πάμπαν.

and there is not even a tiny drop of money at all in the house.

ἢν δʼ ἐγὼ εὖ πράξας ἔλθω πάλιν, ἕξετʼ ἐν ὥρᾳ

But if I return after succeeding, you shall have in due season

κολλύραν μεγάλην καὶ κόνδυλον ὄψον ἐρʼ αὐτῇ.

a large roll and a fist for your relish.

καὶ τίς πόρος σοι τῆς ὁδοῦ γενήσεται;

Daughter: And what means of travel will you have?

125

ναῦς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἄξει σε ταύτην τὴν ὁδόν.

For a ship will certainly not take you on this journey.

πτηνὸς πορεύσει πῶλος· οὐ ναυσθλώσομαι.

Trygaeus: A winged colt will carry me; I will not travel by sea.

τίς δʼ ἡ ʼπίνοιά σοὐστὶν ὥστε κάνθαρον

Daughter: And what is your idea, Papa,

ζεύξαντʼ ἐλαύνειν ἐς θεοὺς ὦ παππία;

that you harness a beetle and ride to the gods?

ἐν τοῖσιν Αἰσώπου λόγοις ἐξηυρέθη

Trygaeus: In Aesop’s fables it was discovered

130

μόνος πετεινῶν ἐς θεοὺς ἀφιγμένος.

that it alone of winged creatures reached the gods.

ἄπιστον εἶπας μῦθον ὦ πάτερ πάτερ,

Daughter: You tell an unbelievable myth, O father, father,

ὅπως κάκοσμον ζῷον ἦλθεν ἐς θεούς.

how a smelly creature came to the gods.

ἦλθεν κατʼ ἔχθραν αἰετοῦ πάλαι ποτέ,

Trygaeus: It went long ago out of enmity for the eagle,

ᾤʼ ἐκκυλίνδων κἀντιτιμωρούμενος.

rolling out its eggs and taking its revenge.

135

οὐκοῦν ἐχρῆν σε Πηγάσου ζεῦξαι πτερόν,

Daughter: Then you should have harnessed the wing of Pegasus,

ὅπως ἐφαίνου τοῖς θεοῖς τραγικώτερος.

so that you might appear more tragic to the gods.

ἀλλʼ ὦ μέλʼ ἄν μοι σιτίων διπλῶν ἔδει·

Trygaeus: But, my dear, I would have needed double rations;

νῦν δʼ ἃττʼ ἂν αὐτὸς καταφάγω τὰ σιτία,

but now, whatever food I myself consume,

τούτοισι τοῖς αὐτοῖσι τοῦτον χορτάσω.

with these very same things I will feed this one.

140

τί δʼ ἢν ἐς ὑγρὸν πόντιον πέσῃ βάθος;

Daughter: And what if he falls into the wet depth of the sea?

πῶς ἐξολισθεῖν πτηνὸς ὢν δυνήσεται;

How will he be able to escape, being a winged creature?

ἐπίτηδες εἶχον πηδάλιον, ᾧ χρήσομαι·

Trygaeus: I have a rudder on purpose, which I will use;

τὸ δὲ πλοῖον ἔσται Ναξιουργὴς κάνθαρος.

and my boat will be a Naxian beetle.

λιμὴν δὲ τίς σε δέξεται φορούμενον;

Daughter: And what harbor will receive you as you are carried along?

145

ἐν Πειραιεῖ δήπου ʼστὶ Κανθάρου λιμήν.

Trygaeus: In the Peiraeus, of course, there is the harbor of Cantharus.

ἐκεῖνο τήρει, μὴ σφαλεὶς καταρρυῇς⁴

Daughter: Take care of this, that you do not slip and fall

ἐντεῦθεν, εἶτα χωλὸς ὢν Εὐριπίδῃ

from there, and then, being lame, provide Euripides

λόγον παράσχῃς καὶ τραγῳδία γένῃ.

with a plot and become a tragedy.

ἐμοὶ μελήσει ταῦτά γʼ. ἀλλὰ χαίρετε.

Trygaeus: I will see to that. But farewell!

150

ὑμεῖς δέ γʼ, ὑπὲρ ὧν τοὺς πόνους ἐγὼ πονῶ,

And you, on whose behalf I undergo these labors,

μὴ βδεῖτε μηδὲ χέζεθʼ ἡμερῶν τριῶν·

do not fart or defecate for three days;

ὡς εἰ μετέωρος οὗτος ὢν ὀσφρήσεται,

for if this one, being high up, smells it,

κατωκάρα ῥίψας με βουκολήσεται.

he will throw me headlong and go feeding.

ἀλλʼ ἄγε Πήγασε χώρει χαίρων,

Come now, Pegasus, go rejoicing,

155

χρυσοχάλινον πάταγον ψαλίων

shaking the gold-bridled rattle of your bit

διακινήσας φαιδροῖς ὠσίν.

with cheerful ears.

τί ποιεῖς; τί ποιεῖς; ποῖ παρακλίνεις

What are you doing? What are you doing? Where are you turning

τοὺς μυκτῆρας; πρὸς τὰς λαύρας.

your nostrils? Towards the alleys!

ἵει σαυτὸν θαρρῶν ἀπὸ γῆς,

Throw yourself boldly from the earth,

160

κᾆτα δρομαίαν πτέρυγʼ ἐκτείνων

and then, stretching out your running wing,

ὀρθὸς χώρει Διὸς εἰς αὐλάς,

go straight to the halls of Zeus,

ἀπὸ μὲν κάκκης τὴν ῥῖνʼ ἀπέχων,

keeping your nose away from dung,

ἀπὸ δʼ ἡμερίων σίτων πάντων.

and from all daily food of humans.

ἄνθρωπε τί δρᾷς, οὗτος ὁ χέζων

You there, what are you doing, you who are defecating

165

ἐν Πειραιεῖ παρὰ ταῖς πόρναις;

in the Peiraeus near the brothels?

ἀπολεῖς μʼ ἀπολεῖς. οὐ κατορύξεις

You will destroy me, you will destroy me! Will you not bury it,

Syntax notes4 items

85πρὶν ἂν ἰδίῃς
The construction πρὶν ἄν with the subjunctive (ἰδίῃς) is used here because the main clause contains a negative command (μή μοι χώρει in line 83). This is the standard syntax for expressing 'do not... until...'
102οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως σιγήσομʼ
The expression οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως (there is no way that...) followed by the future indicative (σιγήσομαι) expresses a strong negative assertion ('I will certainly not keep silent'). Combined with the conditional clause ἢν μή..., it emphasizes the speaker's firm resolution.
119τὸ δʼ ἐτήτυμον ἄχθομαι ὑμῖν
The accusative τὸ ἐτήτυμον is used adverbially to mean 'in truth' or 'actually.' The verb ἄχθομαι (to be grieved, vexed) governs the dative ὑμῖν, meaning 'I am grieved on your account.'
146ἐκεῖνο τήρει, μὴ σφαλεὶς καταρρυῇς
Led by the imperative of precaution τήρει (take care), the conjunction μή with the subjunctives forms a clause of apprehension ('lest you fall...'). The participle σφαλείς is an aorist passive, functioning conditionally ('if you trip/slip').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:79-166