Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Knights §849-923

The Pylos Shields Conspiracy and Demus Gift Rivalry

Passage 12 of 18 · Greek

Summary

The Sausage-Seller gains Demus's trust by exposing Cleon's preservation of the Pylos shields with their handles as a conspiracy to control the populace. The two rivals compete in flattering Demus with gifts of shoes and tunics, culminating in Cleon's threat to ruin the Sausage-Seller by burdening him with a trierarchy.

§849ταύτας ἐᾶν αὐτοῖσι τοῖς πόρπαξιν ἀνατεθῆναι.
Sausage-Seller:...to allow them to be dedicated with their handles and all.
§850ἀλλʼ ἐστὶ τοῦτʼ ὦ Δῆμε μηχάνημʼ, ἵνʼ ἢν σὺ βούλῃ §851τὸν ἄνδρα κολάσαι τουτονί, σοὶ τοῦτο μὴ κʼγένηται.
But this, O Demus, is a device, so that if you wish to punish this man, this may not be possible for you.
§852ὁρᾷς γὰρ αὐτῷ στῖφος οἷόν ἐστι βυρσοπωλῶν §853νεανιῶν· τούτους δὲ περιοικοῦσι μελιτοπῶλαι §854καὶ τυροπῶλαι· τοῦτο δʼ εἰς ἕν ἐστι συγκεκυφός, §855ὥστʼ εἰ σὺ βριμήσαιο καὶ βλέψειας ὀστρακίνδα, §856νύκτωρ καθαρπάσαντες ἂν τὰς ἀσπίδας θέοντες §857τὰς ἐσβολὰς τῶν ἀλφίτων ἂν καταλάβοιεν ἡμῶν.
For you see what a crowd of young leather-sellers he has; and around them dwell honey-sellers and cheese-sellers; and this crowd is huddled together into one, so that if you should snort with anger and look as if playing ostrakinda, they would snatch up the shields in the night, and running, occupy our barley-supply entries.
§858οἴμοι τάλας·
Demus: Alas, wretch that I am!
ἔχουσι γὰρ πόρπακας;
Do they indeed have handles?
ὦ πόνηρε §859ὅσον με παρεκόπτου χρόνον τοιαῦτα κρουσιδημῶν.
O you scoundrel, how long you have been cheating me, tricking the people with such devices!
§860ὦ δαιμόνιε μὴ τοῦ λέγοντος ἴσθι, μηδʼ οἰηθῇς §861ἐμοῦ ποθʼ εὑρήσειν φίλον βελτίονʼ· ὅστις εἷς ὢν §862ἔπαυσα τοὺς ξυνωμότας, καί μʼ οὐ λέληθεν οὐδὲν §863ἐν τῇ πόλει ξυνιστάμενον, ἀλλʼ εὐθέως κέκραγα.
Cleon: My good sir, do not be at the mercy of the speaker, nor think that you will ever find a better friend than me; who, being single-handed, stopped the conspirators, and nothing that is being plotted in the city escapes me, but I cry out immediately.
§864ὅπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰς ἐγχέλεις θηρώμενοι πέπονθας.
Sausage-Seller: For you are just like those who hunt for eels.
§865ὅταν μὲν ἡ λίμνη καταστῇ, λαμβάνουσιν οὐδέν· §866ἐὰν δʼ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω τὸν βόρβορον κυκῶσιν, §867αἱροῦσι·
When the lake is calm, they catch nothing; but if they stir the mud up and down, they catch them.
καὶ σὺ λαμβάνεις, ἢν τὴν πόλιν ταράττῃς.
And you too catch things, if you disturb the city.
§868ἓν δʼ εἰπέ μοι τοσουτονί· σκύτη τοσαῦτα πωλῶν §869ἔδωκας ἤδη τουτῳὶ κάττυμα παρὰ σεαυτοῦ §870ταῖς ἐμβάσιν φάσκων φιλεῖν;
But tell me just this one thing: selling so many hides, have you ever yet given this man a sole from your own store for his shoes, while claiming to love him?
§870bοὐ δῆτα μὰ τὸν Ἀπόλλω.
Cleon: Certainly not, by Apollo!
§872ἔγνωκας οὖν δῆτʼ αὐτὸν οἷός ἐστιν; ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σοι
Sausage-Seller: Have you then indeed realized what kind of man he is?
§873ζεῦγος πριάμενος ἐμβάδων τουτὶ φορεῖν δίδωμι.
But I, having bought this pair of shoes, give them to you to wear.
§874κρίνω σʼ ὅσων ἐγᾦδα περὶ τὸν δῆμον ἄνδρʼ ἄριστον §875εὐνούστατόν τε τῇ πόλει καὶ τοῖσι δακτύλοισιν.
Demus: I judge you to be the best man of all I know toward the Demus, and most well-disposed to the city and to my toes.
§875bοὐ δεινὸν οὖν δῆτʼ ἐμβάδας τοσουτονὶ δύνασθαι, §876ἐμοῦ δὲ μὴ μνείαν ἔχειν ὅσων πέπονθας;
Cleon: Is it not indeed terrible for shoes to have so much power, and for you to have no memory of how many benefits you have received from me?
ὅστις §877ἔπαυσα τοὺς βινουμένους, τὸν Γρύττον ἐξαλείψας.
I, who stopped the pathics, erasing Gryttus from the register!
§878οὔκουν σε δῆτα ταῦτα δεινόν ἐστι πρωκτοτηρεῖν §879παῦσαί τε τοὺς βινουμένους;
Sausage-Seller: Is it not indeed terrible for you to be a proctologist and to stop the pathics?
κοὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ἐκείνους §880οὐχὶ φθονῶν ἔπαυσας, ἵνα μὴ ῥήτορες γένωνται.
And there is no way that you did not stop them out of envy, so that they might not become orators.
§881τονδὶ δʼ ὁρῶν ἄνευ χιτῶνος ὄντα τηλικοῦτον §882οὐπώποτʼ ἀμφιμασχάλου τὸν Δῆμον ἠξίωσας §883χειμῶνος ὄντος·
But seeing this man without a tunic, being of such an age, you never deemed Demus worthy of a double-sleeved coat, though it is winter!
ἀλλʼ ἐγώ σοι τουτονὶ δίδωμι.
But I give you this one.
§884τοιουτονὶ Θεμιστοκλῆς οὐπώποτʼ ἐπενόησεν.
Demus: Themistocles never thought of such a thing!
§885καίτοι σοφὸν κἀκεῖνʼ ὁ Πειραιεύς· ἔμοιγε μέντοι §886οὐ μεῖζον εἶναι φαίνετʼ ἐξεύρημα τοῦ χιτῶνος.
To be sure, that Peiraeus of his was clever; but to me indeed, it does not seem a greater invention than this tunic.
§887οἴμοι τάλας οἵοις πιθηκισμοῖς με περιελαύνεις.
Cleon: Alas, wretch that I am! With what monkey-tricks you outmaneuver me!
§888οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ὅπερ πίνων ἀνὴρ πέπονθʼ ὅταν χεσείῃ, §889τοῖσιν τρόποις τοῖς σοῖσιν ὥσπερ βλαυτίοισι χρῶμαι.
Sausage-Seller: No, but just as a drinking man does when he wants to ease himself, I am using your methods like borrowed slippers.
§890ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὑπερβαλεῖ με θωπείαις·
Cleon: But you shall not surpass me in flattery!
ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτὸν §891προσαμφιῶ τοδί· σὺ δʼ οἴμωζʼ ὦ πόνηρʼ.
For I will wrap him in this as well; and you go howl, you scoundrel!
§891bἰαιβοῖ.
Sausage-Seller: Phew! Yuck!
§892οὐκ ἐς κόρακας ἀποφθερεῖ βύρσης κάκιστον ὄζων;
Go to the crows, and take yourself off, smelling most vilely of hide!
§893καὶ τοῦτό γʼ ἐπίτηδές σε περιήμπεσχʼ, ἵνα σʼ ἀποπνίξῃ·
Indeed, he wrapped you in this on purpose, so that he might suffocate you!
§894καὶ πρότερον ἐπεβούλευσέ σοι.
And before this, he plotted against you.
τὸν καυλὸν οἶσθʼ ἐκεῖνον §895τοῦ σιλφίου τὸν ἄξιον γενόμενον;
Do you know that stalk of silphium, which became so cheap?
§895bοἶδα μέντοι.
Demus: I do indeed.
§896ἐπίτηδες οὗτος αὐτὸν ἔσπευδʼ ἄξιον γενέσθαι, §897ἵνʼ ἐσθίοιτʼ ὠνούμενοι, κἄπειτʼ ἐν ἡλιαίᾳ §898βδέοντες ἀλλήλους ἀποκτείνειαν οἱ δικασταί.
Sausage-Seller: He purposely pushed for it to become so cheap, so that people would buy and eat it, and then in the Heliaea, the dicasts, by farting, might kill one another!
§899νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ τοῦτʼ εἶπʼ ἀνὴρ Κόπρειος.
Demus: By Poseidon, a man from Copreus said that to me as well!
§900οὐ γὰρ τόθʼ ὑμεῖς βδεόμενοι δήπου ʼγένεσθε πυρροί;
Sausage-Seller: For were you not then indeed turned red by farting?
§901καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ἦν γε τοῦτο Πυρράνδρου τὸ μηχάνημα.
Demus: And by Zeus, that was indeed the scheme of Pyrrandrus!
§902οἵοισί μʼ ὦ πανοῦργε βωμολοχεύμασιν ταράττεις.
Cleon: With what buffooneries, you scoundrel, do you disturb me!
§903ἡ γὰρ θεός μʼ ἐκέλευσε νικῆσαί σʼ ἀλαζονείαις.
Sausage-Seller: For the goddess ordered me to conquer you in braggartry.
§904ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ νικήσεις.
Cleon: But you shall not win!
ἐγὼ γάρ φημί σοι παρέξειν §905ὦ Δῆμε μηδὲν δρῶντι μισθοῦ τρύβλιον ῥοφῆσαι.
For I declare that I will provide you, O Demus, with a bowl of soup to sup up, without you doing anything, from your pay.
§906ἐγὼ δὲ κυλίχνιόν γέ σοι καὶ φάρμακον δίδωμι §907τἀν τοῖσιν ἀντικνημίοις ἑλκύδρια περιαλείφειν.
Sausage-Seller: And I give you a little jar and medicine to smear over the small sores on your shins.
§908ἐγὼ δὲ τὰς πολιάς γέ σοὐκλέγων νέον ποιήσω.
Cleon: And I, plucking out your gray hairs, will make you young again!
§909ἰδοὺ δέχου κέρκον λαγῶ τὠφθαλμιδίω περιψῆν.
Sausage-Seller: Look, take this hare's tail to wipe your dear little eyes.
§910ἀπομυξάμενος ὦ Δῆμέ μου πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποψῶ.
Cleon: O Demus, when you have blown your nose, wipe it on my head!
§911ἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν.
Sausage-Seller: No, on mine!
§911bἐμοῦ μὲν οὖν.
Cleon: No, on mine!
§912ἐγώ σε ποιήσω τριηραρχεῖν §913ἀναλίσκοντα τῶν §914σαυτοῦ, παλαιὰν ναῦν ἔχοντʼ, §915εἰς ἣν ἀναλῶν οὐκ ἐφέξεις §916οὐδὲ ναυπηγούμενος· §917διαμηχανήσομαί θʼ ὅπως §918ἂν ἱστίον σαπρὸν λάβῃς.
I will make you perform the trierarchy, spending from your own resources, having an old ship, on which you will not stop spending and building; and I will contrive so that you receive a rotten sail!
§919ἁνὴρ παφλάζει, παῦε παῦʼ, §920ὑπερζέων·
Chorus: The man is seething, stop, stop!
ὑφελκτέον §921τῶν δᾳδίων ἀπαρυστέον §922τε τῶν ἀπειλῶν ταυτῃί.
Boiling over; we must draw away some of the firewood, and ladle out some of his threats with this!
§923δώσεις ἐμοὶ καλὴν δίκην
Sausage-Seller: You shall pay me a handsome penalty,

Notes

  1. §849αὐτοῖσι τοῖς πόρπαξιν — The construction of "αὐτός + dative" expressing accompaniment, meaning "together with..." or "handles and all".
  2. §850-851ἵνʼ ἢν σὺ βούλῃ τὸν ἄνδρα κολάσαι τουτονί, σοὶ τοῦτο μὴ κʼγένηται. — Within the purpose clause introduced by ἵνʼ, a conditional clause ἢν σὺ βούλῃ is embedded, leading to the subjunctive apodosis μὴ κʼγένηται (either γένηται or ἐγγένηται, "to be possible").
  3. §855-857ὥστʼ εἰ σὺ βριμήσαιο καὶ βλέψειας ὀστρακίνδα, νύκτωρ καθαρπάσαντες ἂν τὰς ἀσπίδας θέοντες τὰς ἐσβολὰς τῶν ἀλφίτων ἂν καταλάβοιεν ἡμῶν. — Following the consecutive conjunction ὥστʼ, a future-less-vivid conditional structure is formed by εἰ with optatives (βριμήσαιο, βλέψειας) in the protasis, and ἄν with optative (καταλάβοιεν) in the apodosis. The participles καθαρπάσαντες and θέοντες are nominative agreeing with the subject of the main verb. The particle ἄν is repeated for emphasis.
  4. §860μὴ τοῦ λέγοντος ἴσθι — The genitive τοῦ λέγοντος functions as a predicate genitive of possession/dependence with the imperative ἴσθι, meaning "do not be at the mercy of the speaker."
  5. §912-916ἐγώ σε ποιήσω τριηραρχεῖν ἀναλίσκοντα τῶν σαυτοῦ, παλαιὰν ναῦν ἔχοντʼ, εἰς ἣν ἀναλῶν οὐκ ἐφέξεις οὐδὲ ναυπηγούμενος — A causative construction with ποιήσω + accusative + infinitive (capsulating σε τριηραρχεῖν). The accusative participles ἀναλίσκοντα and ἔχοντʼ agree with σε, and the relative clause εἰς ἣν... modifies ναῦν (implied in the relative pronoun). The phrase οὐκ ἐφέξεις in the relative clause means "you will not stop."

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Knights §849-923. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:849-923

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.