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Aristophanes · The Frogs §617-699

The Whipping Test and the Parabasis

Passage 8 of 18 · Greek

Summary

Aeacus attempts to determine who the true god is by whipping Dionysus and Xanthias in turn, but since both make various excuses to conceal their pain, he remains undecided and brings them inside Hades's palace. Subsequently, the Chorus sings the parabasis, advocating for the restoration of citizenship and equality.

§617κἄν ποτέ μʼ ἕλῃς ἀδικοῦντʼ, ἀπόκτεινόν μʼ ἄγων.
And if you ever catch me doing wrong, take me away and kill me.
§618καὶ πῶς βασανίσω;
AEACUS: And how shall I torture him?
§618bπάντα τρόπον, ἐν κλίμακι §619δήσας κρεμάσας ὑστριχίδι μαστιγῶν, δέρων, §620στρεβλῶν, ἔτι δʼ ἐς τὰς ῥῖνας ὄξος ἐγχέων, §621πλίνθους ἐπιτιθείς, πάντα τἄλλα, πλὴν πράσῳ §622μὴ τύπτε τοῦτον μηδὲ γητείῳ νέῳ.
XANTHIAS: In every way: on the rack, binding him, hanging him, whipping him with a bristly whip, flaying him, racking him, and further pouring vinegar into his nostrils, piling bricks on him, and everything else; only, with leeks do not strike him, nor with young onions.
§623δίκαιος ὁ λόγος· κἄν τι πηρώσω γέ σου §624τὸν παῖδα τύπτων, τἀργύριόν σοι κείσεται.
AEACUS: A fair proposal; and if I cripple your slave by striking him, the money will be deposited for you.
§625μὴ δῆτʼ ἔμοιγʼ.
XANTHIAS: Not to me indeed!
οὕτω δὲ βασάνιζʼ ἀπαγαγών.
Just take him away and torture him like that.
§626αὐτοῦ μὲν οὖν, ἵνα σοὶ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς λέγῃ.
AEACUS: Nay, right here rather, so that he may speak before your eyes.
§627κατάθου σὺ τὰ σκεύη ταχέως, χὤπως ἐρεῖς §628ἐνταῦθα μηδὲν ψεῦδος.
Put down the baggage quickly, and mind that you tell no lie here.
§628bἀγορεύω τινὶ §629ἐμὲ μὴ βασανίζειν ἀθάνατον ὄντʼ· εἰ δὲ μή, §630αὐτὸς σεαυτὸν αἰτιῶ.
DIONYSUS: I warn anyone not to torture me, since I am immortal; otherwise, blame yourself.
§630bλέγεις δὲ τί;
AEACUS: What's that you say?
§631ἀθάνατος εἶναί φημι Διόνυσος Διός, §632τοῦτον δὲ δοῦλον.
DIONYSUS: I say that I am Dionysus, immortal son of Zeus, and this fellow here is a slave.
§632bταῦτʼ ἀκούεις;
AEACUS: Do you hear this?
§632cφήμʼ ἐγώ.
XANTHIAS: Yes, I did.
§633καὶ πολύ γε μᾶλλόν ἐστι μαστιγωτέος· §634εἴπερ θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ αἰσθήσεται.
And indeed he is much more to be whipped; For if indeed he is a god, he will not feel it.
§635τί δῆτʼ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σὺ φῂς εἶναι θεός, §636οὐ καὶ σὺ τύπτει τὰς ἴσας πληγὰς ἐμοί;
DIONYSUS: Why then, since you also claim to be a god, do you not also receive the same number of blows as I?
§637δίκαιος ὁ λόγος· χὠπότερόν γʼ ἂν νῷν ἴδῃς §638κλαύσαντα πρότερον ἢ προτιμήσαντά τι §639τυπτόμενον, εἶναι τοῦτον ἡγοῦ μὴ θεόν.
XANTHIAS: A fair proposal; and whichever of us two you see crying first or caring at all about being beaten, consider him not to be a god.
§640οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐκ εἶ σὺ γεννάδας ἀνήρ· §641χωρεῖς γὰρ ἐς τὸ δίκαιον.
AEACUS: It cannot be but that you are a noble man; for you walk toward justice.
ἀποδύεσθε δή.
Strip now.
§642πῶς οὖν βασανιεῖς νὼ δικαίως;
XANTHIAS: How then will you torture us fairly?
§642bῥᾳδίως· §643πληγὴν παρὰ πληγὴν ἑκάτερον.
AEACUS: Easily; blow for blow to each in turn.
§643bκαλῶς λέγεις.
XANTHIAS: Well said.
§644ἰδού.
AEACUS: There.
§644bσκόπει νυν ἤν μʼ ὑποκινήσαντʼ ἴδῃς.
XANTHIAS: Now look if you see me flinch.
§645ἤδη ʼπάταξά σʼ.
AEACUS: I already struck you.
§645bοὐ μὰ Δίʼ.
XANTHIAS: No, by Zeus.
§645cοὐδʼ ἐμοὶ δοκεῖς.
AEACUS: Nor does it seem so to me.
§646ἀλλʼ εἶμʼ ἐπὶ τονδὶ καὶ πατάξω.
But I will go to this fellow and strike him.
§646bπηνίκα;
DIONYSUS: When?
§647καὶ δὴ ʼπάταξα.
AEACUS: I already did.
§647bκᾆτα πῶς οὐκ ἔπταρον;
DIONYSUS: Then how is it that I didn't even sneeze?
§648οὐκ οἶδα· τουδὶ δʼ αὖθις ἀποπειράσομαι.
AEACUS: I don't know; I will try this one again.
§649οὔκουν ἀνύσεις τι;
XANTHIAS: Won't you hurry up?
ἀτταταῖ.
Attatai!
§649bτί τἀτταταῖ;
AEACUS: What's that "attatai"?
§650μῶν ὠδυνήθης;
Were you in pain?
§650bοὐ μὰ Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἐφρόντισα §651ὁπόθʼ Ἡράκλεια τἀν Διομείοις γίγνεται.
XANTHIAS: No, by Zeus, but I was thinking when the Heracleia in Diomeia is held.
§652ἅνθρωπος ἱερός.
AEACUS: A holy man!
δεῦρο πάλιν βαδιστέον.
I must walk back here again.
§653ἰοὺ ἰού.
DIONYSUS: Iou, iou!
§653bτί ἔστιν;
AEACUS: What is it?
§653cἱππέας ὁρῶ.
DIONYSUS: I see horsemen.
§654τί δῆτα κλάεις;
AEACUS: Why then are you crying?
§654bκρομμύων ὀσφραίνομαι.
DIONYSUS: I smell onions.
§655ἐπεὶ προτιμᾷς γʼ οὐδέν.
AEACUS: Since you don't care at all?
§655bοὐδέν μοι μέλει.
DIONYSUS: It doesn't matter to me.
§656βαδιστέον τἄρʼ ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τονδὶ πάλιν.
AEACUS: Then I must walk back to this fellow again.
§657οἴμοι.
XANTHIAS: Oimoi!
§657bτί ἔστι;
AEACUS: What is it?
§657cτὴν ἄκανθαν ἔξελε.
XANTHIAS: Pull out the thorn.
§658τί τὸ πρᾶγμα τουτί;
AEACUS: What is this business?
δεῦρο πάλιν βαδιστέον.
I must walk back here again.
§659Ἄπολλον—ὅς που Δῆλον ἢ Πυθῶνʼ ἔχεις.
DIONYSUS: Apollo!—who somewhere hold Delos or Pytho.
§660ἤλγησεν· οὐκ ἤκουσας;
XANTHIAS: He felt pain; didn't you hear?
§660bοὐκ ἔγωγʼ, ἐπεὶ §661ἴαμβον Ἱππώνακτος ἀνεμιμνῃσκόμην.
DIONYSUS: Not I, since I was recalling an iambus of Hipponax.
§662οὐδὲν ποιεῖς γάρ· ἀλλὰ τὰς λαγόνας σπόδει.
XANTHIAS: For you are doing nothing; but strike his flanks.
§663μὰ τὸν Δίʼ ἀλλʼ ἤδη πάρεχε τὴν γαστέρα.
AEACUS: No, by Zeus, but now present your belly.
§664Πόσειδον
DIONYSUS: Poseidon!
§664bἤλγησέν τις.
XANTHIAS: Someone felt pain.
§665ὃς Αἰγαίου πρῶνας ἢ γλαυκᾶς μέδεις ἁλὸς ἐν βένθεσιν.
DIONYSUS: —who rule over the headlands of the Aegean, or in the depths of the grey sea.
§668οὔ τοι μὰ τὴν Δήμητρα δύναμαί πω μαθεῖν §669ὁπότερος ὑμῶν ἐστι θεός.
AEACUS: By Demeter, I am not yet able to learn which of you two is the god.
ἀλλʼ εἴσιτον· §670ὁ δεσπότης γὰρ αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς γνώσεται §671χἠ Φερρέφατθʼ, ἅτʼ ὄντε κἀκείνω θεώ.
But go inside; for my master himself will recognize you, and Persephone too, since they also are gods.
§672ὀρθῶς λέγεις· ἐβουλόμην δʼ ἂν τοῦτό σε §673πρότερον νοῆσαι, πρὶν ἐμὲ τὰς πληγὰς λαβεῖν.
DIONYSUS: You speak rightly; but I would have wished that you had thought of this before I received the blows.
§675Μοῦσα χορῶν ἱερῶν· ἐπίβηθι καὶ ἔλθʼ ἐπὶ τέρψιν ἀοιδᾶς ἐμᾶς, §676τὸν πολὺν ὀψομένη λαῶν· ὄχλον, οὗ σοφίαι §677μυρίαι κάθηνται §678φιλοτιμότεραι Κλεοφῶντος, ἐφʼ οὗ δὴ χείλεσιν ἀμφιλάλοις §680δεινὸν ἐπιβρέμεται §681Θρῃκία χελιδὼν §682†ἐπὶ βάρβαρον ἑζομένη πέταλον· † §683κελαδεῖ δʼ ἐπίκλαυτον ἀηδόνιον νόμον, ὡς ἀπολεῖται, §685κἂν ἴσαι γένωνται.
CHORUS: Muse of sacred choruses, embark and come to the delight of my song, to see the great crowd of people, where countless wisdoms sit, more ambitious than Cleophon, on whose double-speaking lips indeed terribly roars a Thracian swallow, perched upon a barbarian leaf; and she chirps a tearful nightingale's tune, how he will perish, even if the votes should be equal.
§686τὸν ἱερὸν χορὸν δίκαιόν ἐστι χρηστὰ τῇ πόλει §687ξυμπαραινεῖν καὶ διδάσκειν.
It is right for the sacred chorus to give good advice and instruction to the city.
πρῶτον οὖν ἡμῖν δοκεῖ §688ἐξισῶσαι τοὺς πολίτας κἀφελεῖν τὰ δείματα, §689κεἴ τις ἥμαρτε σφαλείς τι Φρυνίχου παλαίσμασιν, §690ἐγγενέσθαι φημὶ χρῆναι τοῖς ὀλισθοῦσιν τότε §691αἰτίαν ἐκθεῖσι λῦσαι τὰς πρότερον ἁμαρτίας.
First of all then, it seems good to us to make the citizens equal and to remove their fears, and if anyone made a mistake, tripped up by the wrestling-tricks of Phrynichus, it is necessary for those who slipped back then to have the chance to clear themselves by stating their defense and to undo their former errors.
§692εἶτʼ ἄτιμόν φημι χρῆναι μηδένʼ εἶνʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει· §693καὶ γὰρ αἰσχρόν ἐστι τοὺς μὲν ναυμαχήσαντας μίαν §694καὶ Πλαταιᾶς εὐθὺς εἶναι κἀντὶ δούλων δεσπότας.
Next, I say that no one in the city should be disenfranchised; for indeed it is shameful that those who fought in a single sea-battle should immediately be like Plataeans and masters instead of slaves.
§695κοὐδὲ ταῦτʼ ἔγωγʼ ἔχοιμʼ ἂν μὴ οὐ καλῶς φάσκειν ἔχειν, §696ἀλλʼ ἐπαινῶ· μόνα γὰρ αὐτὰ νοῦν ἔχοντʼ ἐδράσατε.
And I wouldn't be able to say that even this is not well done, but I praise it; for that was the only sensible thing you did.
§697πρὸς δὲ τούτοις εἰκὸς ὑμᾶς, οἳ μεθʼ ὑμῶν πολλὰ δὴ §698χοἰ πατέρες ἐναυμάχησαν καὶ προσήκουσιν γένει, §699τὴν μίαν ταύτην παρεῖναι ξυμφορὰν αἰτουμένοις.
But in addition to this, it is reasonable for you, who together with you many times and their fathers have fought at sea and are related by kin, to forgive this single misfortune when they ask for it.

Notes

  1. 672ἐβουλόμην δʼ ἂν — The imperfect indicative with the particle ἄν expresses an unrealized wish in the past (or an impossible wish in the present): "I would have wished..." It refers to Dionysus's regret that Aeacus did not think of entering to let the gods decide before administering the blows.
  2. 695μὴ οὐ καλῶς φάσκειν ἔχειν — Following the negation in the main clause (οὐκ ἔχοιμʼ ἂν), the double negative μὴ οὐ is used before the infinitive φάσκειν. This double negation ("I could not say that this is NOT well done") results in a strong affirmative meaning: "I must admit that this is indeed well done."

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, The Frogs §617-699. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg009.humanitext-grc2:617-699

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