Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Knights §1332-1409

Demus's Regret, State Reforms, and the Banishing of Cleon

Passage 18 of 18 · Greek

Summary

The rejuvenated Demus realizes and deeply regrets his past foolishness of being deceived by the sweet talk of demagogues. He fully embraces the state reforms proposed by Agoracritus (such as naval pay, military draft justice, and correcting youth behavior) and condemns the fallen Paphlagonian to a lowly sausage-seller's life, while inviting Agoracritus to the Prytaneum as a state guest.

§1332οὐ χοιρινῶν ὄζων ἀλλὰ σπονδῶν, σμύρνῃ κατάλειπτος.
(Agoracritus) Smelling not of voting-shells, but of peace-offerings, and anointed with myrrh.
§1333χαῖρʼ ὦ βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων·
(Chorus) Hail, o king of the Hellenes!
καί σοι ξυγχαίρομεν ἡμεῖς.
And we rejoice together with you.
§1334τῆς γὰρ πόλεως ἄξια πράττεις καὶ τοῦ ʼν Μαραθῶνι τροπαίου.
For you act in a way worthy of the city and of the trophy at Marathon.
§1335ὦ φίλτατʼ ἀνδρῶν ἐλθὲ δεῦρʼ Ἀγοράκριτε.
(Demus) O dearest of men, come hither, Agoracritus.
§1336ὅσα με δέδρακας ἀγάθʼ ἀφεψήσας.
How many good things you have done for me by boiling me down!
§1336bἐγώ;
(Agoracritus) I?
§1337ἀλλʼ ὦ μέλʼ οὐκ οἶσθʼ οἷος ἦσθʼ αὐτὸς πάρος, §1338οὐδʼ οἷʼ ἔδρας· ἐμὲ γὰρ νομίζοις ἂν θεόν.
But, my dear friend, you do not know what sort of person you yourself were before, nor what things you used to do; otherwise you would regard me as a god.
§1339τί δʼ ἔδρων, κάτειπέ μοι, πρὸ τοῦ;
(Demus) And what was I doing before this, tell me?
ποῖός τις ἦ;
What sort of person was I?
§1340πρῶτον μέν, ὁπότʼ εἴποι τις ἐν τἠκκλησίᾳ, §1341ὦ Δῆμʼ ἐραστής εἰμι σὸς φιλῶ τέ σε §1342καὶ κήδομαί σου καὶ προβουλεύω μόνος, §1343τούτοις ὁπότε χρήσαιτό τις προοιμίοις, §1344ἀνωρτάλιζες κἀκερουτίας.
(Agoracritus) First of all, whenever anyone said in the assembly: "O Demus, I am your lover and I love you, and I care for you, and I alone plan ahead for you," whenever anyone used these introductions, you would flap your wings and toss your horns.
§1344bἐγώ;
(Demus) I?
§1345εἶτʼ ἐξαπατήσας σʼ ἀντὶ τούτων ᾤχετο.
(Agoracritus) And then, having deceived you, they would go off in exchange for these things.
§1346τί φῄς;
(Demus) What do you say?
§1346aταυτί μʼ ἔδρων, ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτʼ οὐκ ᾐσθόμην;
Was I doing these things, and I did not notice it?
§1347τὰ δʼ ὦτά γʼ ἄν σου νὴ Δίʼ ἐξεπετάννυτο §1348ὥσπερ σκιάδειον καὶ πάλιν ξυνήγετο.
(Agoracritus) Yes, by Zeus, and your ears would open out, like a parasol, and then fold back together again.
§1349οὕτως ἀνόητος ἐγεγενήμην καὶ γέρων;
(Demus) Had I become so senseless and old?
§1350καὶ νὴ Δίʼ εἴ γε δύο λεγοίτην ῥήτορε, §1351ὁ μὲν ποιεῖσθαι ναῦς μακρὰς ὁ δʼ ἕτερος αὖ §1352καταμισθοφορῆσαι τοῦθʼ, ὁ τὸν μισθὸν λέγων §1353τὸν τὰς τριήρεις παραδραμὼν ἂν ᾤχετο.
(Agoracritus) And by Zeus, if indeed two orators were speaking, one saying that long ships should be built, and the other, to spend this on payments, the one speaking for payments would run past the triremes and be gone.
§1354οὗτος τί κύπτεις;
You there, why do you hang your head?
οὐχὶ κατὰ χώραν μενεῖς;
Will you not remain in your place?
§1355αἰσχύνομαί τοι ταῖς πρότερον ἁμαρτίαις.
(Demus) I am indeed ashamed of my former errors.
§1356ἀλλʼ οὐ σὺ τούτων αἴτιος, μὴ φροντίσῃς, §1357ἀλλʼ οἵ σε ταῦτʼ ἐξηπάτων. νυνδὶ φράσον·
(Agoracritus) But you are not the cause of these things, do not worry, but those who deceived you in this way.
§1358ἐάν τις εἴπῃ βωμολόχος ξυνήγορος· §1359οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν τοῖς δικασταῖς ἄλφιτα, §1360εἰ μὴ καταγνώσεσθε ταύτην τὴν δίκην·
Now tell me: If some sycophantic advocate says: "There shall be no barley-meal for you judges, unless you condemn in this trial." What will you do to this advocate?
§1361τοῦτον τί δράσεις, εἰπέ, τὸν ξυνήγορον;
Tell me.
§1362ἄρας μετέωρον ἐς τὸ βάραθρον ἐμβαλῶ, §1363ἐκ τοῦ λάρυγγος ἐκκρεμάσας Ὑπέρβολον.
(Demus) I will lift him high and cast him into the pit, having hung Hyperbolus from his throat.
§1364τουτὶ μὲν ὀρθῶς καὶ φρονίμως ἤδη λέγεις· §1365τὰ δʼ ἄλλα, φέρʼ ἴδω, πῶς πολιτεύσει φράσον.
(Agoracritus) Now you speak indeed correctly and wisely; but tell me, let me see, how will you govern in other matters?
§1366πρῶτον μὲν ὁπόσοι ναῦς ἐλαύνουσιν μακράς, §1367καταγομένοις τὸν μισθὸν ἀποδώσω ʼντελῆ.
(Demus) First, to as many as row the long ships, I will pay their wage in full when they come to port.
§1368πολλοῖς γʼ ὑπολίσφοις πυγιδίοισιν ἐχαρίσω.
(Agoracritus) You have indeed gratified many worn-out little backsides.
§1369ἔπειθʼ ὁπλίτης ἐντεθεὶς ἐν καταλόγῳ §1370οὐδεὶς κατὰ σπουδὰς μετεγγραφήσεται, §1371ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἦν τὸ πρῶτον ἐγγεγράψεται.
(Demus) Next, no hoplite enrolled in the muster-roll shall be transferred through influence, but shall remain enrolled just as he was at first.
§1372τοῦτʼ ἔδακε τὸν πόρπακα τὸν Κλεωνύμου.
(Agoracritus) This has bitten the shield-strap of Cleonymus.
§1373οὐδʼ ἀγοράσει γʼ ἀγένειος οὐδεὶς ἐν ἀγορᾷ.
(Demus) Nor shall any beardless youth trade in the marketplace.
§1374ποῦ δῆτα Κλεισθένης ἀγοράσει καὶ Στράτων;
(Agoracritus) Where then will Cleisthenes and Straton trade?
§1375τὰ μειράκια ταυτὶ λέγω τἀν τῷ μύρῳ, §1376ἃ στωμυλεῖται τοιαδὶ καθήμενα· §1377σοφός γʼ ὁ Φαίαξ δεξιῶς τʼ οὐκ ἀπέθανεν.
(Demus) I mean these striplings in the perfume shops, who sit there and chatter in this fashion: "Clever indeed is Phaeax, and dexterously did he escape death.
§1378συνερτικὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ περαντικός, §1379καὶ γνωμοτυπικὸς καὶ σαφὴς καὶ κρουστικός, §1380καταληπτικός τʼ ἄριστα τοῦ θορυβητικοῦ. §1381οὔκουν καταδακτυλικὸς σὺ τοῦ λαλητικοῦ;
For he is synthesis-minded and conclusion-forcing, and opinion-striking and clear and knock-down, and best at seizing upon the clamorous." (Agoracritus) Are you not then finger-snapping at the talkative?
§1382μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἀναγκάσω κυνηγετεῖν ἐγὼ §1383τούτους ἅπαντας, παυσαμένους ψηφισμάτων.
(Demus) No, by Zeus, but I will force them all to go hunting, having ceased from making decrees.
§1384ἔχε νυν ἐπὶ τούτοις τουτονὶ τὸν ὀκλαδίαν, §1385καὶ παῖδʼ ἐνόρχην, ὅσπερ οἴσει τόνδε σοι· §1386κἄν που δοκῇ σοι, τοῦτον ὀκλαδίαν ποίει.
(Agoracritus) Take then upon these terms this folding-stool here, and a well-hung boy, who shall carry this for you; and if you see fit, make this boy your folding-stool.
§1387μακάριος ἐς τἀρχαῖα δὴ καθίσταμαι.
(Demus) Blessed indeed am I restored to the ancient state.
§1388φήσεις γʼ, ἐπειδὰν τὰς τριακοντούτιδας §1389σπονδὰς παραδῶ σοι.
(Agoracritus) You will indeed say so, when I hand over the thirty-year peace-treaties to you.
δεῦρʼ ἴθʼ αἱ Σπονδαὶ ταχύ.
Come hither quickly, o Treaties.
§1390ὦ Ζεῦ πολυτίμηθʼ ὡς καλαί·
(Demus) O highly honored Zeus, how beautiful they are!
πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, §1391ἔξεστιν αὐτῶν κατατριακοντουτίσαι;
By the gods, is it permitted to enjoy thirty-year relations with them?
§1392πῶς ἔλαβες αὐτὰς ἐτέον;
How on earth did you get them?
§1392bοὐ γὰρ ὁ Παφλαγὼν §1393ἀπέκρυπτε ταύτας ἔνδον, ἵνα σὺ μὴ λάβῃς;
(Agoracritus) For did not the Paphlagonian hide them inside, so that you might not get them?
§1394νῦν οὖν ἐγώ σοι παραδίδωμʼ ἐς τοὺς ἀγροὺς §1395αὐτὰς ἰέναι λαβόντα.
Now therefore I deliver them to you to go to the fields, taking them along.
§1395bτὸν δὲ Παφλαγόνα, §1396ὃς ταῦτʼ ἔδρασεν, εἴφʼ ὅ τι ποιήσεις κακόν.
(Demus) But as for the Paphlagonian who did these things, tell me what evil you will do to him.
§1397οὐδὲν μέγʼ ἀλλʼ ἢ τὴν ἐμὴν ἕξει τέχνην· §1398ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαις ἀλλαντοπωλήσει μόνος, §1399τὰ κύνεια μιγνὺς τοῖς ὀνείοις πράγμασιν, §1400μεθύων τε ταῖς πόρναισι λοιδορήσεται, §1401κἀκ τῶν βαλανείων πίεται τὸ λούτριον.
(Agoracritus) Nothing great, except that he shall have my trade: he shall sell sausages alone at the gates, mixing dog-meat with donkey-meat, and drunk, he shall abuse the prostitutes, and drink the dirty bath-water from the public baths.
§1402εὖ γʼ ἐπενόησας οὗπέρ ἐστιν ἄξιος, §1403πόρναισι καὶ βαλανεῦσι διακεκραγέναι,
(Demus) You have planned indeed well; he is worthy to scream and fight with prostitutes and bath-attendants.
§1404καί σʼ ἀντὶ τούτων ἐς τὸ πρυτανεῖον καλῶ §1405ἐς τὴν ἕδραν θʼ, ἵνʼ ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ φαρμακός.
And in return for this I invite you to the Prytaneum, to the seat where that scapegoat used to sit.
§1406ἕπου δὲ ταυτηνὶ λαβὼν τὴν βατραχίδα· §1407κἀκεῖνον ἐκφερέτω τις ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν τέχνην,
Follow me, having taken this frog-colored cloak; and let someone carry him out to his trade, so that the foreigners whom he used to outrage may see him.
§1408ἵνʼ ἴδωσιν αὐτὸν οἷς ἐλωβᾶθʼ οἱ ξένοι.
so that the strangers whom he outraged may look upon him.

Notes

  1. 1332χοιρινῶν — The genitive `χοιρινῶν` is governed by the participle of smelling `ὄζων`. It plays on a double meaning between `χοῖρος` (pig/piglet) and `χοιρίνη` (the small sea-shell used for voting in Athenian courts), symbolizing Demus's recovery from his courtroom obsession.
  2. 1338νομίζοις ἂν — The present optative `νομίζοις` with `ἄν` expresses a potential conclusion or a counterfactual result in the present ("you would regard"). The conditional clause is omitted but is logically supplied from the context of the preceding line ("you do not know what you were like before").
  3. 1353παραδράμων ἂν ᾤχετο — The imperfect `ᾤχετο` (from `οἴχομαι`, 'to go off') combined with the aorist participle `παраδράμων` ('having run past') and the iterative/habitual particle `ἄν` expresses a past habitual or repeated action ("he would run past... and be gone").
  4. 1368ὑπολίσφοις πυγιδίοισιν — Dative plural of interest/advantage serving as the object of the verb `ἐχαρίσω` ('you have gratified'). It is a highly comic, caricatured reference to the naval rowers whose backsides were worn smooth on the rowing benches.
  5. 1391κατατριακοντουτίσαι — An aorist active infinitive acting as the subject of the impersonal verb `ἔξεστιν` ('is it possible?'). It is a comic coinage by Aristophanes, meaning 'to make/enjoy a thirty-year love affair/treaty,' punning on the word `σπονδαί` (treaties / treaty-girls).
  6. 1405ἵνʼ ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ φαρμακός — The relative adverb `ἵνα` does not introduce a purpose clause ('in order that') but acts here in a local sense ('where'), introducing a relative clause modifying the antecedent `τὴν ἕδραν` ('the seat'). The imperfect `ἦν` denotes past continuous state.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Knights §1332-1409. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:1332-1409

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.