Humanitext Reader

Aristophanes · Wealth §228-301

Plutus Enters the House and the Farmers Rejoice

Passage 4 of 16 · Greek

Summary

Chremylus invites Plutus into his house, where Plutus recounts his past misfortunes inside the homes of misers and spendthrifts. Subsequently, Carion brings back Chremylus's impoverished fellow farmers, who, despite initially being teased, rejoice with songs and dances upon learning that the god of wealth has arrived to enrich them.

§228τῶν ἔνδοθέν τις εἰσενεγκάτω λαβών.
Let someone from those inside take it and bring it in.
§229ἐμοὶ μελήσει τοῦτό γʼ· ἀλλʼ ἀνύσας τρέχε.
This will be my care; but hurry up and run.
§230σὺ δʼ ὦ κράτιστε Πλοῦτε πάντων δαιμόνων §231εἴσω μετʼ ἐμοῦ δεῦρʼ εἴσιθʼ· ἡ γὰρ οἰκία §232αὕτη ʼστὶν ἣν δεῖ χρημάτων σε τήμερον §233μεστὴν ποιῆσαι καὶ δικαίως κἀδίκως.
And you, O Plutus, mightiest of all divinities, enter here inside with me; for this house is the one which you must make full of wealth today, both justly and unjustly.
§234ἀλλʼ ἄχθομαι μὲν εἰσιὼν νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς §235εἰς οἰκίαν ἑκάστοτʼ ἀλλοτρίαν πάνυ· §236ἀγαθὸν γὰρ ἀπέλαυσʼ οὐδὲν αὐτοῦ πώποτε.
But, by the gods, I am vexed whenever I enter into a house completely belonging to another; for I have never enjoyed any good from it.
§237ἢν μὲν γὰρ ὡς φειδωλὸν εἰσελθὼν τύχω, §238εὐθὺς κατώρυξέν με κατὰ τῆς γῆς κάτω· §239κἄν τις προσέλθῃ χρηστὸς ἄνθρωπος φίλος §240αἰτῶν λαβεῖν τι σμικρὸν ἀργυρίδιον, §241ἔξαρνός ἐστι μηδʼ ἰδεῖν με πώποτε.
For if I happen to enter the house of a miser, he immediately buries me deep down under the earth; and if any good man, a friend, approaches asking to borrow some small sum of money, he denies having ever even seen me.
§242ἢν δʼ ὡς παραπλῆγʼ ἄνθρωπον εἰσελθὼν τύχω, §243πόρναισι καὶ κύβοισι παραβεβλημένος §244γυμνὸς θύραζʼ ἐξέπεσον ἐν ἀκαρεῖ χρόνου.
And if I happen to enter the house of a madman, being cast aside to prostitutes and dice, I am thrown naked out of doors in an instant.
§245μετρίου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἐπέτυχες πώποτε.
For you have never met a moderate man.
§246ἐγὼ δὲ τούτου τοῦ τρόπου πώς εἰμʼ ἀεί, §247χαίρω τε γὰρ φειδόμενος ὡς οὐδεὶς ἀνὴρ §248πάλιν τʼ ἀναλῶν, ἡνίκʼ ἂν τούτου δέῃ.
But I am somehow always of this disposition, for I rejoice in saving as no other man does, and on the other hand, in spending when there is need of it.
§249ἀλλʼ εἰσίωμεν, ὡς ἰδεῖν σε βούλομαι §250καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μόνον, §251ὃν ἑγὼ φιλῶ μάλιστα μετὰ σέ.
But let us go in, since I want you to see both my wife and my only son, whom I love most after you.
§251bπείθομαι.
I believe you.
§252τί γὰρ ἄν τις οὐχὶ πρὸς σὲ τἀληθῆ λέγοι;
For why should anyone not tell you the truth?
§253ὦ πολλὰ δὴ τῷ δεσπότῃ ταὐτὸν θύμον φαγόντες, §254ἄνδρες φίλοι καὶ δημόται καὶ τοῦ πονεῖν ἐρασταί, §255ἴτʼ ἐγκονεῖτε σπεύδεθʼ, ὡς ὁ καιρὸς οὐχὶ μέλλειν, §256ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκμῆς, ᾗ δεῖ παρόντʼ ἀμύνειν.
O you who have eaten the same thyme so often with my master, friends, fellow-demesmen, and lovers of labor, go, hurry, make haste, for the time is not for delaying, but is at the very crisis, when one must be present and assist.
§257οὔκουν ὁρᾷς ὁρμωμένους ἡμᾶς πάλαι προθύμως, §258ὡς εἰκός ἐστιν ἀσθενεῖς γέροντας ἄνδρας ἤδη;
Don't you see us having started eagerly long ago, as is natural for men who are already weak old men?
§259σὺ δʼ ἀξιοῖς ἴσως με θεῖν, πρὶν ταῦτα καὶ φράσαι μοι §260ὅτου χάριν μʼ ὁ δεσπότης ὁ σὸς κέκληκε δῦρο.
But you perhaps expect me to run, before even telling me this, for what reason your master has called me here.
§261οὔκουν πάλαι δήπου λέγω;
Haven't I been telling you for a long time?
σὺ δʼ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἀκούεις.
But you yourself do not hear.
§262ὁ δεσπότης γάρ φησιν ὑμᾶς ἡδέως ἅπαντας §263ψυχροῦ βίου καὶ δυσκόλου ζήσειν ἀπαλλαγέντας.
For my master says that you will all gladly live, having been freed from a cold and difficult life.
§264ἔστιν δὲ δὴ τί καὶ πόθεν τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦθʼ ὅ φησιν;
But what indeed and from where is this matter which he speaks of?
§265ἔχων ἀφῖκται δεῦρο πρεσβύτην τινʼ ὦ πόνηροι §266ῥυπῶντα κυφὸν ἄθλιον ῥυσὸν μαδῶντα νωδόν· §267οἶμαι δὲ νὴ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ψωλὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι.
He has arrived here bringing an old man, O miserable fellows, filthy, bent, wretched, wrinkled, bald, toothless; and I think, by heaven, he is also worn out.
§268ὦ χρυσὸν ἀγγείλας ἐπῶν πῶς φῄς;
O you who have announced a gold of words, how do you say?
πάλιν φράσον μοι.
Tell me again.
§269δηλοῖς γὰρ αὐτὸν σωρὸν ἥκειν χρημάτων ἔχοντα.
For you show that he has come having a heap of money.
§270πρεσβυτικῶν μὲν οὖν κακῶν ἔγωγʼ ἔχοντα σωρόν.
On the contrary, I mean having a heap of senile evils.
§271μῶν ἀξιοῖς φενακίσας ἔπειτʼ ἀπαλλαγῆναι §272ἀζήμιος, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐμοῦ βακτηρίαν ἔχοντος;
Do you expect, having tricked us, to get off then unpunished, and that too when I have a staff?
§273πάντως γὰρ ἄνθρωπον φύσει τοιοῦτον ἐς τὰ πάντα §274ἡγεῖσθέ μʼ εἶναι κοὐδὲν ἂν νομίζεθʼ ὑγιὲς εἰπεῖν;
For do you absolutely think that I am by nature such a man in all things, and do you think that I would say nothing sound?
§275ὡς σεμνὸς οὑπίτριπτος·
How solemn the scoundrel is!
αἱ κνῆμαι δέ σου βοῶσιν §276ἰοὺ ἰού, τὰς χοίνικας καὶ τὰς πέδας ποθοῦσαι.
And your shins cry out, "Alas, alas!" longing for the stocks and the fetters.
§277ἐν τῇ σορῷ νυνὶ λαχὸν τὸ γράμμα σου δικάζειν, §278σὺ δʼ οὐ βαδίζεις, ὁ δὲ Χάρων τὸ ξύμβολον δίδωσιν.
Since your letter has now drawn the lot to judge in the tomb, you do not walk there, though Charon is giving you the ticket.
§279διαρραγείης, ὡς μόθων εἶ καὶ φύσει κόβαλος, §280ὅστις φενακίζεις, φράσαι δʼ οὔπω τέτληκας ἡμῖν, §281οἳ πολλὰ μοχθήσαντες οὐκ οὔσης σχολῆς προθύμως §282δεῦρʼ ἤλθομεν, πολλῶν θύμων ῥίζας διεκπερῶντες.
May you burst, since you are a vulgar fellow and by nature a rogue, who trick us, and have not yet dared to tell us, we who, having toiled much when there was no leisure, eagerly came here, passing through many thyme roots.
§283ἀλλʼ οὐκέτʼ ἂν κρύψαιμι.
But I would hide it no longer.
τὸν Πλοῦτον γὰρ ὦνδρες ἥκει §285ἄγων ὁ δεσπότης, ὃς ὑμᾶς πλουσίους ποιήσει.
For, O men, Plutus has come, brought by my master, who will make you rich.
§286ὄντως γὰρ ἔστι πλουσίοις ἡμῖν ἅπασιν εἶναι;
For is it really possible for us all to be rich?
§287νὴ τοὺς θεοὺς Μίδαις μὲν οὖν, ἢν ὦτʼ ὄνου λάβητε.
By the gods, rather Midases, if you get donkey's ears.
§288ὡς ἥδομαι καὶ τέρπομαι καὶ βούλομαι χορεῦσαι §289ὑφʼ ἡδονῆς, εἴπερ λέγεις ὄντως σὺ ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ.
How pleased I am and delighted, and I want to dance out of pleasure, if indeed you tell these things as really true.
§290καὶ μὴν ἐγὼ βουλήσομαι θρεττανελὸ τὸν Κύκλωπα §291μιμούμενος καὶ τοῖν ποδοῖν ὡδὶ παρενσαλεύων §292ὑμᾶς ἄγειν.
And indeed, I will wish, with "threttanelo", mimicking the Cyclops mimicking and swaying thus with my feet to lead you.
ἀλλʼ εἶα τέκεα θαμίνʼ ἐπαναβοῶντες §293βληχώμενοί τε προβατίων §294αἰγῶν τε κιναβρώντων μέλη §295ἕπεσθʼ ἀπεψωλημένοι· τράγοι δʼ ἀκρατιεῖσθε.
But come, repeatedly shouting "children!" and bleating like little sheep and like smelly goats' tunes, follow, you rascals; and you goats will eat breakfast.
§296ἡμεῖς δέ γʼ αὖ ζητήσομεν θρεττανελὸ τὸν Κύκλωπα §297βληχώμενοι, σὲ τουτονὶ πεινῶντα καταλαβόντες, §298πήραν ἔχοντα λάχανά τʼ ἄγρια δροσερά, κραιπαλῶντα §299ἡγούμενον τοῖς προβατίοις, §300εἰκῇ δὲ καταδαρθόντα που §301μέγαν λαβόντες ἡμμένον σφηκίσκον ἐκτυφλῶσαι.
And we in turn will seek, with "threttanelo", the Cyclops, bleating, when we find you here hungry, holding a pouch and dewy wild herbs, hungover, leading the little sheep, and having fallen asleep somewhere at random, taking a great burning spit to blind you.

Notes

  1. §228τῶν ἔνδοθέν τις — The adverbial expression `ἔνδοθεν` (from within) substantivized by the article `τῶν` functions as a partitive genitive dependent on the indefinite pronoun `τις` (someone).
  2. §232ἣν δεῖ χρημάτων σε τήμερον μεστὴν ποιῆσαι — The impersonal verb `δεῖ` governs the accusative subject `σε` (you) and the infinitive `ποιῆσαι` (to make). The adjective `μεστήν` (full), which agrees as a predicate with the relative pronoun `ἣν` (which), governs the genitive of fullness `χρημάτων` (of wealth).
  3. §255ὡς ὁ καιρὸς οὐχὶ μέλλειν, ἀλλʼ ἔστʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀκμῆς — The copula `ἐστίν` is omitted after `ὁ καιρός` (the time), and the infinitive `μέλλειν` (to delay) functions substantively or explanatorily ("the time is not [one] for delaying").
  4. §277λαχὸν τὸ γράμμα σου δικάζειν — The neuter singular active participle `λαχόν` (having drawn by lot) agrees with `τὸ γράμμα` (the letter/ticket). This refers to the Athenian system of assigning jurors to courts by drawing letters of the alphabet, here humorously applied to the tomb (`σορός`).

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, Wealth §228-301. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg011.humanitext-grc2:228-301

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