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Aristophanes · Women at the Thesmophoria §874-948

Failed Helen Rescue and Arrest of the Relative

Passage 12 of 15 · Greek

Summary

The relative and Euripides attempt to stage an escape imitating the tragedy *Helen*, but their act is exposed by the women. A magistrate and an archer soon arrive, and the relative, whose scheme has failed, is arrested and bound to a plank.

§874Πρωτέως τάδʼ ἐστὶ μέλαθρα.
Euripides: This is the palace of Proteus.
§874bποίου Πρωτέως;
Mikka: What Proteus?
§875ὦ τρισκακόδαιμον, ψεύδεται νὴ τὼ θεώ, §876ἐπεὶ τέθνηκε Πρωτέας ἔτη δέκα.
O you thrice-wretched man, he is lying, by the two goddesses, since Proteas died ten years ago.
§877ποίαν δὲ χώραν εἰσεκέλσαμεν σκάφει;
Euripides: And to what country have we run our ship aground?
§878Αἴγυπτον.
Relative: Egypt.
§878bὦ δύστηνος οἷ πεπλώκαμεν.
Euripides: Ah, wretched me, whither have we sailed!
§879πείθει τι τούτῳ τῷ κακῶς ἀπολουμένῳ §880ληροῦντι λῆρον;
Mikka: Do you believe this scoundrel who is talking sheer nonsense?
Θεσμοφορεῖον τουτογί.
This here is the Thesmophorium.
§881αὐτὸς δὲ Πρωτεὺς ἔνδον ἔστʼ ἢ ʼξώπιος;
Euripides: But is Proteus himself inside or out of sight?
§882οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ ναυτιᾷς ἔτʼ ὦ ξένε, §883ὅστις γʼ ἀκούσας ὅτι τέθνηκε Πρωτέας §884ἔπειτʼ ἐρωτᾷς ἔνδον ἔστʼ ἢ ʼξώπιος;
Mikka: You must still be seasick, stranger, since having heard that Proteas is dead, you then ask if he is inside or out of sight.
§885αἰαῖ τέθνηκε.
Euripides: Alas, is he dead?
ποῦ δʼ ἐτυμβεύθη τάφῳ;
And where was he entombed in a grave?
§886τόδʼ ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ σῆμʼ, ἐφʼ ᾧ καθήμεθα.
Relative: This is his tomb, upon which we are sitting.
§887κακῶς τʼ ἄρʼ ἐξόλοιο κἀξολεῖ γέ τοι, §888ὅστις γε τολμᾷς σῆμα τὸν βωμὸν καλεῖν.
Mikka: May you perish miserably—and indeed you shall perish— you who dare to call the altar a tomb!
§889τί δὴ σὺ θάσσεις τάσδε τυμβήρεις ἕδρας §890φάρει καλυπτὸς ὦ ξένη;
Euripides: Why indeed do you sit upon these tomb-like seats, covered with a veil, O stranger woman?
§890bβιάζομαι §891γάμοισι Πρωτέως παιδὶ συμμεῖξαι λέχος.
Relative: I am forced to unite in marriage with the son of Proteus.
§892τί ὦ κακόδαιμον ἐξαπατᾷς αὖ τὸν ξένον;
Mikka: Why, you wretch, do you deceive the stranger again?
§893οὗτος πανουργῶν δεῦρʼ ἀνῆλθεν ὦ ξένε §894ὡς τὰς γυναῖκας ἐπὶ κλοπῇ τοῦ χρυσίου.
This fellow came up here with villainous intent, O stranger, to the women to steal their gold.
§895βάυζε τοὐμὸν σῶμα βάλλουσα ψόγῳ.
Relative: Bark on, pelting my body with abuse!
§896ξένη τίς ἡ γραῦς ἡ κακορροθοῦσά σε;
Euripides: Stranger, who is this old woman who is abusing you?
§897αὕτη Θεονόη Πρωτέως.
Relative: This is Theonoe, daughter of Proteus.
§897bμὰ τὼ θεὼ §898εἰ μὴ Κρίτυλλά γʼ Ἀντιθέου Γαργηττόθεν·
Mikka: By the two goddesses, unless indeed I am Kritylla, daughter of Antitheos, from Gargettus!
§899σὺ δʼ εἶ πανοῦργος.
But you are a scoundrel.
§899bὁπόσα τοι βούλει λέγε.
Relative: Say whatever you please.
§900οὐ γὰρ γαμοῦμαι σῷ κασιγνήτῳ ποτὲ §901προδοῦσα Μενέλεων τὸν ἐμὸν ἐν Τροίᾳ πόσιν.
For I will never marry your brother, betraying my husband Menelaus in Troy.
§902γύναι τί εἶπας;
Euripides: Woman, what did you say?
στρέψον ἀνταυγεῖς κόρας.
Turn towards me your radiant eyes.
§903αἰσχύνομαί σε τὰς γνάθους ὑβρισμένη.
Relative: I am ashamed before you, having my cheeks outraged.
§904τουτὶ τί ἔστιν;
Euripides: What is this?
ἀφασία τίς τοί μʼ ἔχει.
A certain speechless wonder holds me!
§905ὦ θεοὶ τίνʼ ὄψιν εἰσορῶ;
O gods, what sight do I behold?
τίς εἶ γύναι;
Who are you, woman?
§906σὺ δʼ εἶ τίς;
Relative: And who are you?
αὑτὸς γὰρ σὲ κἄμʼ ἔχει λόγος.
For the same question holds both you and me.
§907Ἑλληνὶς εἶ τις ἢ ʼπιχωρία γυνή;
Euripides: Are you some Greek woman or a native?
§908Ἑλληνίς.
Relative: Greek.
ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σὸν θέλω μαθεῖν.
But I also wish to learn yours.
§909Ἑλένῃ σʼ ὁμοίαν δὴ μάλιστʼ εἶδον γύναι.
Euripides: I see you are indeed most like to Helen, woman.
§910ἐγὼ δὲ Μενελάῳ σʼ ὅσα γʼ ἐκ τῶν ἰφύων.
Relative: And I to Menelaus, as far as can be seen.
§911ἔγνως ἄρʼ ὀρθῶς ἄνδρα δυστυχέστατον.
Euripides: You recognized then rightly a most unfortunate man.
§912ὦ χρόνιος ἐλθὼν σῆς δάμαρτος ἐσχάρας §914λαβέ με λαβέ με πόσι, περίβαλε δὲ χέρας.
Relative: O you who have come after a long time to your wife's hearth, take me, take me, husband, and throw your arms around me!
§915φέρε σὲ κύσω.
Come, let me kiss you.
ἄπαγέ μʼ ἄπαγʼ ἄπαγέ με §916λαβὼν ταχὺ πάνυ.
Take me away, take me, take me away, having taken me very quickly.
§916bκλαύσετʼ ἄρα νὴ τὼ θεὼ §917ὅστις σʼ ἀπάξει τυπτόμενος τῇ λαμπάδι.
Mikka: By the two goddesses, anyone who tries to take you away will weep indeed, being beaten with this torch.
§918σὺ τὴν ἐμὴν γυναῖκα κωλύεις ἐμέ, §919τὴν Τυνδάρειον παῖδʼ, ἐπὶ Σπάρτην ἄγειν;
Euripides: Do you prevent me from leading my wife, the daughter of Tyndareus, to Sparta?
§920οἴμʼ ὡς πανοῦργος καὐτὸς εἶναί μοι δοκεῖς §921καὶ τοῦδέ τις ξύμβουλος.
Mikka: Ah me, you too seem to me to be a scoundrel and some accomplice of this fellow.
οὐκ ἐτὸς πάλαι §922ᾐγυπτιάζετʼ.
Not in vain did you both play the Egyptian just now.
ἀλλʼ ὅδε μὲν δώσει δίκην. §923προσέρχεται γὰρ ὁ πρύτανις χὠ τοξότης.
But this fellow here will pay the penalty; for the magistrate and the archer are approaching.
§924τουτὶ πονηρόν·
Euripides: This is bad.
ἀλλʼ ὑπαποκινητέον.
But I must steal away quietly.
§925ἐγὼ δʼ ὁ κακοδαίμων τί δρῶ;
Relative: And what am I, wretched man, to do?
§925bμένʼ ἥσυχος.
Euripides: Remain quiet.
§926οὐ γὰρ προδώσω σʼ οὐδέποτʼ, ἤνπερ ἐμπνέω, §927ἢν μὴ προλίπωσʼ αἱ μυρίαι με μηχαναί.
For I will never betray you, as long as I draw breath, unless my myriad schemes fail me.
§928αὕτη μὲν ἡ μήρινθος οὐδὲν ἔσπασεν.
Relative: This string pulled in nothing.
§929ὅδʼ ἔσθʼ ὁ πανοῦργος ὃν ἔλεγʼ ἡμῖν Κλεισθένης;
Prytanis: Is this the scoundrel Cleisthenes was telling us about?
§930οὗτος τί κύπτεις;
Hey you, why are you hanging your head?
δῆσον αὐτὸν εἰσάγων §931ὦ τοξότʼ ἐν τῇ σανίδι, κἄπειτʼ ἐνθαδὶ §932στήσας φύλαττε καὶ προσιέναι μηδένα §933ἔα πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μάστιγʼ ἔχων §934παῖʼ ἢν προσίῃ τις.
Bring him in, archer, and bind him to the plank; then set him up here and guard him, and allow no one to approach him, but hold your whip and strike if anyone comes near.
§934bνὴ Δίʼ ὡς νῦν δή γʼ ἀνὴρ §935ὀλίγου μʼ ἀφείλετʼ αὐτὸν ἱστιορράφος.
Archer: By Zeus, just now a sail-maker almost took him away from me.
§936ὦ πρύτανι πρὸς τῆς δεξιᾶς, ἥνπερ φιλεῖς §937κοίλην προτείνειν ἀργύριον ἤν τις διδῷ, §938χάρισαι βραχύ τί μοι καίπερ ἀποθανουμένῳ.
Relative: O magistrate, by your right hand, which you love to hold out hollowed if anyone offers money, grant me a small favor, even though I am about to die.
§939τί σοι χαρίσωμαι;
Prytanis: What favor should I grant you?
§939bγυμνὸν ἀποδύσαντά με §940κέλευε πρὸς τῇ σανίδι δεῖν τὸν τοξότην, §941ἵνα μὴ ʼν κροκωτοῖς καὶ μίτραις γέρων ἀνὴρ §942γέλωτα παρέχω τοῖς κόραξιν ἑστιῶν.
Relative: Order the archer to strip me naked and bind me to the plank, so that an old man in saffron robes and hairbands may not afford laughter to the crows while feasting them.
§943ἔχοντα ταῦτʼ ἔδοξε τῇ βουλῇ σε δεῖν, §944ἵνα τοῖς παριοῦσι δῆλος ᾖς πανοῦργος ὤν.
Prytanis: The Council decreed that you must be bound wearing these, so that you may be clearly seen by passers-by to be a scoundrel.
§945ἰαππαπαιάξ·
Relative: Alas!
ὦ κροκώθʼ οἷʼ εἴργασαι·
Oh saffron robe, what things you have done to me!
§946κοὐκ ἔστʼ ἔτʼ ἐλπὶς οὐδεμία σωτηρίας.
And there is no longer any hope of safety.
§947ἄγε νυν ἡμεῖς παίσωμεν ἅπερ νόμος ἐνθάδε ταῖσι γυναιξίν, §948ὅταν ὄργια σεμνὰ θεοῖν ἱεραῖς ὥραις ἀνέχωμεν, ἅπερ καὶ
Mikka: Come now, let us play as is the custom here for women, whenever we hold up the solemn rites of the two goddesses in the sacred seasons, which also...

Notes

  1. 879ληροῦντι λῆρον — A cognate accusative (internal accusative) construction. The noun λῆρον intensifies the action of the intransitive participle ληροῦντι, adding emphasis to the act of speaking nonsense.
  2. 897bεἰ μὴ Κρίτυλλά γʼ Ἀντιθέου Γαργηττόθεν — Following the negative oath (μὰ τὼ θεὼ), only the conditional clause (εἰ μὴ...) is stated, with the apodosis omitted. By saying "unless indeed I am Kritylla...", she emphatically asserts the absolute truth that she is indeed Kritylla.
  3. 934bὀλίγου μʼ ἀφείλετʼ — The genitive ὀλίγου is an idiomatic abbreviation for ὀλίγου δεῖν ("almost", "well-nigh"), qualifying the verb to express an event that came very close to happening but did not: "he almost took him away from me."
  4. 936κοίλην προτείνειν — The adjective κοίλην ("hollowed") functions as a predicative modifier of the implied object "hand" (from the preceding δεξιᾶς) of the infinitive προτείνειν, colorfully describing the manner of holding out one's hand to receive a bribe.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Women at the Thesmophoria §874-948. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:874-948

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