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Aristophanes · Women at the Thesmophoria §1-80

Arrival at Agathon's House and the Servant's Call for Silence

Passage 1 of 15 · Greek

Summary

Euripides and his kinsman Mnesilochus arrive at the house of the tragic poet Agathon, where they hear Agathon's eccentric theories of art and his servant's high-flown call for silence.

§1ὦ Ζεῦ χελιδὼν ἆρά ποτε φανήσεται;
Mnesilochus: O Zeus, will the swallow ever appear?
§2ἀπολεῖ μʼ ἀλοῶν ἅνθρωπος ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ.
This man will destroy me by dragging me around since dawn.
§3οἷόν τε, πρὶν τὸν σπλῆνα κομιδῇ μʼ ἐκβαλεῖν, §4παρὰ σοῦ πυφέσθαι ποῖ μʼ ἄγεις ωὖριπίδη;
Is it possible, before I completely spit out my spleen, to learn from you, Euripides, where you are leading me?
§5ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀκούειν δεῖ σε πάνθʼ ὅσʼ αὐτίκα §6ὄψει παρεστώς.
Euripides: But you must not hear everything that you will soon see, standing by.
§6bπῶς λέγεις;
Mnesilochus: What do you mean?
αὖθις φράσον.
Say it again.
§7οὐ δεῖ μʼ ἀκούειν;
I must not hear?
§7bοὐχ ἅ γʼ ἂν μέλλῃς ὁρᾶν.
Euripides: Not what you are going to see.
§8οὐδʼ ἆρʼ ὁρᾶν δεῖ μʼ;
Mnesilochus: Nor then must I see?
§8bοὐχ ἅ γʼ ἂν ἀκούειν δέῃ.
Euripides: Not what you must hear.
§9πῶς μοι παραινεῖς;
Mnesilochus: What advice is this you give me?
δεξιῶς μέντοι λέγεις.
You speak cleverly, indeed.
§10οὐ φῂς σὺ χρῆναί μʼ οὔτʼ ἀκούειν οὔθʼ ὁρᾶν;
Do you say that I ought neither to hear nor to see?
§11χωρὶς γὰρ αὐτοῖν ἑκατέρου ʼστὶν ἡ φύσις.
Euripides: For the nature of each of these two is separate.
§12τοῦ μήτʼ ἀκούειν μήθʼ ὁρᾶν;
Mnesilochus: Of not hearing and not seeing?
§12bεὖ ἴσθʼ ὅτι.
Euripides: Know well that it is so.
§13πῶς χωρίς;
Mnesilochus: How separate?
§13bοὕτω ταῦτα διεκρίθη τότε.
Euripides: Thus they were distinguished back then.
§14αἰθὴρ γὰρ ὅτε τὰ πρῶτα διεχωρίζετο §15καὶ ζᾦʼ ἐν αὑτῷ ξυνετέκνου κινούμενα, §16ᾧ μὲν βλέπειν χρὴ πρῶτʼ ἐμηχανήσατο §17ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντίμιμον ἡλίου τροχῷ, §18ἀκοῇ δὲ χοάνην ὦτα διετετρήνατο.
For when the Ether first was being separated and was generating within itself moving creatures, first, for that which must see, it fashioned an eye to mimic the sun's disk, and for hearing, it bored open the ears as a funnel.
§19διὰ τὴν χοάνην οὖν μήτʼ ἀκούω μήθʼ ὁρῶ;
Mnesilochus: So, because of this funnel, am I neither to hear nor to see?
§20νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἥδομαί γε τουτὶ προσμαθών.
By Zeus, I am certainly glad to have learned this!
§21οἷόν γέ που ʼστιν αἱ σοφαὶ ξυνουσίαι.
What a wonderful thing wise conversation is!
§22πόλλʼ ἂν μάθοις τοιαῦτα παρʼ ἐμοῦ.
Euripides: You could learn many such things from me.
§22bπῶς ἂν οὖν §23πρὸς τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τούτοισιν ἐξεύροιμʼ ὅπως §24ἔτι προσμάθοιμι χωλὸς εἶναι τὼ σκέλει;
Mnesilochus: How then, in addition to these benefits, might I find a way to learn also how to be lame in my two legs?
§25βάδιζε δευρὶ καὶ πρόσεχε τὸν νοῦν.
Euripides: Come over here and pay attention.
§25bἰδού.
Mnesilochus: There.
§26ὁρᾷς τὸ θύριον τοῦτο;
Euripides: Do you see this little door?
§26bνὴ τὸν Ἡρακλέα §27οἶμαί γε.
Mnesilochus: By Heracles, I think so.
§27bσίγα νυν.
Euripides: Be silent then.
§27cσιωπῶ τὸ θύριον;
Mnesilochus: Shall I be silent about the door?
§28ἄκουʼ.
Euripides: Listen.
§28bἀκούω καὶ σιωπῶ τὸ θύριον;
Mnesilochus: I am listening, and shall I be silent about the door?
§29ἐνταῦθʼ Ἀγάθων ὁ κλεινὸς οἰκῶν τυγχάνει §30ὁ τραγῳδοποιός.
Euripides: Here the famous Agathon happens to live, the tragic poet.
§30bποῖος οὗτος Ἁγάθων;
Mnesilochus: What sort of Agathon is this?
§31ἔστιν τις Ἀγάθων— §31bμῶν ὁ μέλας ὁ καρτερός;
Euripides: There is a certain Agathon— Mnesilochus: Not the dark, strong one?
§32οὔκ, ἀλλʼ ἕτερός τις·
Euripides: No, but another one.
οὐχ ἑόρακας πώποτε;
Have you never seen him?
§33μῶν ὁ δασυπώγων;
Mnesilochus: Not the one with the thick beard?
§33bοὐχ ἑόρακας πώποτε;
Euripides: Have you never seen him?
§34μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὔτοι γʼ ὥστε καί μέ γʼ εἰδέναι.
Mnesilochus: By Zeus, not so far as I know.
§35καὶ μὴν βεβίνηκας σύ γʼ, ἀλλʼ οὐκ οἶσθʼ ἴσως.
Euripides: And yet you have fucked him, though perhaps you don't know it.
§36ἀλλʼ ἐκποδὼν πτήξωμεν, ὡς ἐξέρχεται §37θεράπων τις αὐτοῦ πῦρ ἔχων καὶ μυρρίνας·
But let us cower out of the way, as a servant of his is coming out with fire and myrtle.
§38προθυσόμενος ἔοικε τῆς ποιήσεως.
Mnesilochus: He seems about to make a preliminary sacrifice for the poetic composition.
§39εὔφημος πᾶς ἔστω λαός, §40στόμα συγκλῄσας·
Servant: Let all the people keep holy silence, closing their mouths.
ἐπιδημεῖ γὰρ §41θίασος Μουσῶν ἔνδον μελάθρων §42τῶν δεσποσύνων μελοποιῶν.
For a band of Muses is present within the halls of our master songwriters.
§43ἐχέτω δὲ πνοὰς νήνεμος αἰθήρ, §44κῦμα δὲ πόντου μὴ κελαδείτω §45γλαυκόν·
Let the windless ether hold its breath, and let the grey wave of the sea not resound.
§45bβομβάξ.
Mnesilochus: Bombax!
§45cσίγα.
Euripides: Silence.
§45dτι λέγει;
Mnesilochus: What is he saying?
§46πτηνῶν τε γένη κατακοιμάσθω, §47θηρῶν τʼ ἀγρίων πόδες ὑλοδρόμων §48μὴ λυέσθων.
Servant: And let the tribes of winged birds fall asleep, and let the feet of wild beasts that run through the woods not be set in motion.
§48bβομβαλοβομβάξ.
Mnesilochus: Bombalobombax!
§49μέλλει γὰρ ὁ καλλιεπὴς Ἀγάθων §50πρόμος ἡμέτερος— §50bμῶν βινεῖσθαι;
Servant: For the sweet-spoken Agathon, our leader, is about to— Mnesilochus: Not to be fucked?
§51τίς ὁ φωνήσας;
Servant: Who was it that spoke?
§51bνήνεμος αἰθήρ.
Mnesilochus: The windless ether.
§52δρυόχους τιθέναι δράματος ἀρχάς.
Servant: To lay down the ship-timbers of the drama's beginning.
§53κάμπτει δὲ νέας ἁψῖδας ἐπῶν, §54τὰ δὲ τορνεύει, τὰ δὲ κολλομελεῖ, §55καὶ γνωμοτυπεῖ κἀντονομάζει §56καὶ κηροχυτεῖ καὶ γογγύλλει §57καὶ χοανεύει.
He is bending new curves of verses; some he turns on the lathe, some he glues together as melodies, and he stamps maxims, and changes names, and pours wax, and rounds them out, and casts them in the crucible.
§57bκαὶ λαικάζει.
Mnesilochus: And sucking cocks.
§58τίς ἀγροιώτας πελάθει θριγκοῖς;
Servant: What rustic approaches our copings?
§59ὃς ἕτοιμος σοῦ τοῦ τε ποιητοῦ §60τοῦ καλλιεποῦς κατὰ τοῦ θριγκοῦ §61συγγογγύλας καὶ συστρέψας §62τουτὶ τὸ πέος χοανεῦσαι.
Mnesilochus: One who is ready, for you and for your sweet-spoken poet, at this very coping, to round up and roll together this penis of mine and cast it in your crucible!
§63ἦ που νέος γʼ ὢν ἦσθʼ ὑβριστὴς ὦ γέρον.
Servant: Surely, old man, when you were young you were an insolent rogue.
§64ὦ δαιμόνιε τοῦτον μὲν ἔα χαίρειν, σὺ δὲ §65Ἀγάθωνά μοι δεῦρʼ ἐκκάλεσον πάσῃ τέχνῃ.
Euripides: My good man, let this fellow go, and you, please call Agathon out here to me by any means.
§66μηδὲν ἱκέτευʼ· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἔξεισιν τάχα.
Servant: Do not entreat; for he will come out shortly himself.
§67καὶ γὰρ μελοποιεῖν ἄρχεται· χειμῶνος οὖν §68ὄντος κατακάμπτειν τὰς στροφὰς οὐ ῥᾴδιον, §69ἢν μὴ προίῃ θύρασι πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον.
For he is beginning to compose lyric songs; and since it is winter, it is not easy to bend the strophes, unless he goes out of doors toward the sun.
§70τί οὖν ἐγὼ δρῶ;
Mnesilochus: So what do I do?
§70bπερίμενʼ, ὡς ἐξερχεται.
Euripides: Wait, as he is coming out.
§71ὦ Ζεῦ τί δρᾶσαι διανοεῖ με τήμερον;
Mnesilochus: O Zeus, what do you intend to do to me today?
§72νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐγὼ πυθέσθαι βούλομαι §73τί τὸ πρᾶγμα τουτί.
By the gods, I want to find out what this business is.
τί στένεις;
Why do you groan?
τί δυσφορεῖς;
Why are you vexed?
§74οὐ χρῆν σε κρύπτειν ὄντα κηδεστὴν ἐμόν.
You ought not to hide it, since you are my kinsman.
§75ἔστιν κακόν μοι μέγα τι προπεφυραμένον.
Euripides: A great trouble has been brewed for me beforehand.
§76ποῖόν τι; §76bτῇδε θἠμέρᾳ κριθήσεται
Mnesilochus: What sort of thing?
§77εἴτʼ ἔστʼ ἔτι ζῶν εἴτʼ ἀπόλωλʼ Εὐριπίδης.
Euripides: On this very day it will be decided whether Euripides is still alive or destroyed.
§78καὶ πῶς;
Mnesilochus: And how?
ἐπεὶ νῦν γʼ οὔτε τὰ δικαστήρια §79μέλλει δικάζειν οὔτε βουλῆς ἐσθʼ ἕδρα, §80ἐπεὶ τρίτη ʼστὶ Θεσμοφορίων ἡ μέση.
Since at present neither the lawcourts are going to judge, nor is there a meeting of the Council, since it is the third day, the middle day of the Thesmophoria.

Notes

  1. §2ἀλοῶν — Present participle of the verb ἀλοάω (literally 'to thresh' or 'to tread'). Here it is used in a figurative, colloquial sense meaning 'to drag around' or 'to wear out by walking.'
  2. §3οἷόν τε — Ellipsis of the verb ἐστί in the impersonal construction οἷόν τέ ἐστι ('it is possible'). The subject of the following infinitive (πυθέσθαι...) is represented by the accusative μ' (= με).
  3. §17ἀντίμιμον ἡλίου τροχῷ — The adjective ἀντίμιμος ('imitating', 'mimicking') here takes the dative ἡλίου τροχῷ ('to the sun's wheel/disk'), meaning 'mimicking the sun's disk.'
  4. §23ἐξεύροιμʼ ὅπως — Led by the optative with ἄν in the main clause (ἐξεύροιμʼ, with ἄν carried over from 22b) expressing potentiality, the ὅπως clause expressing a wish or indirect question also takes the optative (προσμάθοιμι) due to the sequence of moods.
  5. §27cσιωπῶ τὸ θύριον — The verb σιωπάω ('to keep silent'), usually intransitive, here takes the accusative τὸ θύριον as a direct object, functioning transitively to mean 'to keep silent about the door.' The same construction appears in §28b.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Women at the Thesmophoria §1-80. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:1-80

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