Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Knights §83-160

The Stolen Oracle and the Sausage-Seller's Arrival

Passage 2 of 18 · Greek

Summary

The servants hit upon drinking wine to gain good ideas, and steal the sacred oracle from the sleeping Paphlagonian. The oracle prophesies that a series of merchants will rule Athens, each worse than the last, until a sausage-seller utterly destroys the Paphlagonian; they immediately begin persuading a passing sausage-seller.

§83βέλτιστον ἡμῖν αἷμα ταύρειον πιεῖν.
The best thing for us is to drink bull’s blood.
§84ὁ Θεμιστοκλέους γὰρ θάνατος αἱρετώτερος.
For the death of Themistocles is more desirable.
§85μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἄκρατον οἶνον ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος.
No, by Zeus, but rather the unmixed wine of the Good Spirit.
§86ἴσως γὰρ ἂν χρηστόν τι βουλευσαίμεθα.
For perhaps we might form some good plan.
§87ἰδού γʼ ἄκρατον.
Unmixed wine indeed!
περὶ πότου γοῦν ἐστί σοι;
Is your mind really on drinking?
§88πῶς δʼ ἂν μεθύων χρηστόν τι βουλεύσαιτʼ ἀνήρ;
How could a drunk man form any good plan?
§89ἄληθες οὗτος;
Is that true, you?
κρουνοχυτρολήραιον εἶ.
You are a spout-pot-babbler.
§90οἶνον σὺ τολμᾷς εἰς ἐπίνοιαν λοιδορεῖν;
Do you dare to insult wine with respect to intelligence?
§91οἴνου γὰρ εὕροις ἄν τι πρακτικώτερον;
Could you find anything more practical than wine?
§92ὁρᾷς, ὅταν πίνωσιν ἄνθρωποι τότε §93πλουτοῦσι διαπράττουσι νικῶσιν δίκας §94εὐδαιμονοῦσιν ὠφελοῦσι τοὺς φίλους.
You see, whenever men drink, then they grow rich, they accomplish things, they win lawsuits, they are happy, they help their friends.
§95ἀλλʼ ἐξένεγκέ μοι ταχέως οἴνου χοᾶ, §96τὸν νοῦν ἵνʼ ἄρδω καὶ λέγω τι δεξιόν.
But bring out to me quickly a pitcher of wine, so that I may water my mind and say something clever.
§97οἴμοι τί ποθʼ ἡμᾶς ἐργάσει τῷ σῷ πότῳ;
Ah me! What on earth will you do to us with your drinking?
§98ἀγάθʼ·
Good things.
ἀλλʼ ἔνεγκʼ· ἐγὼ δὲ κατακλινήσομαι.
But bring it; and I will lie down.
§99ἢν γὰρ μεθυσθῶ, πάντα ταυτὶ καταπάσω §100βουλευματίων καὶ γνωμιδίων καὶ νοιδίων.
For if I get drunk, I will sprinkle all these things with little plans, and little maxims, and little thoughts.
§101ὡς εὐτυχῶς ὅτι οὐκ ἐλήφθην ἔνδοθεν §102κλέπτων τὸν οἶνον.
How lucky I am that I wasn't caught inside stealing the wine!
§102bεἰπέ μοι Παφλαγὼν τί δρᾷ;
Tell me, what is the Paphlagonian doing?
§103ἐπίπαστα λείξας δημιόπραθʼ ὁ βάσκανος §104ῥέγκει μεθύων ἐν ταῖσι βύρσαις ὕπτιος.
That ill-omened fellow, having licked the sauce-sprinkled public breads, is snoring, drunk, flat on his back among the hides.
§105ἴθι νυν ἄκρατον ἐγκάναξόν μοι πολὺν
Go now, pour me a great deal of unmixed wine as a libation.
§106σπονδήν. §106bλαβὲ δὴ καὶ σπεῖσον ἀγαθοῦ δαίμονος.
Take it indeed and pour a libation to the Good Spirit.
§107ἕλχʼ ἕλκε τὴν τοῦ δαίμονος τοῦ Πραμνίου.
Drink, drink deep of the Pramnian wine of the spirit.
§108ὦ δαῖμον ἀγαθὲ σὸν τὸ βούλευμʼ, οὐκ ἐμόν.
O Good Spirit, the plan is yours, not mine.
§109εἴπʼ, ἀντιβολῶ, τί ἔστι;
Speak, I entreat you, what is it?
§109bτοὺς χρησμοὺς ταχὺ §110κλέψας ἔνεγκε τοῦ Παφλαγόνος ἔνδοθεν, §111ἕως καθεύδει.
Quickly steal and bring the Paphlagonian’s oracles from inside, while he is asleep.
§111bταῦτʼ.
Very well.
ἀτὰρ τοῦ δαίμονος §112δέδοιχʼ ὅπως μὴ τεύξομαι κακοδαίμονος.
But I fear lest I meet with an evil spirit instead of the Good Spirit.
§113φέρε νυν ἐγὼ μʼ αὐτῷ προσαγάγω τὸν χοᾶ. §114τὸν νοῦν ἵνʼ ἄρδω καὶ λέγω τι δεξιόν.
Come now, let me bring the pitcher to myself, so that I may water my mind and say something clever.
§115ὡς μεγάλʼ ὁ Παφλαγὼν πέρδεται καὶ ῥέγκεται, §116ὥστʼ ἔλαθον αὐτὸν τὸν ἱερὸν χρησμὸν λαβών, §117ὅνπερ μάλιστʼ ἐφύλαττεν.
How loudly the Paphlagonian farts and snores, so that I escaped his notice while taking the sacred oracle, which he was guarding most of all.
§117bὦ σοφώτατε.
O wisest one!
§118φέρʼ αὐτὸν ἵνʼ ἀναγνῶ· σὺ δʼ ἔγχεον πιεῖν §119ἀνύσας τι.
Bring it, so that I may read it; and you, pour me something to drink in a hurry.
φέρʼ ἴδω τί ἄρʼ ἔνεστιν αὐτόθι.
Come, let me see what is actually in there.
§120ὦ λόγια.
O prophecies!
δός μοι δὸς τὸ ποτήριον ταχύ.
Give me, give me the cup quickly.
§121ἰδού.
Here.
τί φησʼ ὁ χρησμός;
What does the oracle say?
§121bἑτέραν ἔγχεον.
Pour another.
§122ἐν τοῖς λογίοις ἔνεστιν ἑτέραν ἔγχεον;
Is 'pour another' written in the prophecies?
§123ὦ Βάκι.
O Bacis!
§123bτί ἔστι;
What is it?
§123cδὸς τὸ ποτήριον ταχύ.
Give me the cup quickly.
§124πολλῷ γʼ ὁ Βάκις ἐχρῆτο τῷ ποτηρίῳ.
Bacis indeed made great use of the cup.
§125ὦ μιαρὲ Παφλαγὼν ταῦτʼ ἄρʼ ἐφυλάττου πάλαι, §126τὸν περὶ σεαυτοῦ χρησμὸν ὀρρωδῶν;
O filthy Paphlagonian, was it for this that you were guarding it so long, dreading the oracle about yourself?
§126bτιή;
Why?
§127ἐνταῦθʼ ἔνεστιν, αὐτὸς ὡς ἀπόλλυται.
It is in here, how he himself is destroyed.
§128καὶ πῶς;
And how?
§128bὅπως;
How?
ὁ χρησμὸς ἄντικρυς λέγει §129ὡς πρῶτα μὲν στυππειοπώλης γίγνεται, §130ὃς πρῶτος ἕξει τῆς πόλεως τὰ πράγματα.
The oracle says outright that first of all a hemp-seller arises, who will be the first to manage the city's affairs.
§131εἷς οὑτοσὶ πώλης.
Here is one seller.
τί τοὐντεῦθεν;
What next?
λέγε.
Tell me.
§132μετὰ τοῦτον αὖθις προβατοπώλης δεύτερος.
After him, next, a sheep-seller arises second.
§133δύο τώδε πώλα.
Here are two sellers.
καὶ τί τόνδε χρὴ παθεῖν;
And what is this one destined to suffer?
§134κρατεῖν, ἕως ἕτερος ἀνὴρ βδελυρώτερος §135αὐτοῦ γένοιτο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἀπόλλυται.
To rule until another man more detestable than he arises; and after that, he is destroyed.
§136ἐπιγίγνεται γὰρ βυρσοπώλης ὁ Παφλαγών, §137ἅρπαξ κεκράκτης Κυκλοβόρου φωνὴν ἔχων.
For after him arises a leather-seller, the Paphlagonian, a robber, a bawler, having the voice of Cycloborus.
§138τὸν προβατοπώλην ἦν ἄρʼ ἀπολέσθαι χρεὼν §139ὑπὸ βυρσοπώλου;
So the sheep-seller was destined to be destroyed by the leather-seller?
§139bνὴ Δίʼ.
Yes, by Zeus.
§139cοἴμοι δείλαιος.
Ah, wretched me!
§140πόθεν οὖν ἂν ἔτι γένοιτο πώλης εἶς μόνος;
Where then could there still arise just one more seller?
§141ἔτʼ ἐστὶν εἷς ὑπερφυᾶ τέχνην ἔχων.
There is still one who has a wonderful craft.
§142εἴπʼ, ἀντιβολῶ, τίς ἐστιν;
Speak, I entreat you, who is it?
§142bεἴπω;
Shall I say?
§142cνὴ Δία.
Yes, by Zeus.
§143ἀλλαντοπώλης ἔσθʼ ὁ τοῦτον ἐξολῶν.
It is a sausage-seller who will utterly destroy him.
§144ἀλλαντοπώλης;
A sausage-seller?
ὦ Πόσειδον τῆς τέχνης.
O Poseidon, what a craft!
§145φέρε ποῦ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐξευρήσομεν;
Come, where shall we find this man?
§146ζητῶμεν αὐτόν.
Let us look for him.
§146bἀλλʼ ὁδὶ προσέρχεται §147ὥσπερ κατὰ θεὸν εἰς ἀγοράν.
But look, here he comes, as if by divine guidance, toward the market.
§147bὦ μακάριε §148ἀλλαντοπῶλα, δεῦρο δεῦρʼ ὦ φίλτατε
O blessed sausage-seller!
§149ἀνάβαινε σωτὴρ τῇ πόλει καὶ νῷν φανείς.
Come here, come here, my dearest friend, appear as a savior to the city and to us, and come up.
§150τί ἔστι;
What is it?
τί με καλεῖτε;
Why do you call me?
§150bδεῦρʼ ἔλθʼ, ἵνα πύθῃ §151ὡς εὐτυχὴς εἶ καὶ μεγάλως εὐδαιμονεῖς.
Come here, so that you may learn how lucky you are and how greatly blessed.
§152ἴθι δὴ κάθελʼ αὐτοῦ τοὐλεὸν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ §153τὸν χρησμὸν ἀναδίδαξον αὐτὸν ὡς ἔχει· §154ἐγὼ δʼ ἰὼν προσκέψομαι τὸν Παφλαγόνα.
Go now, take down his chopping block for him, and instruct him in the oracle of the god, how it stands; and I will go and keep an eye on the Paphlagonian.
§155ἄγε δὴ σὺ κατάθου πρῶτα τὰ σκεύη χαμαί· §156ἔπειτα τὴν γῆν πρόσκυσον καὶ τοὺς θεούς.
Come now, first put your equipment down on the ground; then make obeisance to the earth and the gods.
§157ἰδού·
There.
τί ἔστιν;
What is it?
§157bὦ μακάριʼ ὦ πλούσιε, §158ὦ νῦν μὲν οὐδεὶς αὔριον δʼ ὑπέρμεγας, §159ὦ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ταγὲ τῶν εὐδαιμόνων.
O blessed, O wealthy one, O you who are nothing today, but tomorrow shall be exceedingly great, O leader of happy Athens!
§160τί μʼ ὦγάθʼ οὐ πλύνειν ἐᾷς τὰς κοιλίας
Why, my good sir, do you not let me wash my tripes?

Notes

  1. §83αἷμα ταύρειον πιεῖν — This infinitive phrase acts as the subject of the sentence, functioning with the predicate adjective βέλτιστον. In context, 'drinking bull's blood' refers to the legendary suicide of the Athenian general Themistocles, proposed as a means for the servants to escape their miserable situation 'most manfully'.
  2. §89κρουνοχυτρολήραιον — This is a comic compound adjective unique to Aristophanes, made up of κροῦνος ('jet/spring'), χύτρα ('pot'), and λῆρος ('nonsense/babble'), coined to abuse a sober critic of wine. It means 'one who spouts non-stop nonsense like a bubbling pot.' Translations in each language capture this mocking nuance.
  3. §121bἑτέραν ἔγχεον — The word ἑτέραν is feminine accusative singular, with a noun like κύλικα ('cup', feminine) understood. While reading the oracle, Demosthenes delivers his demand for more wine ('pour another') with mock solemnity as if it were part of the sacred text, leading to the humorous confusion of his companion.
  4. §143ἀλλαντοπώλης ἔσθʼ ὁ τοῦτον ἐξολῶν — The future participle ἐξολῶν (from ἐξόλλυμι, 'to destroy utterly') with the definite article ὁ functions substantively as 'the one who will destroy him.' This clause presents the identity of the next merchant (the sausage-seller) and his prophesied destiny to overthrow the Paphlagonian.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Knights §83-160. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:83-160

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