Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Women at the Thesmophoria §641-725

Exposure of Mnesilochus and Seizure of the Child

Passage 9 of 15 · Greek

Summary

Mnesilochus is stripped of his disguise and fully exposed as a man. Cornered, he desperately snatches a baby from one of the women and flees to the altar, threatening to slaughter the child unless they let him go.

§641στερίφη γάρ εἰμι κοὐκ ἐκύησα πώποτε.
Third Woman: For I am sterile and have never been pregnant.
§642νῦν·
First Woman: Now, you say!
τότε δὲ μήτηρ ἦσθα παίδων ἐννέα.
But just now you were the mother of nine children.
§643ἀνίστασʼ ὀρθός.
Cleisthenes: Stand up straight!
ποῖ τὸ πέος ὠθεῖς κάτω;
Where are you pushing your penis down?
§644τοδὶ διέκυψε καὶ μάλʼ εὔχρων ὦ τάλαν.
First Woman: Look, here it peeked out, and indeed very healthy-colored, you wretch!
§645καὶ ποῦ ʼστιν;
Cleisthenes: And where is it?
§645bαὖθις ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν οἴχεται.
First Woman: It has gone to the front again.
§646οὐκ ἐνγεταυθί.
Cleisthenes: It is not here.
§646bμἀλλὰ δεῦρʼ ἥκει πάλιν.
First Woman: No, rather it has come back here again.
§647ἰσθμόν τινʼ ἔχεις ὦνθρωπʼ·
Cleisthenes: You have some sort of isthmus, fellow!
ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω §648τὸ πέος διέλκεις πυκνότερον Κορινθίων.
You drag your penis up and down more frequently than the Corinthians.
§649ὦ μιαρὸς οὗτος·
First Woman: Oh, the filthy wretch!
ταῦτʼ ἄρʼ ὑπὲρ Εὐριπίδου §650ἡμῖν ἐλοιδορεῖτο.
So that's why he was abusing us on behalf of Euripides.
§650bκακοδαίμων ἐγώ, §651εἰς οἷʼ ἐμαυτὸν εἰσεκύλισα πράγματα.
Third Woman: Miserable me, into what kind of trouble have I rolled myself!
§652ἄγε δὴ τί δρῶμεν;
First Woman: Come now, what shall we do?
§652bτουτονὶ φυλάττετε §653καλῶς, ὅπως μὴ διαφυγὼν οἰχήσεται· §654ἐγὼ δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς πρυτάνεσιν ἀγγελῶ.
Cleisthenes: Guard this fellow well, so that he does not escape and run away; and I will report these things to the prytaneis.
§655ἡμᾶς τοίνυν μετὰ τοῦτʼ ἤδη τὰς λαμπάδας ἁψαμένας χρὴ §656ξυζωσαμένας εὖ κἀνδρείως τῶν θʼ ἱματίων ἀποδύσας §657ζητεῖν, εἴ που κἄλλος τις ἀνὴρ ἀνελήλυθε, καὶ περιθρέξαι §658τὴν πύκνα πᾶσαν καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς καὶ τὰς διόδους διαθρῆσαι.
Chorus: Therefore, after this, we must now light our torches, gird ourselves well and courageously, and stripping off our cloaks, search to see if any other man has come up, and run around the entire Pnyx, and inspect the tents and the passages.
§659εἶα δὴ πρώτιστα μὲν χρὴ κοῦφον ἐξορμᾶν πόδα §660καὶ διασκοπεῖν σιωπῇ πανταχῇ· μόνον δὲ χρὴ §661μὴ βραδύνειν, ὡς ὁ καιρός ἐστι μὴ μέλλειν ἔτι, §662ἀλλὰ τὴν πρώτην τρέχειν χρῆν ὡς τάχιστʼ ἤδη κύκλῳ.
Come then, first of all we must set a light foot in motion and look around in silence everywhere; we must only not delay, since it is the moment not to hesitate any longer, but we must run the first lap as quickly as possible now in a circle.
§663εἶά νυν ἴχνευε καὶ μάτευε ταχὺ πάντʼ, §664εἴ τις ἐν τόποις ἑδραῖος §664aἄλλος αὖ λέληθεν ὤν.
Come now, trace and search everything quickly, if anyone sitting in these places another one again is hidden here.
§665πανταχῇ δὲ ῥῖψον ὄμμα, §666καὶ τὰ τῇδε καὶ τὰ δεῦρο §667πάντʼ ἀνασκόπει καλῶς.
Cast your eye everywhere, and both things here and things there, inspect everything well.
§668ἢν γάρ με λάθῃ δράσας ἀνόσια, §668aδώσει τε δίκην καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ §669τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνδράσιν ἔσται §670παράδειγμʼ ὕβρεως ἀδίκων τʼ ἔργων §671ἀθέων τε τρόπων·
For if he escapes my notice having done unholy things, he will both pay the penalty and in addition to this he will be to other men an example of insolence and unjust deeds and of godless ways.
§672φήσει δʼ εἶναί τε θεοὺς φανερῶς, §673δείξει τʼ ἤδη §674πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις σεβίζειν δαίμονας §675†δικαίως τʼ ἐφέποντας † ὅσια καὶ νόμιμα §676μηδομένους ποιεῖν ὅ τι καλῶς ἔχει.
And he will openly declare that gods exist, and he will show now to all men to revere the divinities, and pursuing in justice what is holy and lawful, intending to do whatever is good.
§677κἂν μὴ ποιῶσι ταῦτα τοιάδʼ ἔσται· §678αὐτῶν ὅταν ληφθῇ τις ἀνόσιόν τι δρῶν, §680†μανίαισ† φλέγων λύσσῃ παράκοπος, §681†εἴ τι δρῴη† §682πᾶσιν ἐμφανὴς ὁρᾶν ἔσται γυναιξὶ καὶ βροτοῖσιν, §683ὅτι τά τε παράνομα τά τʼ ἀνόσια παρὼν §685θεὸς ἀποτίνεται.
And if they do not do these things, such things will happen: Whenever any of them is caught doing an unholy thing, burning with madness, frantic with fury, [if he should do anything] he will be manifest to be seen by all women and mortals, that the lawless and unholy deeds, the god being present, punishes.
§686ἀλλʼ ἔοιχʼ ἡμῖν ἅπαντά τως διεσκέφθαι καλῶς.
But indeed it seems that everything has been well searched by us.
§687οὐχ ὁρῶμεν γοῦν ἔτʼ ἄλλον οὐδένʼ ἐγκαθήμενον.
At least we do not see anyone else sitting in ambush.
§689ἆ ποῖ σὺ φεύγεις;
First Woman: Ah! Where are you fleeing?
οὗτος οὗτος οὐ μενεῖς;
You there, you there, won't you stay?
§690τάλαινʼ ἐγὼ τάλαινα, καὶ τὸ παιδίον
Wretched me, wretched!
§691ἐξαρπάσας μοι φροῦδος ἀπὸ τοῦ τιτθίου.
And my baby, he has snatched away from my breast and is gone!
§692κέκραχθι·
Third Woman: Scream indeed!
τοῦτο δʼ οὐδέποτε σὺ ψωμιεῖς, §693ἢν μή μʼ ἀφῆτʼ·
But you will never feed this child again, unless you let me go.
ἀλλʼ ἐνθάδʼ ἐπὶ τῶν μηρίων §694πληγὲν μαχαίρᾳ τῇδε φοινίας φλέβας §695καθαιματώσει βωμόν.
On the contrary, right here upon the thigh-bones, struck by this knife, its bloody veins will stain the altar with blood.
§695bὦ τάλαινʼ ἐγώ.
First Woman: Oh, wretched me!
§696γυναῖκες, οὐκ ἀρήξετʼ;
Women, won't you help?
οὐ πολλὴν βοὴν §697στήσεσθε καὶ τροπαῖον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μόνου §698τέκνου με περιόψεσθʼ ἀποστερουμένην;
Won't you raise a great cry and set up a trophy, or will you overlook me being deprived of my only child?
§699ἔα ἔα.
Chorus: Ah! Ah!
§700ὦ πότνιαι Μοῖραι τί τόδε δέρκομαι §701νεοχμὸν αὖ τέρας;
O revered Fates, what new marvel do I behold here again, what new wonder?
§702ὡς ἅπαντʼ ἄρʼ ἐστὶ τόλμης μεστὰ κἀναισχυντίας.
How full indeed is everything of audacity and impudence!
§703οἷον αὖ δέδρακεν ἔργον, οἷον αὖ φίλαι τόδε.
What a deed he has done again, what a deed, O friends, is this!
§704οἷον ὑμῶν ἐξαράξω τὴν ἄγαν αὐθαδίαν.
Third Woman: How I shall shatter your excessive stubbornness!
§705ταῦτα δῆτʼ οὐ δεινὰ πράγματʼ ἐστὶ καὶ περαιτέρω;
Chorus: Are these things not indeed terrible, and even beyond?
§706δεινὰ δῆθʼ, ὅστις γʼ ἔχει μου ʼξαρπάσας τὸ παιδίον.
First Woman: Terrible indeed, since he holds my baby, having snatched it away!
§707τί ἂν οὖν εἴποι πρὸς ταῦτά τις, ὅτε §708τοιαῦτα ποιῶν ὅδʼ ἀναισχυντεῖ;
Chorus: What then could anyone say to this, when this man, doing such things, behaves so impudently?
§709κοὔπω μέντοι γε πέπαυμαι.
Third Woman: And indeed, I have not finished yet!
§710ἀλλʼ οὖν ἥκεις γʼ ὅθεν οὐ φαύλως γʼ §711ἀποδρὰς λέξεις §712οἷον δράσας διέδυς ἔργον, §713λήψει δὲ κακόν.
Chorus: But at any rate, you have come to a place from where you will not easily, escaping, tell what kind of deed you did and got away with, and you will receive punishment.
§714τοῦτο μέντοι μὴ γένοιτο μηδαμῶς, ἀπεύχομαι.
Third Woman: Indeed, may this in no way happen, I pray against it.
§715τίς οὖν σοι, τίς ἂν σύμμαχος ἐκ θεῶν §716ἀθανάτων ἔλθοι ξὺν ἀδίκοις ἔργοις;
Chorus: Who then, what ally among the immortal gods would come to you with your unjust deeds?
§717μάτην λαλεῖτε· τὴν δʼ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀφήσω.
Third Woman: You talk in vain; I will not release her.
§719ἀλλʼ οὐ μὰ τὼ θεὼ τάχʼ οὐ χαίρων ἴσως §720ἐνυβριεῖς λόγους λέξεις τʼ ἀνοσίους §721ἐπʼ ἀθέοις ἔργοις· §722καὶ γὰρ ἀνταμειψόμεσθά σʼ ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἀντὶ τῶνδε.
Chorus: But by the two goddesses, soon you will not, perhaps, with impunity insult us and speak unholy words upon godless deeds; for indeed we will repay you, as is fitting, in return for these things.
§723τάχα δὲ μεταβαλοῦσʼ ἐπὶ κακὸν ἑτερότροπον §725ἐπέχει τύχη.
And soon, changing towards an evil of another kind, fortune holds you in its grip.

Notes

  1. 643ποῖ — The interrogative adverb `ποῖ` ("whither") indicates direction and is used with the verb of motion `ὠθεῖς κάτω` ("push down") to denote the destination of the action of pushing the penis down to hide it.
  2. 648πυκνότερον Κορινθίων — `Κορινθίων` is a genitive of comparison governed by the comparative adverb `πυκνότερον` ("more frequently"). It plays on a double entendre regarding the Corinthians crossing their Isthmus back and forth.
  3. 653ὅπως μὴ ... οἰχήσεται — `ὅπως μὴ ... οἰχήσεται` is a subordinate clause following a verb of precaution (`φυλάττετε`), where `ὅπως μή` with the future indicative (`οἰχήσεται`) expresses a strong negative purpose or effort ("to see to it that he does not...").
  4. 656ἀποδύσας — `ἀποδύσας` is an active aorist participle (feminine accusative plural) of `ἀποδύω`. It is used in a reflexive or intransitive sense ("having stripped off [our own] cloaks") and agrees with the accusative subject `ἡμᾶς` in line 655.
  5. 668ἢν γάρ με λάθῃ δράσας — The verb `λανθάνω` (`λάθῃ`) is construed with the supplementary participle `δράσας` to mean "do something without being noticed." The pronoun `με` functions as the direct object of `λάθῃ`.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Women at the Thesmophoria §641-725. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:641-725

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