Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Peace §507-596

The Farmers Rescue Peace and Rejoice

Passage 7 of 16 · Greek

Summary

Through the combined efforts of the farmers, the goddess of peace is finally dragged out, and the people prepare to return to the countryside, abandoning the tools of war and yearning for the benefits of peace.

§507πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν ὀλίγον ὑποχωρήσατε.
Retire a little towards the sea.
§508ἄγʼ ὦνδρες αὐτοὶ δὴ μόνοι λαβώμεθʼ οἱ γεωργοί.
Come, men, let us farmers alone take hold.
§509χωρεῖ γέ τοι τὸ πρᾶγμα πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὦνδρες ὑμῖν.
Indeed, the matter is going much better for you, men.
§510χωρεῖν τὸ πρᾶγμά φησιν· ἀλλὰ πᾶς ἀνὴρ προθυμοῦ.
He says the matter is progressing; so every man be eager.
§511οἵ τοι γεωργοὶ τοὔργον ἐξέλκουσι κἄλλος οὐδείς.
Truly, the farmers are pulling out the work, and no one else.
§512ἄγε νυν ἄγε πᾶς.
Come now, come, everyone.
§513καὶ μὴν ὁμοῦ ʼστιν ἤδη.
And indeed, she is already close.
§514μή νυν ἀνῶμεν ἀλλʼ ἐπεντείνωμεν §515ἀνδρικώτερον.
Let us not slacken now, but let us stretch more manfully.
§516ἤδη ʼστὶ τοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνο.
This is already it, that very thing.
§517ὦ εἶα νῦν, ὦ εἶα πᾶς.
O heave ho now, o heave ho, everyone.
§518ὦ εἶα εἶα εἶα εἶα εἶα εἶα.
O heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, heave ho.
§519ὦ εἶα εἶα εἶα εἶα εἶα πᾶς.
O heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, heave ho, everyone.
§520ὦ πότνια βοτρυόδωρε τί προσείπω σʼ ἔπος;
O revered lady, giver of grapes, what word shall I address to you?
§521πόθεν ἂν λάβοιμι ῥῆμα μυριάμφορον §522ὅτῳ προσείπω σʼ;
From where might I get a word of ten thousand amphoras with which to address you?
οὐ γὰρ εἶχον οἴκοθεν.
For I did not have one from home.
§523ὦ χαῖρʼ Ὀπώρα, καὶ σὺ δʼ ὦ Θεωρία.
O welcome Opora, and you too, Theoria.
§524οἷον δʼ ἔχεις τὸ πρόσωπον ὦ Θεωρία, §525οἷον δὲ πνεῖς, ὡς ἡδὺ κατὰ τῆς καρδίας, §526γλυκύτατον ὥσπερ ἀστρατείας καὶ μύρου.
What a face you have, O Theoria, and what a breath you exhale, how sweet to the heart, most sweet, just like release from service and perfume.
§527μῶν οὖν ὅμοιον καὶ γυλιοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ;
Is it then at all like that of a soldier's knapsack?
§528ἀπέπτυσʼ ἐχθροῦ φωτὸς ἔχθιστον πλέκος.
I spit upon the most hateful basket of a hateful man!
§529τοῦ μὲν γὰρ ὄζει κρομμυοξυρεγμίας, §530ταύτης δʼ ὀπώρας, ὑποδοχῆς, Διονυσίων, §531αὐλῶν, τραγῳδῶν, Σοφοκλέους μελῶν, κιχλῶν, §532ἐπυλλίων Εὐριπίδου— §532bκλαύσἄρα σὺ §533ταύτης καταψευδόμενος· οὐ γὰρ ἥδεται §534αὕτη ποιητῇ ῥηματίων δικανικῶν.
For that smells of onion-acid-belch, but she of fruit, of hospitality, of the Dionysia, of flutes, of tragedies, of the songs of Sophocles, of thrushes, of the little verses of Euripides— You shall weep for this, speaking falsely of her; for she does not delight in a poet of lawsuit-phrases.
§535κιττοῦ, τρυγοίπου, προβατίων βληχωμένων, §536† κόλπου † γυναικῶν διατρεχουσῶν εἰς ἀγρόν, §537δούλης μεθυούσης, ἀνατετραμμένου χοῶς, §538ἄλλων τε πολλῶν κἀγαθῶν— §539ἴθι νυν ἄθρει §539bοἷον πρὸς ἀλλήλας λαλοῦσιν αἱ πόλεις §540διαλλαγεῖσαι καὶ γελῶσιν ἄσμεναι, §541καὶ ταῦτα δαιμονίως ὑπωπιασμέναι §542ἁπαξάπασαι καὶ κυάθους προσκείμεναι.
of ivy, of the wine-strainer, of bleating sheep, of the bosom († κόλπου †) of women running to the countryside, of a drunken slave-girl, of an upturned wine-jar, and of many other good things— Come now, behold how the cities talk to one another, having been reconciled, and laugh gladly, and that too although they are wonderfully black-eyed, all of them, and have cupping-glasses applied.
§543καὶ τῶνδε τοίνυν τῶν θεωμένων σκόπει §544τὰ πρόσωφʼ, ἵνα γνῷς τὰς τέχνας.
And so look also at the faces of these spectators here, so that you may know their trades.
§544bαἰβοῖ τάλας,
Ah, poor wretch!
§545ἐκεινονὶ γοῦν τὸν λοφοποιὸν οὐχ ὁρᾷς §546τίλλονθʼ ἑαυτόν;
Do you not see that crest-maker yonder plucking himself?
§546bὁ δέ γε τὰς σμινύας ποιῶν §547κατέπαρδεν ἄρτι τοῦ ξιφουργοῦ ʼκεινουί.
And the one who makes mattocks just farted at that sword-maker yonder.
§548ὁ δὲ δρεπανουργὸς οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὡς ἥδεται, §549καὶ τὸν δορυξὸν οἷον ἐσκιμάλισεν;
And do you not see how the sickle-maker rejoices, and how he flicked his finger at the spear-carver?
§550ἴθι νυν ἄνειπε τοὺς γεωργοὺς ἀπιέναι.
Come now, proclaim to the farmers to depart.
§551ἀκούετε λεῴ·
Hear, ye people!
τοὺς γεωργοὺς ἀπιέναι §552τὰ γεωργικὰ σκεύη λαβόντας εἰς ἀγρὸν §553ὡς τάχιστʼ ἄνευ δορατίου καὶ ξίφους κἀκοντίου· §554ὡς ἅπαντʼ ἤδη ʼστὶ μεστὰ τἀνθάδʼ εἰρήνης σαπρᾶς.
Let the farmers depart taking their farming tools into the field as quickly as possible without spear and sword and javelin; for all things here are already full of old-fashioned peace.
§555ἀλλὰ πᾶς χώρει πρὸς ἔργον εἰς ἀγρὸν παιωνίσας.
But let everyone go to work in the field, having sung the paean.
§556ὦ ποθεινὴ τοῖς δικαίοις καὶ γεωργοῖς ἡμέρα, §557ἄσμενός σʼ ἰδὼν προσειπεῖν βούλομαι τὰς ἀμπέλους, §558τάς τε συκᾶς, ἃς ἐγὼ ʼφύτευον ὢν νεώτερος, §559ἀσπάσασθαι θυμὸς ἡμῖν ἐστι πολλοστῷ χρόνῳ.
O day longed for by the just and by farmers, having gladly seen you, I wish to address the vines, and the fig trees, which I planted when I was younger, it is my desire to embrace them after so long a time.
§560νῦν μὲν οὖν ὦνδρες προσευξώμεσθα πρῶτον τῇ θεῷ, §561ἥπερ ἡμῶν τοὺς λόφους ἀφεῖλε καὶ τὰς Γοργόνας· §562εἶθʼ ὅπως Λιταργιοῦμεν οἴκαδʼ ἐς τὰ χωρία, §563ἐμπολήσαντές τι χρηστὸν εἰς ἀγρὸν ταρίχιον.
Now indeed, men, let us first pray to the goddess, who took away our crests and Gorgons; then let us hasten home to our fields, having bought some good salt fish for the countryside.
§564ὦ Πόσειδον ὡς καλὸν τὸ στῖφος αὐτῶν φαίνεται §565καὶ πυκνὸν καὶ γοργὸν ὥσπερ μᾶζα καὶ πανδαισία.
O Poseidon, how beautiful their throng appears, dense and fierce, like a barley-cake and a great feast.
§566νὴ Δίʼ ἡ γὰρ σφῦρα λαμπρὸν ἦν ἄρʼ ἐξωπλισμένη, §567αἵ τε θρίνακες διαστίλβουσι πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.
By Zeus, yes, for the mallet was indeed splendidly equipped, and the winnowing-forks shine against the sun.
§568ἦ καλῶς αὐτῶν ἀπαλλάξειεν ἂν μετόρχιον.
Truly, the vineyard path would part well under them.
§569ὥστʼ ἔγωγʼ ἤδη ʼπιθυμῶ καὐτὸς ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἀγρὸν §570καὶ τριαινοῦν τῇ δικέλλῃ διὰ χρόνου τὸ γῄδιον.
So that I myself already desire to go to the field and to turn up the little soil with the two-pronged hoe after so long a time.
§571ἀλλʼ ἀναμνησθέντες ὦνδρες §572τῆς διαίτης τῆς παλαιᾶς, §573ἣν παρεῖχʼ αὕτη ποθʼ ἡμῖν, §574τῶν τε παλασίων ἐκείνων §575τῶν τε σύκων τῶν τε μύρτων, §576τῆς τρυγός τε τῆς γλυκείας §577τῆς ἰωνιᾶς τε τῆς πρὸς §578τῷ φρέατι τῶν τʼ ἐλαῶν §579ὧν ποθοῦμεν, §580ἀντὶ τούτων τήνδε νυνὶ §581τὴν θεὸν προσείπατε.
But remembering, men, the old way of life which she once provided for us, and those cakes of dried figs, and the figs, and the myrtles, and the sweet new wine, and the violet-bed by the well, and the olives which we long for, in return for these, now address this goddess.
§582χαῖρε χαῖρʼ, ὡς ἀσμένοισιν ἦλθες, ὦ φιλτάτη.
Hail, hail, how gladly you have come, O dearest one.
§585σῷ γὰρ ἐδάμην πόθῳ, δαιμόνια βουλόμενος εἰς ἀγρὸν ἀνερπύσαι
For I was overcome by longing for you, wishing wondrously to creep back to the field.
§587ἦσθα γὰρ μέγιστον ἡμῖν κέρδος ὦ ποθουμένη §588πᾶσιν ὁπόσοι γεωργὸν βίον ἐτρίβομεν.
For you were our greatest gain, O longed-for one, to all of us who spent a farming life.
§590μόνη γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὠφέλεις.
For you alone helped us.
§591πολλὰ γὰρ ἐπάσχομεν πρίν ποτʼ ἐπὶ σοῦ γλυκέα κἀδάπανα καὶ φίλα.
For we used to enjoy many sweet, costless, and dear things under you in the past.
§595τοῖς ἀγροίκοισιν γὰρ ἦσθα χῖδρα καὶ σωτηρία.
For to the countryfolk you were parched grain and salvation.
§596ὥστε σὲ τά τʼ ἀμπέλια καὶ τὰ νέα συκίδια
So that the little vines and the young fig trees will receive you...

Notes

  1. 521μυριάμφορον — A compound adjective meaning "containing or worth ten thousand amphoras," containing comic hyperbole. It modifies the noun ῥῆμα, expressing the grandest praise for the goddess of peace.
  2. 532bκλαύσἄρα — A crasis of κλαύσει ἄρα. The future middle κλαύσομαι (I shall weep) has an idiomatic nuance of "you will suffer for this" or "you will regret this."
  3. 536† κόλπου † — Daggers (cruces desperationis) indicating that the text is corrupted or uncertain in the manuscript tradition. In context, it refers to the bosom or folds of garments of women, but the reading is insecure.
  4. 562ὅπως Λιταργιοῦμεν — An independent expression of exhortation, command, or intention using ὅπως with the future indicative ("let us..."). The verb λιταργίζω is a rare word meaning "to run quickly" or "to hasten."
  5. 568ἀπαλλάξειεν ἂν μετόρχιον — A potential optative construction with ἂν and the optative. The subject is μετόρχιον ("the space between rows of vines"), meaning that the vineyard paths would turn out excellently under the farmers' work.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Peace §507-596. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:507-596

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