Prayer to Peace and Preparations for the Sacrifice — Aristophanes, Peace, lines 930c–1026, Greek & English

930c

ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γʼ ἔστʼ Ἰωνικὸν

But this is an Ionic

τὸ ῥῆμʼ.

word.

ἐπίτηδές γʼ, ἵνʼ ὅταν ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ

On purpose indeed, so that whenever someone in the Assembly

ὡς χρὴ πολεμεῖν λέγῃ τις, οἱ καθήμενοι

says that we must wage war, those sitting there,

ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους λέγωσʼ¹ Ἰωνικῶς ὀὶ—

out of fear, may cry ‘oi’ in the Ionic way—

εὖ τοι λέγεις.

Well said indeed.

καὶ τἄλλα γʼ ὦσιν ἤπιοι.

And that in all other things they may be gentle.

935

ὥστʼ ἐσόμεθʼ ἀλλήλοισιν ἀμνοὶ τοὺς τρόπους

So that we shall be lambs to one another in our ways,

καὶ τοῖσι συμμάχοισι πρᾳότεροι πολύ.

and much gentler to the allies.

ἴθι νυν ἄγʼ ὡς τάχιστα τὸ πρόβατον λαβών·

Come then, bring the sheep as quickly as possible;

ἐγὼ δὲ ποριῶ βωμὸν ἐφʼ ὅτου θύσομεν.

and I will provide an altar on which we shall sacrifice.

ὡς πάνθʼ ὅσʼ ἂν θεὸς θέλῃ χἠ τύχη κατορθοῖ,

How everything that God wills and Fortune directs

940

χωρεῖ κατὰ νοῦν, ἕτερον δʼ ἑτέρῳ

goes according to mind, and one of these things

τούτων κατὰ καιρὸν ἀπαντᾷ.

meets another in due season!

ὡς ταῦτα δῆλά γʼ ἔσθʼ· ὁ γὰρ βωμὸς θύρασι καὶ δή.

How clear this indeed is! For the altar is already outside.

ἐπείγετέ νυν ἐν ὅσῳ

Hurry then, while

σοβαρὰ θεόθεν κατέχει

the shifting breeze of war, violent from the gods,

945

πολέμου μετάτροπος αὔρα.

holds back.

νῦν γὰρ δαίμων φανερῶς

For now the deity clearly

εἰς ἀγαθὰ μεταβιβάζει.

is transferring us to good things.

τὸ κανοῦν πάρεστʼ ὀλὰς ἔχον καὶ στέμμα καὶ μάχαιραν,

The basket is here, holding the barley-grains, the wreath, and the knife,

καὶ πῦρ γε τουτί, κοὐδὲν ἴσχει πλὴν τὸ πρόβατον ὑμᾶς.

and here is the fire; and nothing holds you back except the sheep.

950

οὔκουν ἁμιλλήσεσθον; ὡς

Will you two not hasten then? Since

ἢν Χαῖρις ὑμᾶς ἴδῃ,

if Chaeris sees you,

πρόσεισιν αὐλήσων ἄκλητος,

he will come uninvited to play the flute,

κᾆτα τοῦτʼ εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι

and then I know well that

φυσῶντι καὶ πονουμένῳ

as he puffs and exerts himself,

955

προσδώσετε δήπου.

you will surely give something to him.

ἄγε δὴ τὸ κανοῦν λαβὼν σὺ καὶ τὴν χέρνιβα

Come then, take the basket and the lustral water,

περίιθι τὸν βωμὸν ταχέως ἐπιδέξια.

and go round the altar quickly from left to right.

ἰδού· λεγοις ἂν ἄλλο· περιελήλυθα.

There! You may say something else; I have gone round.

φέρε δὴ τὸ δαλίον τόδʼ ἐμβάψω λαβών,

Come indeed, let me take this brand and dip it;

960

σείου σὺ ταχέως· σὺ δὲ πρότεινε τῶν ὀλῶν,

shake it quickly. And you, hold out the barley-grains,

καὐτός γε χερνίπτου παραδοὺς ταύτην ἐμοί,

and having washed your own hands, hand this to me,

καὶ τοῖς θεαταῖς ῥῖπτε τῶν κριθῶν.

and throw the barley-grains to the spectators.

ἰδού.

There!

ἔδωκας ἤδη;

Have you given them already?

νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν ὥστε γε

By Hermes, yes, so that

τούτων ὅσοιπέρ εἰσι τῶν θεωμένων

of all these spectators,

965

οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ κριθὴν ἔχει.

there is not one who does not have a barley-corn.

οὐχ αἱ γυναῖκές γʼ ἔλαβον.

The women didn’t get any, at least.

ἀλλʼ εἰς ἑσπέραν

But towards evening

δώσουσιν αὐταῖς ἅνδρες.

their husbands will give it to them.

ἀλλʼ εὐχώμεθα.

But let us pray.

τίς τῇδε; ποῦ ποτʼ εἰσὶ πολλοὶ κἀγαθοί;

Who is here? Where on earth are the many and good?

τοισδὶ φέρε δῶ· πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσι κἀγαθοί.

Let me give to these; for they are many and good.

970

τούτους ἀγαθοὺς ἐνόμισας;

You considered these to be good?

οὐ γάρ, οἵτινες

Why not? Since,

ἡμῶν καταχεόντων ὕδωρ τοσουτονὶ

though we pour so much water on them,

ἐς ταὐτὸ τοῦθʼ ἑστᾶσʼ ἰόντες χωρίον;

they stand going into this very same place?

ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστʼ εὐχώμεθʼ.

But let us pray as quickly as possible.

εὐχώμεσθα δή.

Let us pray indeed.

ὦ σεμνοτάτη βασίλεια θεὰ

O most august queen goddess,

975

πότνιʼ Εἰρήνη,

lady Peace,

δέσποινα χορῶν, δέσποινα γάμων,

mistress of choruses, mistress of weddings,

δέξαι θυσίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν.

receive our sacrifice.

δέξαι δῆτʼ ὦ πολυτιμήτη

Receive it indeed, O highly honored one,

νὴ Δία, καὶ μὴ ποίει γʼ ἅπερ αἱ

by Zeus, and do not do what

980

μοιχευόμεναι δρῶσι γυναῖκες.

the adulterous women do.

καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι παρακλίνασαι

For they too, opening the courtyard door slightly,

τῆς αὐλείας παρακύπτουσιν,

peep out,

κἄν τις προσέχῃ τὸν νοῦν αὐταῖς

and if anyone pays attention to them,

ἀναχωροῦσιν,

they withdraw,

985

κᾆτʼ ἢν ἀπίῃ παρακύπτουσιν.

and then if he goes away, they peep out again.

τούτων σὺ ποίει μηδὲν ἔθʼ ἡμᾶς.

Do none of these things to us anymore.

μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἀπόφηνον ὅλην σαυτὴν

By Zeus, but reveal your whole self

γενναιοπρεπῶς τοῖσιν ἐρασταῖς

generously to us lovers,

ἡμῖν, οἵ σου τρυχόμεθʼ ἤδη

who have already been worn out for you

990

τρία καὶ δέκʼ ἔτη,

for thirteen years.

λῦσον δὲ μάχας καὶ κορκορυγάς,

And dissolve battles and uproars,

ἵνα Λυσιμάχην σε καλῶμεν.

so that we may call you Lysimache.

παῦσον δʼ ἡμῶν τὰς ὑπονοίας

And put an end to our suspicions,

τὰς περικόμψους,

the over-subtle ones,

995

αἷς στωμυλλόμεθʼ εἰς ἀλλήλους·

with which we babble against one another.

μεῖξον δʼ ἡμᾶς τοὺς Ἕλληνας

And mix us Greeks

πάλιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς

again from the beginning

φιλίας χυλῷ καὶ συγγνώμῃ

with the juice of friendship, and blend

τινὶ πρᾳοτέρᾳ κέρασον τὸν νοῦν·

our minds with a gentler forgiveness.

καὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν

And that our market-place be filled with good things,

1000

ἐμπλησθῆναι, μεγάλων σκορόδων,

with large garlics,

σικύων πρῴων, μήλων, ῥοιῶν.

early cucumbers, apples, pomegranates,

δούλοισι χλανισκιδίων μικρῶν·

and small cloaks for slaves;

κἀκ Βοιωτῶν γε φέροντας ἰδεῖν

and to see people bringing from the Boeotians

χῆνας νήττας φάττας τροχίλους·

geese, ducks, wood-pigeons, and wrens;

1005

καὶ Κωπᾴδων ἐλθεῖν σπυρίδας,

and baskets of Copaic eels to come,

καὶ περὶ ταύτας ἡμᾶς ἁθρόους

and around them us in a crowd,

ὀψωνοῦντας τυρβάζεσθαι²

buying dainties, to be in a bustle,

Μορύχῳ Τελέᾳ Γλαυκέτῃ, ἄλλοις

with Morychus, Teleas, Glaucetes, and

τένθαις πολλοῖς· κᾆτα Μελάνθιον

many other gluttons; and then Melanthius

1010

ἥκειν ὕστερον ἐς τὴν ἀγοράν,

to come later to the market-place,

τὰς δὲ πεπρᾶσθαι, τὸν δʼ ὀτοτύζειν,

and the eels to have been sold, and him to wail,

εἶτα μονῳδεῖν ἐκ Μηδείας,

and then to sing a solo from Medea:

ὀλόμαν ὀλόμαν, ἀποχηρωθεὶς

’I am ruined, I am ruined,

τᾶς ἐν τεύτλοισι λοχευομένας·

bereaved of her who was cradled in beet-leaves!’

1015

τοὺς δʼ ἀνθρώπους ἐπιχαίρειν.

and the people to rejoice over him.

ταῦτʼ ὦ πολυτίμητʼ εὐχομένοις ἡμῖν δίδου.

O highly honored one, grant these things to us as we pray.

λαβὲ τὴν μάχαιραν· εἶθʼ ὅπως μαγειρικῶς

Take the knife; and see to it that you

σφάξεις³ τὸν οἶν.

slaughter the sheep in a cook-like manner.

ἀλλʼ οὐ θέμις.

But it is not lawful.

τιὴ τί δή;

Why indeed? Why?

οὐχ ἥδεται δήπουθεν Εἰρήνη σφαγαῖς,

Peace surely does not delight in slaughter,

1020

οὐδʼ αἱματοῦται βωμός. ἀλλʼ εἴσω φέρων

nor is her altar stained with blood. But take it inside,

θύσας τὰ μηρἴ ἐξελὼν δεῦρʼ ἔκφερε,

sacrifice it, take out the thigh-bones and bring them out here;

χοὔτω τὸ πρόβατον τῷ χορηγῷ σῴζεται.

and thus the sheep is saved for the choregus.

σέ τοι θύρασι χρὴ μένοντα τοίνυν

You, therefore, must remain outside

σχίζας δευρὶ τιθέναι ταχέως

and quickly place the firewood here,

1025

τά τε πρόσφορα πάντʼ ἐπὶ τούτοις.

and all the fitting things upon them.

οὔκουν δοκῶ σοι μαντικῶς τὸ φρύγανον τίθεσθαι;

Do I not indeed seem to you to place the firewood in a divinely inspired manner?

Syntax notes3 items

931bἵνʼ ὅταν ... λέγῃ ... λέγωσʼ
A nested syntactic structure where a general conditional clause with ὅταν + subjunctive (λέγῃ) is embedded within a purpose clause introduced by ἵνα, whose main verb is also in the subjunctive (λέγωσʼ).
1007ὀψωνοῦντας τυρβάζεσθαι
Syntactically, these infinitives (such as τυρβάζεσθαι, ἥκειν, πεπρᾶσθαι, ὀτοτύζειν, μονῳδεῖν) depend on the prayer context introduced by τὴν ἀγορὰν ... ἐμπλησθῆναι in §999a, functioning as infinitives of wish or command with accusative subjects.
1017εἶθʼ ὅπως ... σφάξεις
The construction of ὅπως with the future indicative (σφάξεις) is a colloquial idiom expressing a strong command or exhortation ('see to it that you...'), functioning as an independent clause where a main verb of effort is omitted.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:930c-1026