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Aristophanes · Lysistrata §237-321

Seizure of the Akropolis and the Chorus of Old Men

Passage 4 of 16 · Greek

Summary

As the women complete their oath and successfully occupy the Akropolis, a chorus of angry old men arrives with logs and fire, planning to burn down the gates.

§237συνεπόμνυθʼ ὑμεῖς ταῦτα πᾶσαι;
Lysistrata: Do you all swear to this along with me?
§237bνὴ Δία.
Kalonike: Yes, by Zeus.
§238φέρʼ ἐγὼ καθαγίσω τήνδε.
Lysistrata: Come, let me consecrate this.
§238bτὸ μέρος γʼ ὦ φίλη, §239ὅπως ἂν ὦμεν εὐθὺς ἀλλήλων φίλαι.
Kalonike: Only your share, my friend, so that we may immediately remain friends with one another.
§240τίς ὡλολυγά;
Lysistrata: What is that shouting?
§240bτοῦτʼ ἐκεῖνʼ οὑγὼ ʼλεγον·
Kalonike: That's it, what I was saying!
§241αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τῆς θεοῦ §242ἤδη κατειλήφασιν.
For the women have already seized the Akropolis of the goddess.
ἀλλʼ ὦ Λαμπιτοῖ §243σὺ μὲν βάδιζε καὶ τὰ παρʼ ὑμῶν εὖ τίθει, §244τασδὶ δʼ ὁμήρους κατάλιφʼ ἡμῖν ἐνθάδε· §245ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῖς ἄλλαισι ταῖσιν ἐν πόλει §246ξυνεμβάλωμεν εἰσιοῦσαι τοὺς μοχλούς.
But, Lampito, you go and set things right on your side, and leave these women here with us as hostages; and we, entering inside, will help the others in the citadel to slide in the bolts.
§247οὔκουν ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ξυμβοηθήσειν οἴει §248τοὺς ἄνδρας εὐθύς;
Kalonike: But don't you think the men will immediately march to help against us?
§248bὀλίγον αὐτῶν μοι μέλει.
Lysistrata: I care little for them.
§249οὐ γὰρ τοσαύτας οὔτʼ ἀπειλὰς οὔτε πῦρ §250ἥξουσʼ ἔχοντες ὥστʼ ἀνοῖξαι τὰς πύλας §251ταύτας, ἐὰν μὴ ʼφʼ οἷσιν ἡμεῖς εἴπομεν.
For they will not come with so many threats or fire as to open these gates, except on the terms we have stated.
§252μὰ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην οὐδέποτέ γʼ·
Kalonike: By Aphrodite, never indeed!
ἄλλως γὰρ ἂν §253ἄμαχοι γυναῖκες καὶ μιαραὶ κεκλῄμεθʼ ἄν.
For otherwise we women would be called "unfightable" and "accursed" in vain.
§254χώρει Δράκης, ἡγοῦ βάδην, εἰ καὶ τὸν ὦμον ἀλγεῖς §255κορμοῦ τοσουτονὶ βάρος χλωρᾶς φέρων ἐλάας.
Leader of Old Men: Go, Drakis, lead the way slowly, even if your shoulder hurts, bearing such a heavy log of green olive wood.
§256ἦ πόλλʼ ἄελπτʼ ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ μακρῷ βίῳ φεῦ,
Ah, indeed, many unexpected things there are in a long life, alas!
§259ἐπεὶ τίς ἄν ποτʼ ἤλπισʼ ὦ Στρυμόδωρʼ ἀκοῦσαι §260γυναῖκας, ἃς ἐβόσκομεν §261κατʼ οἶκον ἐμφανὲς κακόν, §262κατὰ μὲν ἅγιον ἔχειν βρέτας, §263κατὰ δʼ ἀκρόπολιν ἐμὰν λαβεῖν §264μοχλοῖς δὲ καὶ κλῄθροισι §265τὰ προπύλαια πακτοῦν;
Since who would have ever expected, Strymodoros, to hear that women, whom we fed at home as an obvious plague, now hold the sacred image, and have seized my Akropolis, and with bars and bolts are shutting up the Propylaea?
§266ἀλλʼ ὡς τάχιστα πρὸς πόλιν σπεύσωμεν ὦ Φιλοῦργε, §267ὅπως ἄν, αὐταῖς ἐν κύκλῳ θέντες τὰ πρέμνα ταυτί, §268ὅσαι τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτʼ ἐνεστήσαντο καὶ μετῆλθον, §269μίαν πυρὰν νήσαντες ἐμπρήσωμεν αὐτόχειρες §270πάσας, ὑπὸ ψήφου μιᾶς, πρώτην δὲ τὴν Λύκωνος.
But let us hasten to the citadel as quickly as possible, Philourgos, so that, having placed these logs in a circle around them, for all those who set this plot on foot and pursued it, we may heap up a single pyre and burn them with our own hands, all of them, by a single vote, and first of all Lykon's wife.
§273οὐ γὰρ μὰ τὴν Δήμητρʼ ἐμοῦ ζῶντος ἐγχανοῦνται·
For, by Demeter, they shall not laugh at me while I live!
§274ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ Κλεομένης, ὃς αὐτὴν κατέσχε πρῶτος, §275ἀπῆθεν ἀψάλακτος, ἀλλʼ §276ὅμως Λακωνικὸν πνέων §277ᾤχετο θὤπλα παραδοὺς ἐμοί, §278σμικρὸν ἔχων πάνυ τριβώνιον, §279πινῶν ῥυπῶν ἀπαράτιλτος, §280ἓξ ἐτῶν ἄλουτος.
Since not even Kleomenes, who first occupied it, went away unscathed, but nevertheless, breathing Spartan pride, he departed, surrendering his arms to me, wearing a very tiny cloak, starving, filthy, unplucked, unwashed for six years.
§281οὕτως ἐπολιόρκησʼ ἐγὼ τὸν ἄνδρʼ ἐκεῖνον ὠμῶς §282ἐφʼ ἑπτακαίδεκʼ ἀσπίδων πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις καθεύδων.
Thus fiercely did I besiege that man, sleeping at the gates seventeen deep in shields.
§283τασδὶ δὲ τὰς Εὐριπίδῃ θεοῖς τε πᾶσιν ἐχθρὰς §284ἐγὼ οὐκ ἄρα σχήσω παρὼν τολμήματος τοσούτου;
And shall I not, being present, prevent these women, hated by Euripides and all the gods, from such great audacity?
§285μή νυν ἔτʼ ἐν τῇ τετραπόλει τοὐμὸν τροπαῖον εἴη.
If not, let my trophy no longer stand in the Tetrapolis!
§286ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ γάρ μοι τῆς ὁδοῦ §287λοιπόν ἐστι χωρίον §288τὸ πρὸς πόλιν τὸ σιμόν, οἷ σπουδὴν ἔχω· §289χὤπως ποτʼ ἐξαμπρεύσομεν §290τοῦτʼ ἄνευ κανθηλίου.
But indeed, this last part of the way is remaining for me, the steep slope up to the citadel, where I am hastening; and how we shall drag this up without a pack-ass.
§291ὡς ἐμοῦ γε τὼ ξύλω τὸν ὦμον ἐξιπώκατον· §292ἀλλʼ ὅμως βαδιστέον, §293καὶ τὸ πῦρ φυσητέον, §294μή μʼ ἀποσβεσθὲν λάθῃ πρὸς τῇ τελευτῇ τῆς ὁδοῦ.
For indeed the two logs have crushed my shoulder; but nevertheless we must go on, and blow the fire, lest it should go out on me unawares near the end of the journey.
§295φῦ φῦ.
Phu, phu.
§295aἰοὺ ἰοὺ τοῦ καπνοῦ.
Oh, oh, the smoke!
§296ὡς δεινὸν ὦναξ Ἡράκλεις
How terrible, O Lord Heracles!
§297προσπεσόν μʼ ἐκ τῆς χύτρας §298ὥσπερ κύων λυττῶσα τὠφθαλμὼ δάκνει·
falling upon me from the pot, like a mad dog it bites my eyes.
§299κἄστιν γε Λήμνιον τὸ πῦρ §300τοῦτο πάσῃ μηχανῇ.
And indeed this fire is Lemnian, by all means.
§301οὐ γὰρ ἄν ποθʼ ὧδʼ ὀδὰξ ἔβρυκε τὰς λήμας ἐμοῦ.
For otherwise it would never have devoured the rheum of my eyes so bitingly.
§302σπεῦδε πρόσθεν ἐς πόλιν §303καὶ βοήθει τῇ θεῷ.
Hasten forward to the citadel and bring aid to the goddess.
§304ἢ πότʼ αὐτῇ μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν ὦ Λάχης ἀρήξομεν;
For when shall we help her more than now, O Laches?
§305φῦ φῦ.
Phu, phu.
§305aἰοὺ ἰοὺ τοῦ καπνοῦ.
Oh, oh, the smoke!
§306τουτὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐγρήγορεν θεῶν ἕκατι καὶ ζῇ.
This fire is awake and alive, by the grace of the gods.
§307οὔκουν ἄν, εἰ τὼ μὲν ξύλω θείμεσθα πρῶτον αὐτοῦ, §308τῆς ἀμπέλου δʼ ἐς τὴν χύτραν τὸν φανὸν ἐγκαθέντες §309ἅψαντες εἶτʼ ἐς τὴν θύραν κριηδὸν ἐμπέσοιμεν;
Should we not then, if we first put down our two logs here, and insert the vine-branch torch into the pot, and light it, then assault the door like a battering ram?
§310κἂν μὴ καλούντων τοὺς μοχλοὺς χαλῶσιν αἱ γυναῖκες, §311ἐμπιμπράναι χρὴ τὰς θύρας καὶ τῷ καπνῷ πιέζειν.
And if the women do not undo the bolts when we call, we must set fire to the doors and choke them with smoke.
§312θώμεσθα δὴ τὸ φορτίον.
Let's put down our burden.
φεῦ τοῦ καπνοῦ βαβαιάξ.
Ugh, the smoke, good grief!
§313τίς ξυλλάβοιτʼ ἂν τοῦ ξύλου τῶν ἐν Σάμῳ στρατη γῶν;
Who of the generals in Samos would help me lift the wood?
§314ταυτὶ μὲν ἤδη τὴν ῥάχιν θλίβοντά μου πέπαυται.
Well, this has now stopped crushing my spine.
§315σὸν δʼ ἔργον ἐστὶν ὦ χύτρα τὸν ἄνθρακʼ ἐξεγείρειν, §316τὴν λαμπάδʼ ἡμμένην ὅπως πρώτιστʼ ἐμοὶ προσοίσεις.
And it is your job, O pot, to wake up the embers, so that you may bring me the torch lit as soon as possible.
§317δέσποινα Νίκη ξυγγενοῦ τῶν τʼ ἐν πόλει γυναικῶν §318τοῦ νῦν παρεστῶτος θράσους θέσθαι τροπαῖον ἡμᾶς.
O Lady Victory, assist us, and over the women in the citadel, let us raise a trophy over their present audacity.
§319λιγνὺν δοκῶ μοι καθορᾶν καὶ καπνὸν ὦ γυναῖκες §320ὥσπερ πυρὸς καομένου· σπευστέον ἐστὶ θᾶττον.
Leader of Women: I think I see soot and smoke, O women, as of a burning fire; we must hasten faster.
§321πέτου πέτου Νικοδίκη,
Fly, fly, Nikodike,

Notes

  1. §238bτὸ μέρος γʼ — The accusative τὸ μέρος functions as an accusative of respect or adverbially ("only your share"). It is a humorous intervention by Kalonike to prevent Lysistrata from drinking the whole cup under the guise of consecration.
  2. §251ἐὰν μὴ ʼφʼ οἷσιν ἡμεῖς εἴπομεν — The phrase ἐφʼ οἷς is an idiom meaning "on condition that," showing attraction of the relative pronoun (from ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἅ to ἐφʼ οἷς). There is an ellipsis of the verb (such as "they agree" or "they open") after εἴπομεν.
  3. §252ἄλλως γὰρ ἂν ... κεκλῄμεθʼ ἄν — The particle ἂν is repeated within the same clause (ἂν ... κεκλῄμεθʼ ἄν). This repetition is a common practice in classical Greek for emphasis or in complex sentences expressing potential or counterfactual statements. The adverb ἄλλως here means "otherwise" or "in vain."
  4. §260ἃς ἐβόσκομεν — The relative pronoun ἃς (accusative) serves as the direct object of ἐβόσκομεν ("we fed") within the relative clause, and is accompanied by ἐμφανὲς κακόν ("an obvious plague") in a predicative or appositive accusative construction ("whom we fed as an obvious plague").
  5. §277ᾤχετο θὤπλα παραδούς — The verb οἴχομαι (to depart / go off) combined with the aorist participle παραδούς expresses a rapid departure or completed action, meaning "he went off, having surrendered." The dative ἐμοί ("to me") represents the collective Athenian voice.
  6. §289χὤπως ποτʼ ἐξαμπρεύσομεν — The conjunction ὅπως with the future indicative (ἐξαμπρεύσομεν) functions as an independent clause of self-exhortation or anxiety ("how on earth we shall drag this up"). The verb ἐξαμπρεύω is a metaphorical term originally meaning to tow a boat with a rope.
  7. §307οὔκουν ἄν ... ἐμπέσοιμεν — The combination of the negative question particle οὔκουν and the optative with ἄν (ἐμπέσοιμεν) expresses a strong suggestion or exhortation ("should we not then assault...?"). It details a complex sequence of proposed actions accompanied by the condition εἰ ... θείμεσθα and participles.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Lysistrata §237-321. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg007.humanitext-grc2:237-321

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