Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Lysistrata §612-700

Clash Between the Semi-Choruses of Men and Women

Passage 9 of 16 · Greek

Summary

After the Magistrate is driven away, the semi-choruses of old men and old women engage in a fierce confrontation, with the men accusing the women of conspiring for tyranny and the women asserting their civic and religious contributions to Athens.

§612ἀλλʼ ἐς τρίτην γοῦν ἡμέραν σοὶ πρῲ πάνυ §613ἥξει παρʼ ἡμῶν τὰ τρίτʼ ἐπεσκευασμένα.
But at any rate early on the third day, the third-day offerings, fully prepared, will come to you from us.
§614οὐκέτʼ ἔργον ἐγκαθεύδειν ὅστις ἔστʼ ἐλεύθερος, §615ἀλλʼ ἐπαποδυώμεθʼ ἄνδρες τουτῳὶ τῷ πράγματι.
It is no longer time to sleep for whoever is free, but let us strip for action, men, for this business.
§616ἤδη γὰρ ὄζειν ταδὶ πλειόνων καὶ μειζόνων §617πραγμάτων μοι δοκεῖ, §618καὶ μάλιστʼ ὀσφραίνομαι τῆς Ἱππίου τυραννίδος· §620καὶ πάνυ δέδοικα μὴ τῶν Λακώνων τινὲς §621δεῦρο συνεληλυθότες ἄνδρες ἐς Κλεισθένους §622τὰς θεοῖς ἐχθρὰς γυναῖκας ἐξεπαίρωσιν δόλῳ §623καταλαβεῖν τὰ χρήμαθʼ ἡμῶν τόν τε μισθόν, §625ἔνθεν ἔζων ἐγώ.
For indeed these things already seem to me to smell of more and greater troubles, and especially I smell the tyranny of Hippias; and I greatly fear lest some of the Laconians, having assembled here at the house of Cleisthenes, might by guile stir up these god-detested women to seize our money and the pay, from which I used to live.
§626δεινὰ γάρ τοι τάσδε γʼ ἤδη τοὺς πολίτας νουθετεῖν, §627καὶ λαλεῖν γυναῖκας οὔσας ἀσπίδος χαλκῆς πέρι, §628καὶ διαλλάττειν πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνδράσιν Λακωνικοῖς, §629οἷσι πιστὸν οὐδὲν εἰ μή περ λύκῳ κεχηνότι.
For indeed it is a terrible thing for them already to admonish the citizens, and, being women, to prate about bronze shields, and to reconcile us with Laconian men, to whom nothing is trustworthy, unless indeed to a gaping wolf.
§630ἀλλὰ ταῦθʼ ὕφηναν ἡμῖν ἄνδρες ἐπὶ τυραννίδι.
But men wove these plots against us for the sake of tyranny.
§631ἀλλʼ ἐμοῦ μὲν οὐ τυραννεύσουσʼ, ἐπεὶ φυλάξομαι §632καὶ φορήσω τὸ ξίφος τὸ λοιπὸν ἐν μύρτου κλαδί, §633ἀγοράσω τʼ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἑξῆς Ἀριστογείτονι, §634ὧδέ θʼ ἑστήξω παρʼ αὐτόν· †αὐτὸσ† γάρ μοι γίγνεται §635τῆς θεοῖς ἐχθρᾶς πατάξαι τῆσδε γραὸς τὴν γνάθον.
But they shall not rule over me, since I will be on my guard and I will carry my sword henceforth in a myrtle branch, and I will go to market in arms right next to Aristogeiton, and I will stand beside him like this; for it falls to me to strike the jaw of this god-detested old woman.
§636οὐκ ἄρʼ εἰσιόντα σʼ οἴκαδʼ ἡ τεκοῦσα γνώσεται.
Woman: Then indeed the mother who bore you will not recognize you when you go home.
§637ἀλλὰ θώμεσθʼ ὦ φίλαι γρᾶες ταδί πρῶτον χαμαί.
But let us lay these things down on the ground first, dear old women.
§638ἡμεῖς γὰρ ὦ πάντες ἀστοὶ λόγων κατάρχομεν §639τῇ πόλει χρησίμων· §640εἰκότως, ἐπεὶ χλιδῶσαν ἀγλαῶς ἔθρεψέ με.
For we, O all you citizens, begin words useful to the city; and with good reason, since she reared me in splendid luxury.
§641ἑπτὰ μὲν ἔτη γεγῶσʼ εὐθὺς ἠρρηφόρουν· §642εἶτʼ ἀλετρὶς ἦ δεκέτις οὖσα τἀρχηγέτι· §645κᾆτʼ ἔχουσα τὸν κροκωτὸν ἄρκτος ἦ Βραυρωνίοις· §646κἀκανηφόρουν ποτʼ οὖσα παῖς καλὴ ʼχουσʼ §647ἰσχάδων ὁρμαθόν· §648ἆρα προὐφείλω τι χρηστὸν τῇ πόλει παραινέσαι;
As soon as I was seven years old, I carried the sacred vessels; then when I was ten, I was a barley-grinder for the Foundress; and then wearing the saffron robe I was a bear at the Brauronian festival; and once, being a beautiful girl, I carried the basket, wearing a string of dried figs; am I not then bound to advise some good thing for the city?
§649εἰ δʼ ἐγὼ γυνὴ πέφυκα, τοῦτο μὴ φθονεῖτέ μοι, §650ἢν ἀμείνω γʼ εἰσενέγκω τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων.
And if I was born a woman, do not grudge me this, if I bring in something better than the present affairs.
§651τοὐράνου γάρ μοι μέτεστι· καὶ γὰρ ἄνδρας ἐσφέρω, §652τοῖς δὲ δυστήνοις γέρουσιν οὐ μέτεσθʼ ὑμῖν, ἐπεὶ §653τὸν ἔρανον τὸν λεγόμενον παππῷον ἐκ τῶν Μηδικῶν §654εἶτʼ ἀναλώσαντες οὐκ ἀντεσφέρετε τὰς ἐσφοράς, §655ἀλλʼ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν διαλυθῆναι προσέτι κινδυνεύομεν.
For I have a share in the common fund; for indeed I contribute men, but you miserable old men have no share, since after wasting that ancestral contribution from the Persian Wars, you do not pay back any taxes, but on top of that we are in danger of being ruined by you.
§656ἆρα γρυκτόν ἐστιν ὑμῖν;
Is there any grumbling among you?
εἰ δὲ λυπήσεις τί με, §657τῷδέ γʼ ἀψήκτῳ πατάξω τῷ κοθόρνῳ τὴν γνάθον.
If you vex me at all, I will strike your jaw with this unwashed buskin.
§658ταῦτʼ οὖν οὐχ ὕβρις τὰ πράγματʼ ἐστὶ §660πολλή;
Man: Is this not indeed great insolence?
κἀπιδώσειν μοι δοκεῖ τὸ χρῆμα μᾶλλον.
And the matter seems to me likely to increase even more.
§661ἀλλʼ ἀμυντέον τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ὅστις γʼ ἐνόρχης ἔστʼ ἀνήρ.
But whoever is a real man with testicles must defend against this.
§662ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξωμίδʼ ἐκδυώμεθʼ, ὡς τὸν ἄνδρα δεῖ §663ἀνδρὸς ὄζειν εὐθύς, ἀλλʼ οὐν ἐντεθριῶσθαι πρέπει.
So let us strip off our tunics, since a man must smell of manliness straight away, and it is not fitting to be wrapped in fig leaves.
§665ἀλλʼ ἄγετε λευκόποδες, οἵπερ επὶ Λείψύδριον ἤλθομεν ὅτʼ ἦμεν ἔτι, §666νῦν δεῖ νῦν ἀνηβῆσαι πάλιν κἀναπτερῶσαι §670πᾶν τὸ σῶμα κἀποσείσασθαι τὸ γῆρας τόδε.
But come, white-feet, we who went to Leipsydrion when we still were men, now indeed, now we must grow young again and wing our whole body, and shake off this old age.
§672εἰ γὰρ ἐνδώσει τις ἡμῶν ταῖσδε κἂν σμικρὰν λαβήν, §673οὐδὲν ἐλλείψουσιν αὗται λιπαροῦς χειρουργίας, §674ἀλλὰ καὶ ναῦς τεκτανοῦνται, κἀπιχειρήσουσʼ ἔτι §675ναυμαχεῖν καὶ πλεῖν ἐφʼ ἡμἁς ὥσπε, Ἀρτεμισία.
For if any of us gives them even a small hold, they will leave nothing undone in their persistent handiwork; but they will even build ships, and will attempt to fight at sea and sail against us like Artemisia.
§676ἢν δʼ ἐφʼ ἱππικὴν τράπωνται, διαγράφω τοὺς ἱππέας.
And if they turn to horsemanship, I write off the cavalry.
§677ἱππικώτατον γάρ ἐστι χρῆμα κἄποχον γυνή, §678κοὐκ ἂν ἀπολίσθοι τρέχοντος· τὰς δʼ Ἀμαζόνας σκόπει, §679ἃς Μίκων ἔγραψʼ ἐφʼ ἵππων μαχομένας τοῖς ἀνδράσιν.
For a woman is a most equestrian thing and well-seated, and she would not slip off while it runs; look at the Amazons, whom Micon painted fighting against men on horseback.
§680ἀλλὰ τούτων χρῆν ἁπασῶν ἐς τετρημένον ξύλον §681ἐγκαθαρμόσαι λαβόντας τουτονὶ τὸν αὐχένα.
But we ought to have seized all of them and fitted this neck of theirs into the bored wooden collar.
§683εἰ νὴ τὼ θεώ με ζωπυρήσεις, §684λύσω τὴν ἐμαυτῆς ὗν ἐγὼ δή, καὶ ποιήσω §685τήμερον τοὺς δημότας βωστρεῖν σʼ ἐγὼ πεκτούμενον.
Woman: By the two goddesses, if you provoke me, I will indeed let loose my own sow, and make you today cry out to your fellow demesmen while you are being plucked.
§686ἀλλὰ χἠμεῖς ὦ γυναῖκες θᾶττον ἐκδυώμεθα, §687ὡς ἂν ὄζωμεν γυναικῶν αὐτοδὰξ ὠργισμένων.
But let us too, women, strip off quickly, so that we may smell of women angry to the point of biting.
§688νῦν πρὸς ἔμʼ ἴτω τις, ἵνα μή ποτε φάγῃ σκόροδα, μηδὲ §690κυάμους μέλανας.
Now let anyone come against me, so that he may never eat garlic, nor black beans.
§691ὡς εἰ καὶ μόνον κακῶς ἐρεῖς, ὑπερχολῶ γάρ, §695αἰετὸν τίκτοντα κάνθαρός σε μαιεύσομαι.
For if you speak even a single bad word, as I am exceedingly angry, I, like the beetle to the nesting eagle, will act as midwife to you.
§696οὐ γὰρ ὑμῶν φροντίσαιμʼ ἄν, ἢν ἐμοὶ ζῇ Λαμπιτὼ §697ἥ τε Θηβαία φίλη παῖς εὐγενὴς Ἰσμηνία.
For I would not care about you, as long as Lampito lives for me, and the dear Theban girl, noble Ismenia.
§698οὐ γὰρ ἔσται δύναμις, οὐδʼ ἢν ἑπτάκις σὺ ψηφίσῃ, §699ὅστις ὦ δύστηνʼ ἀπήχθου πᾶσι καὶ τοῖς γείτοσιν.
For there will be no power for you, not even if you vote seven times, you who, O miserable wretch, are hated by everyone and even by your neighbors.
§700ὥστε κἀχθὲς θἠκάτῃ ποιοῦσα παιγνίαν ἐγὼ
So that even yesterday, when I was making a game for Hecate,

Notes

  1. 613τὰ τρίτʼ — Meaning 'the third-day offerings'. It refers to the ritual (trita) performed on the third day after burial in ancient Greek funeral customs, continuing Lysistrata's mockery of the Magistrate as a dead man.
  2. 615ἐπαποδυώμεθʼ — Subjunctive meaning 'let us strip further (for fight or action)'. In the play, it prompts the comic stage action where the old men's semi-chorus strip off their outer garments to prepare for physical movement.
  3. 629λύκῳ κεχηνότι — Dative case. Used in the comparison 'unless indeed [trustworthy] to a gaping wolf', serving as the object of comparison (or dative of reference) connected to the previous statement that nothing is trustworthy in them.
  4. 641ἠρρηφόρουν — Imperfect verb indicating the service of 'arrephoria' (carrying the sacred vessels), a holy office performed by young girls on the Acropolis for Athena. This is the first in the list of religious offices the women cite to prove their civic worth.
  5. 653τὸν ἔρανον — Meaning 'a joint contribution or fund'. Here, the public reserve fund collected from the allies since the Persian Wars (Medika) is metaphorically compared to a private friendly society fund (eranos) which the old men have wasted without contributing back.
  6. 695αἰετὸν τίκτοντα κάνθαρος — An allusion based on Aesop's fable of 'The Eagle and the Beetle'. Referring to how the beetle took revenge by rolling the eagle's eggs out of its nest, it expresses how the women (the weaker party) will relentlessly fight back against the men (the stronger party).

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Lysistrata §612-700. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg007.humanitext-grc2:612-700

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