§81τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ γὰρ τοι κἀπολεῖν με προσδοκῶ. §82αἱ γὰρ γυναῖκες ἐπιβεβουλεύκασί μοι §83κἀν Θεσμοφόροιν μέλλουσι περί μου τήμερον §84ἐκκλησιάζειν ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ. §84bτιὴ τί δή; §85ὁτιὴ τραγῳδῶ καὶ κακῶς αὐτὰς λέγω. §86νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ δίκαιά γʼ ἂν πάθοις. §87ἀτὰρ τίνʼ ἐκ τούτων σὺ μηχανὴν ἔχεις; §88Ἀγάθωνα πεῖσαι τὸν τραγῳδοδιδάσκαλον §89ἐς Θεσμοφόροιν ἐλθεῖν. §89bτί δράσοντʼ;
Euripides: "Indeed, it is this very thing that I expect will destroy me." "For the women have plotted against me," "and today in the Thesmophorium they are going to" "hold an assembly for my destruction." Mnesilochus: "Why on earth?" Euripides: "Because I write tragedies and speak ill of them." Mnesilochus: "By Poseidon, you would only get what you deserve!" "But what plan do you have to get out of this?" Euripides: "To persuade Agathon, the tragic poet," "to go to the Thesmophorium." Mnesilochus: "To do what?
εἰπέ μοι. §90ἐκκλησιάσοντʼ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶ κἂν δέῃ §91λέξονθʼ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. §91bπότερα φανερῶς ἢ λάθρᾳ; §92λάθρᾳ, στολὴν γυναικὸς ἠμφιεσμένον. §93τὸ πρᾶγμα κομψὸν καὶ σφόδρʼ ἐκ τοῦ σοῦ τρόπου· §94τοῦ γὰρ τεχνάζειν ἡμέτερος ὁ πυραμοῦς. §95σίγα. §95bτί δʼ ἔστιν; §95cἉγάθων ἐξέρχεται. §96καὶ ποῖός ἐστιν; §96bοὗτος οὑκκυκλούμενος. §97ἀλλʼ ἢ τυφλὸς μέν εἰμʼ· ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐχ ὁρῶ §98ἄνδρʼ οὐδένʼ ἐνθάδʼ ὄντα, Κυρήνην δʼ ὁρῶ. §99σίγα· μελῳδεῖν γὰρ παρασκευάζεται. §100μύρμηκος ἀτραπούς, ἢ τί διαμινύρεται; §101ἱερὰν χθονίαις δεξάμεναι §102λαμπάδα κοῦραι ξὺν ἐλευθέρᾳ §103πατρίδι χορεύσασθε βοάν. §104τίνι δαιμόνων ὁ κῶμος;
Tell me." Euripides: "To sit in the assembly among the women and, if necessary," "to speak on my behalf." Mnesilochus: "Openly or in secret?" Euripides: "In secret, dressed in a woman's robe." Mnesilochus: "A clever scheme, and very much in your style!" "For when it comes to plotting, the prize is ours." Euripides: "Be silent." Mnesilochus: "What is it?" Euripides: "Agathon is coming out." Mnesilochus: "And which one is he?" Euripides: "This one being wheeled out on the platform." Mnesilochus: "Well, either I am blind, for I do not see" "any man here, but I see Cyrene." Euripides: "Be silent; for he is preparing to sing." Mnesilochus: "Ant-paths, or what is he warbling?" Agathon: "Maidens, having received the sacred torch for the goddesses of the underworld," "maidens, with a free" "homeland, dance with a shout of praise." "To which of the gods is the revel?" "Tell me now.
§105λέγε νυν. εὐπίστως δὲ τοὐμὸν §106δαίμονας ἔχει σεβίσαι. §107ἄγε νυν ὄλβιζε Μοῦσα §108χρυσέων ῥύτορα τόξων §109Φοῖβον, ὃς ἱδρύσατο χώρας §110γύαλα Σιμουντίδι γᾷ. §111χαῖρε καλλίστας ἀοιδᾶς §112Φοῖβʼ ἐν εὐμούσοισι τιμαῖς §113γέρας ἱερὸν προφέρων. §114τάν τʼ ἐν ὄρεσι δρυογόνοισι §115κόραν ἀείσατʼ §116Ἄρτεμιν ἀγροτέραν. §117ἕπομαι κλῄζουσα σεμνὸν §118γόνον ὀλβίζουσα Λατοῦς §119Ἄρτεμιν ἀπειρολεχῆ. §120Λατώ τε κρούματά τʼ Ἀσιάδος §121ποδὶ †παράρυθμʼ εὔρυθμα Φρυγίων §122διανεύματα Χαρίτων†. §123σέβομαι Λατώ τʼ ἄνασσαν §124κίθαρίν τε ματέρʼ ὕμνων §125ἄρσενι βοᾷ δόκιμον, §126τᾷ φάος ἔσσυτο δαιμονίοις θεοῦ ὄμμασιν §127ἁμετέρας τε διʼ αἰφνιδίου ὀπός.
For my heart is ready to believe" "and worship the gods." "Come now, Muse, glorify" "the drawer of the golden bow," "Phoebus, who established the valley's" "plain in the land of Simois." "Hail, Phoebus, who in beautiful song" "and muse-inspired honors" "leadest the sacred gift." "And the maiden in the oak-growing mountains," "sing of the maiden," "Artemis of the wilds." "I follow, celebrating the revered" "offspring, glorifying" "Artemis, untouched by marriage." "And Leto, and the struck notes of the Asiatic lyre," "rhythmically, to the steps of the Phrygian" "Graces' elegant gestures." "I worship Queen Leto," "and the lyre, mother of songs," "famous for its manly voice," "Through which light flashed in the divine eyes of the god," "and through our sudden voice.
ὧν χάριν §128ἄνακτʼ ἄγαλλε Φοῖβον τιμᾷ. §129χαῖρʼ ὄλβιε παῖ Λατοῦς. §130ὡς ἡδὺ τὸ μέλος ὦ πότνιαι Γενετυλλίδες §131καὶ θηλυδριῶδες καὶ κατεγλωττισμένον §132καὶ μανδαλωτόν, ὥστʼ ἐμοῦ γʼ ἀκροωμένου §133ὑπὸ τὴν ἕδραν αὐτὴν ὑπῆλθε γάργαλος. §134καί σʼ ὦ νεανίσχʼ ὅστις εἶ, κατʼ Αἰσχύλον §135ἐκ τῆς Λυκουργείας ἐρέσθαι βούλομαι.
For which things' sake" "glorify Lord Phoebus with honor." "Hail, blessed son of Leto." Mnesilochus: "How sweet the song, O mistress Genetyllides," "and effeminate, and full of tongue-play," "and lascivious, so that as I was listening to it," "a tickling crept right under my very backside." "And you, young man, whoever you are, in the words of Aeschylus" "from the Lycurgeia, I want to ask:" "'Where does this woman-man come from?
§136ποδαπὸς ὁ γύννις; τίς πάτρα;
What is his country?
τίς ἡ στολή; §137τίς ἡ τάραξις τοῦ βίου;
What is this garb?'" "'What is this confusion of life?
τί βάρβιτος §138λαλεῖ κροκωτῷ;
Why does a barbiton'" "'speak to a saffron robe?
τί δὲ λύρα κεκρυφάλῳ; §139τί λήκυθος καὶ στρόφιον;
Why a lyre to a hair-net?'" "'Why an oil-flask and a breast-band?
How inappropriate!'" "'And what is the association of a mirror and a sword?'" "'And who are you yourself, boy?
πότερον ὡς ἀνὴρ τρέφει;
Are you reared as a man?'" "'Then where is the penis?
§142καὶ ποῦ πέος; ποῦ χλαῖνα;
Where is the cloak?
ποῦ Λακωνικαί; §143ἀλλʼ ὡς γυνὴ δῆτʼ·
Where are the Laconian shoes?'" "'Or is it indeed as a woman?
εἶτα ποῦ τὰ τιτθία;
Then where are the breasts?'" "'What do you say?
§144τί φῄς; τί σιγᾷς;
Why are you silent?
ἀλλὰ δῆτʼ ἐκ τοῦ μέλους §145ζητῶ σʼ, ἐπειδή γʼ αὐτὸς οὐ βούλει φράσαι; §146ὦ πρέσβυ πρέσβυ, τοῦ φθόνου μὲν τὸν ψόγον §147ἤκουσα, τὴν δʼ ἄλγησιν οὐ παρεσχόμην· §148ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν ἐσθῆθʼ ἅμα γνώμῃ φορῶ. §149χρὴ γὰρ ποιητὴν ἄνδρα πρὸς τὰ δράματα §150ἃ δεῖ ποιεῖν πρὸς ταῦτα τοὺς τρόπους ἔχειν. §151αὐτίκα γυναικεῖʼ ἢν ποιῇ τις δράματα, §152μετουσίαν δεῖ τῶν τρόπων τὸ σῶμʼ ἔχειν. §153οὐκοῦν κελητίζεις, ὅταν Φαίδραν ποιῇς; §154ἀνδρεῖα δʼ ἢν ποιῇ τις, ἐν τῷ σώματι §155ἔνεσθʼ ὑπάρχον τοῦθʼ.
Or shall I search you out from your song,'" "'since you do not wish to tell me yourself?'" Agathon: "Old man, old man, I hear the censure of your envy," "but I do not experience the pain of it." "For I wear my dress in accordance with my thought." "For a poet must fashion his manners" "to correspond to the dramas he has to write." "For instance, if one is writing women's dramas," "one's body must share in their manners." Mnesilochus: "So then, do you ride a horse when you write Phaedra?" Agathon: "And if one is writing male themes, that is present" "pre-existing.
ἃ δʼ οὐ κεκτήμεθα, §156μίμησις ἤδη ταῦτα συνθηρεύεται. §157ὅταν σατύρους τοίνυν ποιῇς, καλεῖν ἐμέ, §158ἵνα συμποιῶ σοὔπισθεν ἐστυκὼς ἐγώ. §159ἄλλως τʼ ἄμουσόν ἐστι ποιητὴν ἰδεῖν §160ἀγρεῖον ὄντα καὶ δασύν· σκέψαι δʼ ὅτι §161Ἴβυκος ἐκεῖνος κἀνακρέων ὁ Τήιος §162κἀλκαῖος, οἳ περὶ ἁρμονίαν ἐχύμισαν, §163ἐμιτροφόρουν τε καὶ διεκλῶντʼ Ἰωνικῶς, §164καὶ Φρύνιχος, τοῦτον γὰρ οὖν ἀκήκοας, §165αὐτός τε καλὸς ἦν καὶ καλῶς ἠμπέσχετο· §166διὰ τοῦτʼ ἄρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ κάλʼ ἦν τὰ δράματα. §167ὅμοια γὰρ ποιεῖν ἀνάγκη τῇ φύσει.
But what we do not possess," "imitation then hunts them down." Mnesilochus: "Therefore, whenever you write Satyric dramas, call me," "so that I may help you compose, standing erect behind you." Agathon: "Besides, it is unpoetic to see a poet" "rustic and hairy; and consider that" "that famous Ibycus, and Anacreon of Teos," "and Alcaeus, who infused melody with flavor," "wore headbands and lived luxuriously in the Ionian way," "And Phrynichus, of whom indeed you have heard," "was himself beautiful and was beautifully dressed;" "for this very reason his dramas too were beautiful." "For it is necessary to create things like one's nature."