§155ὁ γῶν Μενέλαος τᾶς Ἑλένας τὰ μᾶλά πᾳ §156γυμνᾶς παραϊδὼν ἐξέβαλʼ, οἰῶ, τὸ ξίφος. §157τί δʼ ἢν ἀφιῶσʼ ἅνδρες ἡμᾶς ὦ μέλε; §158τὸ τοῦ Φερεκράτους, κύνα δέρειν δεδαρμένην. §159φλυαρία ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ τὰ μεμιμημένα. §160ἐὰν λαβόντες δʼ ἐς τὸ δωμάτιον βίᾳ §161ἕλκωσιν ἡμᾶς; §161bἀντέχου σὺ τῶν θυρῶν. §162ἐὰν δὲ τύπτωσιν; §162bπαρέχειν χρὴ κακὰ κακῶς. §163οὐ γὰρ ἔνι τούτοις ἡδονὴ τοῖς πρὸς βίαν. §164κἄλλως ὀδυνᾶν χρή· κἀμέλει ταχέως πάνυ §165ἀπεροῦσιν.
\nLampito: Menelaus, I think, when he caught sight of Helen's breasts\n\nnaked, threw away his sword.\n\nKalonike: But what if the men leave us, my dear?\n\nLysistrata: To use Pherecrates' phrase: to skin a skinned dog.\n\nKalonike: That is nonsense, all this talk of imitation.\n\nBut if they take us by force and drag us\n\ninto the bedroom?\n\nLysistrata: Hold on to the doors!\n\nKalonike: And if they beat us?\n\nLysistrata: You must yield, but with bad grace.\n\nFor there is no pleasure for them in things done by force.\n\nAnd besides, one must cause them pain; rest assured, they will soon\n\ngive up.
οὐ γὰρ οὐδέποτʼ εὐφρανθήσεται §166ἀνήρ, ἐὰν μὴ τῇ γυναικὶ συμφέρῃ. §167εἴ τοι δοκεῖ σφῷν ταῦτα, χἠμῖν ξυνδοκεῖ. §168καὶ τὼς μὲν ἁμῶν ἄνδρας ἁμὲς πείσομες §169παντᾷ δικαίως ἄδολον εἰράναν ἄγειν· §170τὸν τῶν Ἀσαναίων γα μὰν ῥυάχετον §171πᾷ κά τις ἀμπείσειεν αὖ μὴ πλαδδιῆν; §172ἡμεῖς ἀμέλει σοι τά γε παρʼ ἡμῖν πείσομεν. §173οὐχ ἇς πόδας κʼ ἔχωντι ταὶ τριήρεες, §174καὶ τὠργύριον τὤβυσσον ᾖ πὰρ τᾷ σιῷ. §175ἀλλʼ ἔστι καὶ τοῦτʼ εὖ παρεσκευασμένον· §176καταληψόμεθα γὰρ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τήμερον. §177ταῖς πρεσβυτάταις γὰρ προστέτακται τοῦτο δρᾶν, §178ἕως ἂν ἡμεῖς ταῦτα συντιθώμεθα, §179θύειν δοκούσαις καταλαβεῖν τὴν ἀκρόπολιν. §180παντᾷ κʼ ἔχοι, καὶ τᾷδε γὰρ λέγεις καλῶς. §181τί δῆτα ταῦτʼ οὐχ ὡς τάχιστʼ ὦ Λαμπιτοῖ §182ξυνωμόσαμεν, ὅπως ἂν ἀρρήκτως ἔχῃ; §183πάρφαινε μὰν τὸν ὅρκον, ὡς ὀμιόμεθα. §184καλῶς λέγεις.
For a husband will never be pleased\n\nunless his wife agrees with him.\n\nLampito: If you two think so, we also agree.\n\nAnd we will persuade our husbands\n\nin every way to keep an honest and guileless peace.\n\nBut the Athenian rabble,\n\nhow could anyone persuade them not to play the fool?\n\nLysistrata: Don't worry, we will persuade our side.\n\nAs long as their triremes have feet,\n\nand the bottomless money is in the temple of the goddess.\n\nBut this too has been well prepared;\n\nfor we shall seize the Akropolis today.\n\nFor the oldest women have been ordered to do this,\n\nwhile we are making this agreement:\n\nunder the pretense of sacrificing, they will seize the Akropolis.\n\nLampito: Everything would be fine; you speak well in this too.\n\nLysistrata: Why then, Lampito, don't we swear an oath as quickly as possible,\n\nso that it may be unbreakable?\n\nLampito: Show us the oath, and we will swear.\n\nLysistrata: Well said.
ποῦ ʼσθʼ ἡ Σκύθαινα;
Where is the Scythian woman?
ποῖ βλέπεις; §185θὲς ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν ὑπτίαν τὴν ἀσπίδα, §186καί μοι δότω τὰ τόμιά τις. §186bΛυσιστράτη §187τίνʼ ὅρκον ὁρκώσεις ποθʼ ἡμᾶς; §187bὅντινα; §188εἰς ἀσπίδʼ, ὥσπερ φάσʼ ἐν Αἰσχύλῳ ποτέ, §189μηλοσφαγούσας. §189bμὴ σύ γʼ ὦ Λυσιστράτη §190εἰς ἀσπίδʼ ὀμόσῃς μηδὲν εἰρήνης πέρι. §191τίς ἂν οὖν γένοιτʼ ἂν ὅρκος; §191bεἰ λευκόν ποθεν §192ἵππον λαβοῦσαι τόμιον ἐντεμοίμεθα. §193ποῖ λευκὸν ἵππον; §193bἀλλὰ πῶς ὀμούμεθα §194ἡμεῖς; §194bἐγώ σοι νὴ Δίʼ, ἢν βούλῃ, φράσω. §195θεῖσαι μέλαιναν κύλικα μεγάλην ὑπτίαν, §196μηλοσφαγοῦσαι Θάσιον οἴνου σταμνίον §197ὀμόσωμεν ἐς τὴν κύλικα μὴ ʼπιχεῖν ὕδωρ. §198φεῦ δᾶ τὸν ὅρκον ἄφατον ὡς ἐπαινίω. §199φερέτω κύλικά τις ἔνδοθεν καὶ σταμνίον. §200ὦ φίλταται γυναῖκες, ὁ κεραμεὼν ὅσος. §201ταύτην μὲν ἄν τις εὐθὺς ἡσθείη λαβών. §202καταθεῖσα ταύτην προσλαβοῦ μοι τοῦ κάπρου. §203δέσποινα Πειθοῖ καὶ κύλιξ φιλοτησία, §204τὰ σφάγια δέξαι ταῖς γυναιξὶν εὐμενής. §205εὔχρων γε θαἶμα κἀποπυτίζει καλῶς. §206καὶ μὰν ποτόδδει γʼ ἁδὺ ναὶ τὸν Κάστορα. §207ἐᾶτε πρώτην μʼ ὦ γυναῖκες ὀμνύναι. §208μὰ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην οὔκ, ἐάν γε μὴ λάχῃς. §209λάζυσθε πᾶσαι τῆς κύλικος ὦ Λαμπιτοῖ· §210λεγέτω δʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν μίʼ ἅπερ ἂν κἀγὼ λέγω· §211ὑμεῖς δʼ ἐπομεῖσθε ταὐτὰ κἀμπεδώσετε. §212οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς οὔτε μοιχὸς οὔτʼ ἀνήρ— §213οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς οὔτε μοιχὸς οὔτʼ ἀνήρ— §214ὅστις πρὸς ἐμὲ πρόσεισιν ἐστυκώς.
Where are you looking?\n\nPut the shield upside down in front of us,\n\nand let someone give me the victims' parts.\n\nKalonike: Lysistrata,\n\nwhat kind of oath are you going to make us swear?\n\nLysistrata: What kind?\n\nOver a shield, as they say they did once in Aeschylus,\n\nsacrificing a sheep.\n\nKalonike: Don't, Lysistrata,\n\nswear an oath about peace on a shield!\n\nLysistrata: What oath should it be then?\n\nKalonike: If we could get a white\n\nhorse from somewhere and slaughter it as a victim.\n\nLysistrata: Where would we get a white horse?\n\nKalonike: But how shall we swear\n\nourselves?\n\nLysistrata: I will tell you, by Zeus, if you wish.\n\nLet's place a large black cup upside down,\n\nsacrificing a jar of Thasian wine as a sheep,\n\nand swear into the cup not to pour water in it.\n\nLampito: Ah, by Earth! What an unspeakably wonderful oath I praise!\n\nLysistrata: Let someone bring a cup and a jar from inside.\n\nKalonike: O dearest women, what a huge piece of pottery!\n\nOne would immediately be delighted to receive this.\n\nLysistrata: Put this down, and help me with the boar.\n\nO mistress Persuasion and cup of friendship,\n\nreceive the victims from the women with favor.\n\nKalonike: The blood has a good color and flows nicely.\n\nLampito: And indeed it smells sweet, by Castor.\n\nLysistrata: Let me swear first, women.\n\nKalonike: By Aphrodite, no, unless you draw the lot!\n\nLysistrata: All of you lay hands on the cup, Lampito.\n\nAnd let one of you say on behalf of all what I say;\n\nand the rest of you will swear to the same things and confirm them.\n\nLysistrata: No one, neither lover nor husband—\n\nKalonike: No one, neither lover nor husband—\n\nLysistrata: —shall approach me with an erection.
λέγε. §215ὅστις πρὸς ἐμὲ πρόσεισιν ἐστυκώς.
Speak.\n\nKalonike: —shall approach me with an erection.
παπαῖ §216ὑπολύεταί μου τὰ γόνατʼ ὦ Λυσιστράτη. §217οἴκοι δʼ ἀταυρώτη διάξω τὸν βίον— §218οἴκοι δʼ ἀταυρώτη διάξω τὸν βίον— §219κροκωτοφοροῦσα καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη,— §220κροκωτοφοροῦσα καὶ κεκαλλωπισμένη,— §221ὅπως ἂν ἁνὴρ ἐπιτυφῇ μάλιστά μου· §222ὅπως ἂν ἁνὴρ ἐπιτυφῇ μάλιστά μου· §223κοὐδέποθʼ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὶ τὠμῷ πείσομαι. §224κοὐδέποθʼ ἑκοῦσα τἀνδρὶ τὠμῷ πείσομαι. §225ἐὰν δέ μʼ ἄκουσαν βιάζηται βίᾳ,— §226ἐὰν δέ μʼ ἄκουσαν βιάζηται βίᾳ,— §227κακῶς παρέξω κοὐχὶ προσκινήσομαι. §228κακῶς παρέξω κοὐχὶ προσκινήσομαι. §229οὐ πρὸς τὸν ὄροφον ἀνατενῶ τὼ Περσικά. §230οὐ πρὸς τὸν ὄροφον ἀνατενῶ τὼ Περσικά. §231οὐ στήσομαι λέαινʼ ἐπὶ τυροκνήστιδος. §232οὐ στήσομαι λέαινʼ ἐπὶ τυροκνήστιδος. §233ταῦτʼ ἐμπεδοῦσα μὲν πίοιμʼ ἐντευθενί· §234ταῦτʼ ἐμπεδοῦσα μὲν πίοιμʼ ἐντευθενί· §235εἰ δὲ παραβαίην, ὕδατος ἐμπλῇθʼ ἡ κύλιξ. §236εἰ δὲ παραβαίην, ὕδατος ἐμπλῇθʼ ἡ κύλιξ.
Ah,\n\nmy knees are giving way, Lysistrata!\n\nLysistrata: And at home I shall lead an unmarried life—\n\nKalonike: And at home I shall lead an unmarried life—\n\nLysistrata: —wearing a saffron robe and having beautified myself,—\n\nKalonike: —wearing a saffron robe and having beautified myself,—\n\nLysistrata: —so that my husband may be as aroused as possible for me;—\n\nKalonike: —so that my husband may be as aroused as possible for me;—\n\nLysistrata: —and never willingly shall I submit to my husband.\n\nKalonike: —and never willingly shall I submit to my husband.\n\nLysistrata: And if he forces me against my will,—\n\nKalonike: —And if he forces me against my will,—\n\nLysistrata: —I will yield reluctantly and not move in response.\n\nKalonike: —I will yield reluctantly and not move in response.\n\nLysistrata: I will not lift my Persian slippers towards the ceiling.\n\nKalonike: I will not lift my Persian slippers towards the ceiling.\n\nLysistrata: I will not stand as a lioness on a cheese-grater.\n\nKalonike: I will not stand as a lioness on a cheese-grater.\n\nLysistrata: If I keep these oaths, may I drink from here;\n\nKalonike: If I keep these oaths, may I drink from here;\n\nLysistrata: but if I break them, let the cup be filled with water.\n\nKalonike: but if I break them, let the cup be filled with water.