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Aristophanes · Knights §1181-1256

Exposure of Cleon's Fraud and the Sausage-Seller's Triumph

Passage 16 of 18 · Greek

Summary

Cleon and the Sausage-Seller compete by offering food to Demus, but Cleon's deceit is exposed when his food chest is searched. Finally, the Sausage-Seller is revealed to match the conditions of the prophecy, and the defeated Cleon surrenders his position.

§1181ἡ Γοργολόφα σʼ ἐκέλευε τουτουὶ φαγεῖν §1182ἐλατῆρος, ἵνα τὰς ναῦς ἐλαύνωμεν καλῶς.
Cleon: The Gorgon-crested goddess ordered you to eat this elater (cake), so that we may steer (elauunomen) our ships well.
§1183λαβὲ καὶ ταδί νυν.
Sausage-Seller: Take these as well now.
§1183bκαὶ τί τούτοις χρήσομαι §1184τοῖς ἐντέροις;
Demus: And what shall I do with these entrails?
§1184bἐπίτηδες αὔτʼ ἔπεμψέ σοι §1185ἐς τὰς τριήρεις ἐντερόνειαν ἡ θεός· §1186ἐπισκοπεῖ γὰρ περιφανῶς τὸ ναυτικόν.
Sausage-Seller: On purpose the Goddess sent them to you as an "internal lining (enteroneia)" for your triremes; for she clearly watches over the navy.
§1187ἔχε καὶ πιεῖν κεκραμένον τρία καὶ δύο.
Cleon: Have also this drink, mixed three to two.
§1188ὡς ἡδὺς ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ τὰ τρία φέρων καλῶς.
Demus: By Zeus, how sweet it is, and how well it bears the three parts!
§1189ἡ Τριτογενὴς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐνετριτώνισεν.
Sausage-Seller: Yes, for Tritogeneia herself tripled-watered (enetritonisen) it.
§1190λαβέ νυν πλακοῦντος πίονος παρʼ ἐμοῦ τόμον.
Cleon: Take now a slice of rich cake from me.
§1191παρʼ ἐμοῦ δʼ ὅλον γε τὸν πλακοῦντα τουτονί.
Sausage-Seller: And from me, this whole cake here!
§1192ἀλλʼ οὐ λαγῷʼ ἕξεις ὁπόθεν δῷς, ἀλλʼ ἐγώ.
(To Cleon) But you won't have any hare's meat from where you can give it, but I will.
§1193οἴμοι, πόθεν λαγῷά μοι γενήσεται;
Cleon: Alas, from where will hare's meat come to me?
§1194ὦ θυμὲ νυνὶ βωμολόχον ἔξευρέ τι.
O my soul, now find some knavish trick!
§1195ὁρᾷς τάδʼ ὦ κακόδαιμον;
Sausage-Seller: Do you see this, you miserable fellow?
§1195bὀλίγον μοι μέλει· §1196ἐκεινοιὶ γὰρ ὡς ἔμʼ ἔρχονταί τινες §1197πρέσβεις ἔχοντες ἀργυρίου βαλλάντια.
Cleon: I care little; for over there, some envoys with purses of money are coming to me.
§1198ποῦ ποῦ;
Sausage-Seller: Where, where?
§1198bτί δέ σοι τοῦτʼ;
Cleon: What is that to you?
οὐκ ἐάσεις τοὺς ξένους;
Won't you leave the strangers alone?
§1199ὦ Δημίδιον ὁρᾷς τὰ λαγῷʼ ἅ σοι φέρω;
Sausage-Seller: O dear Demus, do you see the hare's meat that I bring you?
§1200οἴμοι τάλας ἀδίκως γε τἄμʼ ὑφήρπασας.
Cleon: Alas, wretched me! You have unjustly snatched away my property.
§1201νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ σὺ γὰρ τοὺς ἐκ Πύλου.
Sausage-Seller: By Poseidon, for you did the same to those from Pylos.
§1202εἴπʼ, ἀντιβολῶ, πῶς ἐπενόησας ἁρπάσαι;
Demus: Tell me, I entreat you, how did you think of snatching it?
§1203τὸ μὲν νόημα τῆς θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ κλέμμʼ ἐμόν.
Sausage-Seller: The idea was the Goddess's, but the theft was mine.
§1204ἐγὼ δʼ ἐκινδύνευσʼ, ἐγὼ δʼ ὤπτησά γε.
Cleon: But I ran the risk, and I did the roasting!
§1205ἄπιθʼ· οὐ γὰρ ἀλλὰ τοῦ παραθέντος ἡ χάρις.
Demus: Go away; for indeed, the gratitude belongs to the one who served it.
§1206οἴμοι κακοδαίμων, ὑπεραναιδευθήσομαι.
Cleon: Alas, miserable me! I shall be out-impudenced.
§1207τί οὐ διακρίνεις Δῆμʼ ὁπότερός ἐστι νῷν §1208ἀνὴρ ἀμείνων περὶ σὲ καὶ τὴν γαστέρα;
Sausage-Seller: Why don't you decide, Demus, which of us two is the better man towards you and your stomach?
§1209τῷ δῆτʼ ἂν ὑμᾶς χρησάμενος τεκμηρίῳ §1210δόξαιμι κρίνειν τοῖς θεαταῖσιν σοφῶς;
Demus: By using what proof indeed would I seem to the spectators to judge wisely?
§1211ἐγὼ φράσω σοι.
Sausage-Seller: I will tell you.
τὴν ἐμὴν κίστην ἰὼν §1212ξύλλαβε σιωπῇ καὶ βασάνισον ἅττʼ ἔνι, §1213καὶ τὴν Παφλαγόνος· κἀμέλει κρινεῖς καλῶς.
Go and take my food-chest in silence, and examine what is inside, and also that of the Paphlagonian; and surely you will judge well.
§1214φέρʼ ἴδω τί οὖν ἔνεστιν;
Demus: Let me see, what then is inside?
§1214bοὐχ ὁρᾷς κενὴν §1215ὦ παππίδιον;
Sausage-Seller: Don't you see it is empty, my dear grandpapa?
ἅπαντα γάρ σοι παρεφόρουν.
For I brought everything out for you.
§1216αὕτη μὲν ἡ κίστη τὰ τοῦ Δήμου φρονεῖ.
Demus: This chest indeed minds the interests of Demus.
§1217βάδιζέ νυν καὶ δεῦρο πρὸς τὴν Παφλαγόνος.
Walk now also over here to that of the Paphlagonian.
§1218ὁρᾷς τάδʼ;
Do you see this?
§1218bοἴμοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὅσων πλέα.
Alas, how full of good things it is!
§1219ὅσον τὸ χρῆμα τοῦ πλακοῦντος ἀπέθετο·
What a huge quantity of cake he stored away!
§1220ἐμοὶ δʼ ἔδωκεν ἀποτεμὼν τυννουτονί.
And to me he gave only a tiny piece, cutting off just this much!
§1221τοιαῦτα μέντοι καὶ πρότερόν σʼ ἠργάζετο· §1222σοὶ μὲν προσεδίδου μικρὸν ὧν ἐλάμβανεν, §1223αὐτὸς δʼ ἑαυτῷ παρετίθει τὰ μείζονα.
Sausage-Seller: Indeed, he used to do such things to you before too; he would give you a tiny bit of what he received, but he would set the larger share before himself.
§1224ὦ μιαρὲ κλέπτων δή με ταῦτʼ ἐξηπάτας;
Demus: O rascal, so you were deceiving me by stealing these things?
§1225ἐγὼ δέ τυ ἐστεφάνιξα κἀδωρησάμαν.
And yet I crowned you and gave you gifts!
§1226ἐγὼ δʼ ἔκλεπτον ἐπʼ ἀγαθῷ γε τῇ πόλει.
Cleon: But I was stealing for the good of the city!
§1227κατάθου ταχέως τὸν στέφανον, ἵνʼ ἐγὼ τουτῳὶ §1228αὐτὸν περιθῶ.
Demus: Lay down the crown quickly, so that I may place it upon this man here.
§1228bκατάθου ταχέως μαστιγία.
Sausage-Seller: Lay it down quickly, you whipping-post!
§1229οὐ δῆτʼ, ἐπεί μοι χρησμός ἐστι Πυθικὸς §1230φράζων ὑφʼ οὗ †δεήσει μʼ† ἡττᾶσθαι μόνου.
Cleon: Surely not, since I have a Pythian oracle declaring by whom alone I must be defeated.
§1231τοὐμόν γε φράζων ὄνομα καὶ λίαν σαφῶς.
Sausage-Seller: Declaring indeed my name, and very clearly too!
§1232καὶ μήν σʼ ἐλέγξαι βούλομαι τεκμηρίῳ, §1233εἴ τι ξυνοίσεις τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς θεσφάτοις.
Cleon: And yet I wish to test you by proof, to see if you agree at all with the god's predictions.
§1234καί σου τοσοῦτον πρῶτον ἐκπειράσομαι· §1235παῖς ὢν ἐφοίτας ἐς τίνος διδασκάλου;
And first I will make this trial of you: When you were a boy, whose school did you attend?
§1236ἐν ταῖσιν εὕστραις κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην.
Sausage-Seller: In the singeing-pits I was shaped by fists.
§1237πῶς εἶπας;
Cleon: What did you say?
ὥς μου χρησμὸς ἅπτεται φρενῶν.
How the oracle touches my heart!
§1238εἶεν. §1238aἐν παιδοτρίβου δὲ τίνα πάλην ἐμάνθανες;
Well, at the trainer's, what kind of wrestling did you learn?
§1239κλέπτων ἐπιορκεῖν καὶ βλέπειν ἐναντίον·
Sausage-Seller: To steal, commit perjury, and look people straight in the face.
§1240ὦ Φοῖβʼ Ἄπολλον Λύκιε τί ποτέ μʼ ἐργάσει;
Cleon: O Phoebus Apollo of Lycia, what will you do to me indeed?
§1241τέχνην δὲ τίνα ποτʼ εἶχες ἐξανδρούμενος;
And what trade did you have when you became a man?
§1242ἠλλαντοπώλουν καί τι καὶ βινεσκόμην.
Sausage-Seller: I sold sausages and also practiced prostitution.
§1243οἴμοι κακοδαίμων·
Cleon: Alas, miserable me!
οὐκέτʼ οὐδέν εἰμʼ ἐγώ.
I am no longer anything.
§1244λεπτή τις ἐλπίς ἐστʼ ἐφʼ ἧς ὀχούμεθα.
There is some slender hope on which we are carried.
§1245καί μοι τοσοῦτον εἰπέ· πότερον ἐν ἀγορᾷ §1246ἠλλαντοπώλεις ἐτεὸν ἢ ʼπὶ ταῖς πύλαις;
Just tell me this: did you sell sausages in the marketplace really, or at the gates?
§1247ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαισιν, οὗ τὸ τάριχος ὤνιον.
Sausage-Seller: At the gates, where the salted fish is sold.
§1248οἴμοι πέπρακται τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θέσφατον.
Cleon: Alas, the oracle of the god has been fulfilled!
§1249κυλίνδετʼ εἴσω τόνδε τὸν δυσδαίμονα.
Roll this unhappy man inside.
§1250ὦ στέφανε χαίρων ἄπιθι, κεἴ σʼ ἄκων ἐγὼ §1251λείπω· σὲ δʼ ἄλλος τις λαβὼν κεκτήσεται, §1252κλέπτης μὲν οὐκ ἂν μᾶλλον, εὐτυχὴς δʼ ἴσως.
O crown, farewell and depart, even if unwillingly I leave you; some other man will receive and possess you, no greater thief indeed, but perhaps more fortunate.
§1253Ἑλλάνιε Ζεῦ σὸν τὸ νικητήριον.
Sausage-Seller: O Hellenic Zeus, yours is the victory!
§1254ὦ χαῖρε καλλίνικε καὶ μέμνησʼ ὅτι §1255ἀνὴρ γεγένησαι διʼ ἐμέ· καί σʼ αἰτῶ βραχύ, §1256ὅπως ἔσομαί σοι Φανὸς ὑπογραφεὺς δικῶν.
Phanos: O hail, glorious victor, and remember that you have become a man through me; and I ask you a small thing, so that I may be Phanos, your scribe of lawsuits.

Notes

  1. 1182ἐλατῆρος, ἵνα τὰς ναῦς ἐλαύνωμεν καλῶς — A wordplay between ἐλατήρ ('a flat cake') and the verb ἐλαύνω ('to row, drive ships'). Eating the cake is humorously connected to enabling the navy to row and advance their ships.
  2. 1205οὐ γὰρ ἀλλὰ — An idiomatic colloquial phrase meaning 'for indeed' or 'because... and nothing else'. It rejects Cleon's claim of having roasted the meat, asserting strongly that the gratitude belongs solely to the one who actually served it.
  3. 1225ἐγὼ δέ τυ ἐστεφάνιξα κἀδωρησάμαν — The Doric accusative pronoun τυ is used instead of the standard Attic σέ ('you'). The verb form ἐστεφάνιξα also replaces the standard Attic ἐστεφάνωσα. This dialectal shift reflects Demus speaking in a temporarily solemn or peculiar tone.
  4. 1236κονδύλοις ἡρμοττόμην — An imperfect passive of ἁρμόζω ('to fit together, shape'), meaning 'I was shaped/molded by fists'. It humorously describes the Sausage-Seller's harsh and violent upbringing in terms of physical education.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Knights §1181-1256. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:1181-1256

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