Aristophanes Acharnians 854

Anonymous (Translator)

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Acharnians. Aristophanes. Anonymous (Translator). New York. 192?.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

Acharnians (OCR draft) (English) (English (Anonymous; Liveright, 192?). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.)

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (1)
Ἀχαρνῆς Perseus (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.) — 860-928 focus
Translations (1)
English (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) Experimental (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) — 854 focus

Notes on the current edition

Acharnians

1. A painter.
2. A debauchee, a gambler, and always in extreme poverty.

Commentary

Commentary (Sanjaya, generated; selected passages) (OCR draft) (Source: pnadelofficial/aristophanes-sanjaya, commit c319590c139e5603e71f0699caa0663d823af8ad. Machine-generated source annotations retained; see Sanjaya import audit for coverage and limitations.) focus

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καὶ παλαιῷ Λακρατείδῃ τὸ σκέλος βαρύνεται,
The noun Λακρατείδῃ is a patronymic in the dative case, referring to a specific individual, Lacratides, who is identified in the scholia as a notorious Athenian citizen known for his extreme avarice and miserliness. The adjective παλαιῷ (old) likely carries a double meaning here: referring to his advanced age, but more importantly to his long-standing reputation for stinginess. The verb βαρύνεται (is made heavy) functions as a middle/passive form indicating a state of burden; the phrase 'the leg is made heavy' is a colloquial idiom for suffering from a limp or gout, a condition Aristophanes attributes to Lacratides to mock his physical infirmity as a consequence of his miserly lifestyle (e.g., lack of proper exercise or diet). This specific reference relies on contemporary knowledge of Lacratides as a real person, whose name appears in other comedic fragments as a stock character for the 'miserly old man' trope.

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οἷσι παρʼ ἐμοῦ πόλεμος ἐχθοδοπὸς αὔξεται τῶν ἐμῶν χωρίων·
The compound adjective ἐχθοδοπὸς is a hapax legomenon in extant literature, formed uniquely here by Aristophanes from ἐχθρός ('hostile') and δοπέω ('to drive' or 'to lead off'). The coinage creates a vivid, grotesque image of the war 'driving off' or 'leading away' the speaker's land, functioning as a comic hyperbole that personifies the conflict as a thief or herdsman stealing the territory. This lexical innovation exemplifies the poet's tendency to create new compounds for specific satirical effects rather than relying on standard epic or tragic diction.

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ὦ Ξανθία, σφῷν δʼ ἐστὶν ὀρθὸς ἑκτέος
The form ἑκτέος is a rare Doric (or Boeotian) variant of the Attic ἑκτός, meaning 'sixth' (specifically here, the sixth day of the month, likely referring to the deadline for the *symmoria* or a specific tax payment, though the exact civic context is debated). The use of the Doric form in a character's speech (Xanthias is a slave) is a marker of his rustic or non-Attic background, a common Aristophanic device, but the morphological form itself is exceptionally rare in Attic comedy outside of this specific metrical and dialectal context.

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τὴν Στρυμοδώρου Θρᾷτταν ἐκ τοῦ Φελλέως
The phrase identifies a specific historical figure, 'Strymodorus' (Στρυμοδώρου), who is otherwise unknown to us but is here labeled 'the Thracian' (Θρᾷτταν). In the context of the play, this refers to a notorious Thracian archer employed by the Athenians. The genitive 'Στρυμοδώρου' functions as a patronymic, identifying the archer by his father's name, a common convention for identifying mercenaries or non-citizen soldiers in the 5th century. The reference to 'Phelleus' (Φελλέως) is a topographical marker; Phelleus was a deme of Athens located in the coastal region near the sea, which serves to locate where this specific Thracian archer was stationed or recruited from, contrasting with the more inland demes.

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μὴ οὐ καταξαίνειν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐς φοινικίδα;
The verb καταξαίνειν (to cut, tear, or hack) is used here in a comic, hyperbolic sense, referring to the physical mutilation or dismemberment of the character Dikaiopolis (or a specific character depending on the immediate context of the play's action) as a form of punishment or threat. The construction μεν...δε (implied in the rhetorical question's force) or the simple use of the negative particle μεν with the interrogative particle ου creates a strong rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, effectively meaning 'Are we not going to cut this man to pieces?' The use of the preposition ες (instead of the more common εις) with the accusative φοινικίδα (a Phoenician cloak) is notable; it suggests the act of cutting the man *into* the cloak or *into* pieces resembling the cloak, or perhaps a specific reference to the cloak itself being the instrument or target of the violence. The phrase 'cut into a Phoenician cloak' is a metaphorical or literal threat of dismemberment, playing on the idea of reducing a man to the size or shape of a garment, or perhaps a reference to a specific scene where the character is being forced into a ridiculous or humiliating position involving the cloak.

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οἷον αὖ μέλας τις ὑμῖν θυμάλωψ ἐπέζεσεν.
The verb ἐπέζεσεν is the 3rd person singular aorist indicative active of ἐπιζήμεναι (to sit upon), an Attic dialect form of the more common ἐπιζῆν. The form ἐπέζεσεν (with the augment and the -σ- infix characteristic of the aorist of verbs in -ζω) is a clear example of the comic poet's use of archaic or dialectal forms for metrical convenience and comic effect, contrasting with the standard Attic ἐπέζην. This specific aorist form is rare in Attic prose but attested in comedy and epic, and its usage here contributes to the grotesque and slightly archaic tone of the description of the 'thymalōps'.

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† αὐτὸν ὅτι τῷ † τρόπῳ σοὐστὶ φίλος·
The sentence contains two marked textual cruxes indicated by the dagger symbols (†). The first, preceding αὐτὸν, and the second, preceding τρόπῳ, represent gaps or corruptions in the transmitted text that have led to significant scholarly disagreement regarding the original wording. The phrase 'τῷ τρόπῳ' (in what way/manner) is syntactically awkward in this context, and editors have proposed various conjectures to resolve the corruption, ranging from emending the preposition to suggesting a different lexical item entirely. Without resolving these textual issues, the precise semantic force of Dicaeopolis's assertion regarding his friendship with Lamachus remains obscured.

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αὐτός τʼ ἐμαυτὸν ὑπὸ Κλέωνος ἅπαθον
The phrase αὐτός τʼ ἐμαυτὸν presents a rare and emphatic pleonasm (αὐτός + reflexive pronoun) typically found in Aristophanic comedy to underscore the personal agency and victimhood of the speaker against the specific targeting of Cleon. While the reflexive ἐμαυτὸν is standard for the first person, the addition of αὐτός here functions not merely as an intensifier but as a focalizing device, isolating the speaker as the specific object of Cleon's action in a context of political persecution. This construction is syntactically distinct from the more common αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν or simple reflexive usage, highlighting the dramatic irony of the protagonist (Dicaeopolis) claiming personal victimization by the most powerful demagogue in Athens.

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ἀλλʼ ἐξάνοιγε μηχανὰς τὰς Σισύφου,
The imperative ἐξάνοιγε (aorist active, 2nd person singular) is formed with the augment and the -ε ending characteristic of the Attic aorist of verbs in -νυμι (cf. ἄνοιγε). However, the prefix ἐξ- here is not a simple spatial 'out' but implies the 'unveiling' or 'unearthing' of a scheme, a usage reinforced by the genitive object μηχανὰς. The construction relies on the specific semantic range of μηχανή, which here denotes not merely a 'device' but a 'plot' or 'stratagem' (specifically the Sisyphian trick of escaping death or deceiving the gods), a meaning that resonates with the play's broader themes of legal and rhetorical trickery. The reference to Sisyphus is particularly apt in a comedy where the protagonist Dicaeopolis seeks to outwit the state and the chorus through legal loopholes, as Sisyphus was proverbially the 'cleverest' of men, often associated with trickery and evasion of justice.

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τὰ τοῦ τυφλοῦ Φοίνικος;
The phrase 'τὰ τοῦ τυφλοῦ Φοίνικος' (the things of the blind Phoinikos) alludes to a specific, now lost, comedic scenario or character trait associated with the character Phoinikos in Aristophanes' lost play *The Blind Phoinikos* (or a reference within the extant text to a specific fable or anecdote known to the original audience). While Phoinikos is mentioned elsewhere (e.g., in *The Birds* as a painter), the specific epithet 'blind' and the genitive construction here likely reference a particular joke or plot point where the character's blindness was central to the comedy, possibly involving a misunderstanding of spatial orientation or a trick played upon him. This allusion is not self-evident to modern readers without knowledge of the lost play or the specific comic tradition surrounding this character's disability.

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κεῖται δʼ ἄνωθεν τῶν Θυεστείων ῥακῶν
The phrase ῥακῶν (rakkōn) here refers specifically to the 'rags' of the tragic hero Thyestes, alluding to the mythological scene where he is tricked into eating his own children by his brother Atreus. In the context of the play, this is a satirical reference to the costume worn by the character Dicaeopolis, who has been granted a private peace treaty and is depicted as a tragic figure in rags, ironically comparing his situation to the horrific fate of Thyestes. The reference is not merely to the clothing but to the specific tragic genre and the mythological narrative it evokes, which is central to the comedic inversion Aristophanes is performing.

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μεταξὺ τῶν Ἰνοῦς.
The phrase 'μεταξὺ τῶν Ἰνοῦς' presents a syntactic crux regarding the construction of the preposition μεταξὺ. While typically requiring a genitive plural to denote 'among' or 'between' (e.g., μεταξὺ τῶν ἄλλων), the noun Ἰνοῦς is the genitive singular of Ἰνός (a proper name referring to a specific character or perhaps a corrupted form of Ἰνός, the son of Oileus, or a reference to a specific location/person in the play's context). However, the more pressing issue is the identification of the referent: 'Ἰνοῦς' here is widely accepted as a textual corruption or a specific, rare reference to a character named 'Inos' or a topographical marker, but in the context of the Acharnians, it is generally understood as a reference to the 'Ino' (a female figure) or a specific location associated with the Dithyrambic contest or a specific comedic bit. The most significant scholarly debate centers on whether this is a reference to the 'Ino' (a specific character in the play) or a corruption of 'Ἰνούς' (a place name). The phrase is often cited as an example of Aristophanes' playful use of obscure or corrupted proper names for comedic effect, but the exact referent remains a subject of textual criticism, with some scholars suggesting it refers to a specific character or a location that was well-known to the original audience but is now lost to history.

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γλίσχρος προσαιτῶν λιπαρῶν τʼ. Εὐριπίδη
The phrase γλίσχρος προσαιτῶν (stingy beggar) is a deliberate, self-referential pun targeting Euripides, whose tragic characters are famously impoverished or reduced to begging (e.g., Bellerophon, Orestes, or the chorus of the *Suppliants*). Aristophanes exploits the double meaning of γλίσχρος: it describes both the meager nature of the beggar's appeals and the poet's own 'stingy' use of the traditional tragic tropes of poverty, effectively mocking Euripides' alleged tendency to drain the comic stage of its vitality by overusing pathetic, low-status figures.

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ὦ θύμʼ ἄνευ σκάνδικος ἐμπορευτέα.
The noun σκάνδικος (Asparagus) appears here in the genitive without a preposition governing it, functioning as a partitive genitive dependent on the adjective ἐμπορευτέα (to be procured). While the partitive genitive is standard with nouns, its use with an adjective of necessity in this elliptical construction, omitting the implied verb (e.g., 'it is necessary to procure without asparagus'), is a characteristic example of Aristophanic colloquialism that compresses a full predicate into an exclamatory phrase. The text is not transmitted with a significant variant here, but the semantic force relies on understanding the vegetable as a luxury item whose absence defines the speaker's current state of distress or frugality.

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κᾆθʼ οἱ Μεγαρῆς ὀδύναις πεφυσιγγωμένοι
The participle πεφυσιγγωμένοι (perfect middle/passive of πεφυσιγγώ) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and a rare formation in the entire corpus, derived from the noun φῦσις (swelling) and the suffix -ιγ- (related to the root of ἴγμι, to swell). Here it functions adjectivally to describe the Megarians as 'swollen with pain' or 'distended by suffering,' a grotesque physical metaphor that characterizes the comic exaggeration of the Megarian famine and the specific rhetorical strategy of depicting them as physically bloated by their misfortunes rather than merely suffering abstractly.

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κἀντεῦθεν ἀρχὴ τοῦ πολέμου κατερράγη
The phrase κατερράγη (aorist middle/passive of καταρράττω) is semantically and syntactically significant here; while the verb typically denotes 'breaking down' or 'crashing' in a physical sense (e.g., waves, walls), its application to the abstract concept of the 'start of the war' (ἀρχὴ τοῦ πολέμου) constitutes a striking metonymy. The verb implies a violent, sudden rupture of the peace, suggesting that the war did not merely begin but was violently inaugurated by the specific action of Dicaeopolis. This usage highlights the comedic distortion of historical causality, where the 'start' is personified as an entity that can be shattered or broken, reflecting the play's central theme of the abrupt and chaotic dissolution of the city's political order.

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τὸ νεώριον δʼ αὖ κωπέων πλατουμένων,
The noun πλατουμένων, a rare future passive participle from πλατύνω (to make broad/widen), is used here with a specific metrical license: the expected future passive participle πλατυσσομένων is replaced by a form that scans as long-short-short, likely a Doric or poetic innovation to accommodate the dactylic rhythm of the parabasis. This construction is attested elsewhere in Aristophanes (e.g., Plutus 463) but remains a distinctive feature of his comic diction, contrasting with the more standard Attic usage.

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βοήθησον ὦ γοργολόφα φανείς,
The epithet γοργολόφα ('swift-footed' or 'swift-eating' depending on interpretation, though in this context almost certainly 'swift-footed' by metonymy or a rare pun on speed) is a striking, non-homeric usage. While Homer regularly uses πόδας ὠκύς or ἴππος ὠκύς, the compound γοργολόφος is unique to this passage in Aristophanes and is widely considered a deliberate comic distortion or a 'barbarism' invented for the specific rhythmic and humorous effect of the scene, where the speaker is likely addressing a character (likely Dikaiopolis or a satyr-figure) in a context of urgent, frantic movement. The word is not attested elsewhere in extant literature, making its morphology and intended sense a crux for understanding Aristophanes' lexical play here.

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οὗτος τί δράσεις; τῷ πτίλῳ μέλλεις ἐμεῖν;
The verb ἐμεῖν is the aorist infinitive of ἔμειναι (to remain, stay), a form found in Attic prose and tragedy but rare in Old Comedy, where the contracted future ἐμείνω or the present ἔμειν is more typical. Here, the use of the aorist infinitive with μέλλεις creates a periphrastic future construction ('are you going to stay?') that emphasizes the immediacy of the action, contrasting with the more common periphrastic futures in Aristophanes. This syntactic choice may reflect the speaker's urgency or the colloquial register of the dialogue.

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ἤδη πεπρέσβευκας σὺ πολιὸς ὢν † ἓν ἢ; †
The phrase ἓν ἢ (one or?) is a textual crux. The manuscript tradition offers no clear reading here; editors have proposed various conjectures to resolve the sense. The most widely accepted emendation, following the logic of the dialogue (where the character Dicaeopolis is being taunted about his age and diplomatic failures), is to read ἓν ἢν (one, was it?) or to supply a verb like ἦν, interpreting the particle ἢ as introducing an alternative question or a rhetorical hesitation. Alternatively, some editors suggest the text should read ἓν ἢν (one thing, or?) implying a specific count of embassies. The absence of a verb in the received text creates a syntactic gap that requires editorial intervention to make the sentence coherent as a question about the number of times he has served as an envoy.

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ηὕρετο πᾶν ἂν διὰ τὰς λιπαράς, ἀφύων τιμὴν περιάψας.
The phrase διὰ τὰς λιπαράς is a synecdoche where 'the fat ones' refers to the wealthy oligarchic faction or the specific class of citizens who benefited from the grain subsidies (sitōnia) and other public distributions, rather than literally meaning 'fat people'. In the context of the Acharnians, this targets the political opponents who, despite the war's hardships, maintained their opulence, contrasting with the suffering of the rural farmers. The verb περιάψας (having put around) with τιμὴν (honor/price) implies the act of attaching a price tag or reputation to something, here suggesting the wealthy bought their way out of the war's burdens or secured their status through these subsidies.

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οἷον ἐξ ἀνθράκων πρινίνων φέψαλος ἀνήλατʼ ἐρεθιζόμενος οὐρίᾳ ῥιπίδι,
The phrase ἄνθρακας πρινίνους (here in the genitive plural ἄνθρακων πρινίνων) refers to 'birch coals' or, more likely in this context, coals made from the wood of the birch tree (Betula), which were notoriously used in ancient comedy to represent the burning of a specific, often absurd, fuel source for magical or ritualistic purposes. The word φέψαλος is a hapax legomenon in the extant corpus of Aristophanes, appearing only here, and is generally understood as a type of small bird (perhaps a wren or a thrush) or, more plausibly in the context of the bird's frantic movement, a metaphorical or onomatopoeic term for a bird fluttering or twitching violently. The verb ἀνήλατ' (aorist of ἀνάλλω) is rare and specifically denotes the act of 'shaking off' or 'shaking oneself free' (often with a connotation of vigorous, almost convulsive movement), which is crucial for the comic imagery of the bird being goaded by the wind (οὐρίᾳ ῥιπίδι) into a frenzied state. The combination of these elements creates a vivid, albeit obscure, metaphor for the frantic, wind-driven movement of the character (or the chorus) that follows, relying on the specific, almost grotesque, imagery of a bird agitated by a birch-coal fire and a gust of wind.

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κᾆτʼ ἀνελκύσας ἐρωτᾷ σκανδάληθρʼ ἱστὰς ἐπῶν
The phrase σκανδάληθρʼ ἱστὰς ἐπῶν describes a specific comic mechanism where the speaker (likely the chorus leader or Dicaeopolis) stands up to recite a 'trap' of verses, likely a mock-epic or iambic set-piece designed to entrap an opponent or expose their folly. The verb ἱστάναι here, in the context of 'setting up' verses, alludes to the physical act of standing (ἱστάναι) to deliver a formal or confrontational speech, a common stage direction in Old Comedy where the poet uses the 'standing' posture to signal a shift from casual dialogue to a more aggressive or formal poetic attack. The term σκανδάληθρον, a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes, is a coined compound likely derived from σκανδαλίζω (to trip up) or σκανδαλῶν (a trap), referring to a 'verbal trap' or 'snare of words' intended to catch the listener off guard. This construction is significant for understanding the performative nature of Aristophanic poetry, where the physical staging of the speaker is intrinsically linked to the rhetorical strategy of the text.

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ἐξολέσθαι συμπλακέντα τῇ Σκυθῶν ἐρημίᾳ,
The aorist infinitive ἐξολέσθαι functions as a complementary infinitive dependent on an implied verb of desire or command (likely ἤθελεν or ἔφη from the preceding context, where the Chorus or a character urges the Scythian to be destroyed or to destroy himself). The construction combines the middle/passive aorist infinitive of ἐξολέθριω (to destroy utterly) with the perfect participle συμπλακέντα (having been entangled/caught up), creating a dense causal-temporal clause: 'to be utterly destroyed having been entangled in the desolation of the Scythians.' The participle συμπλακέντα is particularly striking here; while its root implies physical entanglement (from πλέκω), in this context it metaphorically suggests being ensnared or overwhelmed by the 'desolation' (ἐρημίᾳ) of the Scythian steppe, a topos of barbarian otherness in Aristophanic comedy. The dative ἐρημίᾳ is not merely instrumental but locative-ablative, emphasizing the environment as the agent of entanglement.

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τρεῖς τοὺς λαχόντας τούσδʼ ἱμάντας ἐκ Λεπρῶν.
The proper noun Λεπρῶν (Leprōn) refers to a deme of Attica, likely associated with the deme of Leipsydrium or a locality known for its leather production, which is contextually significant given the mention of 'leather straps' (ἱμάντας). The genitive plural form indicates the origin of the straps, suggesting a specific trade or supply route relevant to the comic narrative of the Acharnians.

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ὃς ὑμέ κα πρίαιτο φανερὰν ζαμίαν;
The verb ζαμιάω (here in the aorist optative ζαμίαν) is a rare comic coinage or dialectal term denoting 'to be cheated' or 'to be swindled,' likely derived from a colloquial or Attic slang root not found in high literature; its usage here is specific to the context of the comic marketplace and the specific grievance of the character Dikaiopolis regarding the unfair treatment of the Acharnians.

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χἠσεῖτε φωνὰν χοιρίων μυστηρικῶν.
The text presents a significant crux: the manuscript tradition reads χἠσεῖτε (a contracted form of ἠσεῖτε, 'you will cry out'), but the context of the Thesmophoriazusae parody suggests a corruption. Many editors, following the metrical requirements of the iambic trimeter and the sense of the scene (the piglet being sacrificed as a substitute for a human victim), conjecture χέσεῖτε ('you will void urine/excrete') or similar, though the most widely accepted solution for the specific phrase χοιρίων μυστηρικῶν ('of the initiatory piglets') is to read χέσεῖτε as a vulgar pun on the 'initiation' ritual, or alternatively, to accept the transmitted χἠσεῖτε but recognize it as a deliberate comic distortion of the solemn language of mystery cults, where 'crying out' is the expected reaction to the sacred rites. The specific variant χἠσεῖτε is rare in this position and likely a scribal error for χέσεῖτε or a deliberate pun, but the textual history of this line is complex, with some manuscripts reading χέσεῖτε and others χἠσεῖτε, creating a genuine crux regarding the nature of the 'cry' being demanded.

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ἀγορασοῦντες ἵκομες.
The verb ἵκομες is an Attic contraction of ἵκομεν, the first-person plural aorist indicative active of ἵκω. While the uncontracted form ἵκομεν is standard in most dialects and later Attic prose, the contracted form ἵκομες is a distinctive feature of Aristophanic comedy, reflecting the poet's deliberate use of Doric or archaic forms to evoke a specific comic or rustic tone. This contraction is not merely a scribal variation but a metrically and stylistically significant choice that aligns with the play's linguistic playfulness.

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παρʼ ἁμὶ πολυτίματος ᾇπερ τοὶ θεοί.
The phrase contains two notable dialectal features characteristic of the Doric and Boeotian dialects employed by the chorus of Acharnians: the preposition ἁμὶ (Attic ἡμῖν) and the dative plural article τοί (Attic τοῖς). While the Doric dialect is standard for the chorus in Old Comedy, the specific use of τοί here, rather than the more common Atticizing τοῖς or the Boeotian τῶν, reflects the local Boeotian identity of the Acharnians (who were technically from Attica but often associated with the broader Boeotian linguistic sphere in comic exaggeration or simply adhering to the strict Doric of the chorus). Furthermore, the verb form ᾇπερ is a Doric contraction of ἄγει (or related forms like ἄγουσι) with the enclitic particle περ, creating a specific rhythmic and dialectal texture essential for the choral song's meter and character, distinguishing it from the iambic trimeters of the dialogue.

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αἰ λῇς, περίδου μοι περὶ θυμιτιδᾶν ἁλῶν,
The form θυμιτιδᾶν is a distinctive Doric dialectal variant of the Attic θυμιατηρίων (or θυμιατηρίων), meaning 'of the incense-burners' or 'of the places of burning incense'. This dialectal feature is characteristic of the rustic characters (the Chorus of Acharnians) in Aristophanes, who speak in a rough, Boeotian-influenced Doric, contrasting with the Attic of the urban characters. The specific genitive plural ending -ᾶν reflects the Doric treatment of the first declension, and the lexical choice θυμιτιδᾶν rather than a more generic term for incense highlights the specific ritual context of the scene, where the character is likely being asked to perform a ritual act or is being mocked for one.

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αἰ μή ʼστιν οὗτος χοῖρος Ἑλλάνων νόμῳ.
The phrase Ἑλλάνων νόμῳ ('by the law of the Hellenes') is a hyperbolic legal fiction central to the play's comedy. Dicaeopolis is not merely stating a custom but invoking a 'law' that does not exist in reality; the humor derives from the absurdity of applying a pan-Hellenic legal standard to a trivial domestic dispute over a piglet, thereby satirizing the tendency of Athenian litigants to fabricate or exaggerate legal precedents to win their cases.

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Line 786

νεαρὰ γάρ ἐστιν· ἀλλὰ δελφακουμένα
The verb δελφακουμένα (delphakoumena) is a hapax legomenon in the extant corpus of Aristophanes and a rare example of a compound verb in the middle/passive voice with a reduplicated stem. While the root φαίνω (to show) is common, the prefix δελφ- is dialectal and likely derives from the Boeotian or Arcadian form of δελφίς (a type of bird, possibly the dove or turtledove), suggesting a meaning of 'cooing' or 'making the sound of a dove.' The reduplication (del-phakoumena) mimics the repetitive nature of the bird's call, creating an onomatopoeic effect that characterizes the young woman's nervous chatter or the fawning behavior of the suitors. This construction is a deliberate piece of comic wordplay, typical of Aristophanes' linguistic inventiveness, where the form itself enacts the semantic content of the passage.

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ναὶ τὸν Ποτειδᾶν καί κʼ ἄνις γα τῶ πατρός.
The sentence contains a severe textual corruption: 'κʼ ἄνις γα τῶ πατρός' is nonsensical in standard Attic Greek. The transmitted text likely suffers from scribal error or corruption in the archetype. The phrase 'κʼ ἄνις' (and you will go?) is syntactically awkward with the oath, and 'γα τῶ πατρός' (to the father?) is ungrammatical. A plausible conjecture, supported by the context of the *Acharnians* where Dicaeopolis often swears by Poseidon and refers to his father, is that the text should read something like 'κἀγὼ ἄνισθαι' or a similar construction, or that 'γα' is a corruption of 'γὰρ' or a particle. More specifically, the phrase 'καί κʼ ἄνις' may be a corruption of 'καί κʼ ἄν' (and even if) followed by a verb, or perhaps 'κἀγὼ ἄν' (and I too would). However, the most widely accepted emendation for this crux, given the oath to Poseidon (Poteidan) and the context of Dicaeopolis's argument about his father's legacy or status, is to read 'κἀγὼ ἄν' (and I too would) or to recognize 'γα' as a corruption of 'γάρ' (for) which might introduce a clause explaining the oath. The phrase 'τῶ πατρός' is likely correct, but the preceding words are almost certainly corrupted. Some editors have suggested 'κἀγὼ ἄν' or 'καί κἂν' (and even if) as a possible reading, though the exact emendation remains debated. The presence of 'γα' is particularly suspect, as it does not fit the syntax of an oath followed by a conditional or explanatory clause. This is a genuine crux requiring textual criticism to resolve.

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τί δαί; φιβάλεως ἰσχάδας;
The genitive singular φιβάλεως is an irregular morphological form of the adjective φιβάλης (derived from φιβαλός, 'flax'), which is otherwise unattested in this specific case ending in extant comedy. The form likely represents a comic distortion or a dialectal variation (possibly Boeotian or Doric influence) employed for metrical convenience or to heighten the absurdity of the proposed 'flax-balls' (ἰσχάδας) as a substitute for the usual Athenian olive oil or figs. This construction challenges the reader to recognize the underlying adjective and its rare declension within the context of Aristophanic wordplay on dietary substitutes.

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Line 813

τὸ μὲν ἅτερον τούτων σκορόδων τροπαλίδος,
The phrase ἅτερον τούτων functions as a substantive neuter singular ('one of these two'), yet is modified by the genitive plural τροπαλίδος ('of the trophy'), a construction that appears syntactically anomalous unless τροπαλίδος is understood as a specific, perhaps ironic, reference to a particular type of garlic or a pun on the 'trophy' of victory (the garlic bulb) in the context of the comic siege. The genitive τροπαλίδος likely relies on the reader's familiarity with the specific agricultural or military metaphor Aristophanes employs here, where the garlic bulb is humorously compared to a trophy of war, a comparison that would not be immediately obvious without context from the surrounding passage where the character is likely mocking the enemy's provisions or the triviality of the 'victory' sought.

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οὕτω μʼ ἀποδόσθαι τάν τʼ ἐμωυτῶ τʼ ἐμωυτῶ ματέρα.
The phrase 'τάν τʼ ἐμωυτῶ τʼ ἐμωυτῶ' exhibits a rare and emphatic reduplication of the possessive adjective 'ἐμωυτῶ' (my own) modifying the accusative 'τάν ... ματέρα' (the mother). While the reflexive possessive is standard, the repetition of the same word immediately before the noun is an unusual rhetorical device in Aristophanes, likely serving to heighten the speaker's distress or to underscore the specific, personal nature of the sacrifice being threatened (that he must give back his own mother, not just any mother). This construction stands in contrast to the more common 'ἐμὴν μητέρα' and draws attention to the grotesque absurdity of the Dicaeopolis's situation in the play.

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θάρρει Μεγαρίκʼ· ἀλλʼ ἧς τὰ χοιρίδιʼ ἀπέδου
The particle ἧς functions as a relative pronoun in the dative case (feminine singular), yet its antecedent is not explicitly stated in the preceding clause. It refers back to the implied 'woman' or 'household' associated with the Megarian women, a syntactic feature common in comedy where the antecedent is recovered from context rather than text. This elliptical construction relies heavily on the audience's knowledge of the Megarian plot (specifically the smuggling of children) to resolve the reference without a nominal antecedent.

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ὦ χοιρίδια πειρῆσθε κἄνις τῶ πατρὸς
The vocative plural of χοῖρος is regularly χοιρίων in Attic, yet Aristophanes uses the Atticized form χοιρίδια here to maintain the diminutive, playful tone appropriate for the characters' address to the pigs. This morphological variation, while not a crux, reflects the comic poet's deliberate play with register and morphology to characterize the speaker's interaction with the animals, a feature rare in serious prose but characteristic of comic diction.

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τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦ βουλεύματος; καρπώσεται γὰρ ἁνὴρ
The form ἁνὴρ is a distinctive Doric contraction of ὁ ἀνήρ (from *ἁν-ήρ*), preserving the initial aspirate where Attic would have the smooth breathing. While Aristophanes frequently employs Doricisms for comic effect or to characterize rustic speakers (as in the *Acharnians* chorus), this specific metrical and dialectal form here underscores the speaker's rustic identity and the play's focus on the Acharnian farmers. The verb καρπώσεται, a future middle of καρπώ, is also significant; in this context, it functions as a technical agricultural metaphor meaning 'to reap the fruit' or 'to gain the harvest' of the council's decision, implying that the speaker (Dicaeopolis) will personally appropriate the consequences or benefits of the political maneuver.

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οὐδʼ ἐξομόρξεται Πρέπις τὴν εὐρυπρωκτίαν σοι,
The verb ἐξομόρξεται (future middle of ἐξομόρσσω) is a hapax legomenon in Aristophanes and extremely rare in Attic comedy, appearing only here in the surviving corpus. It is a compound of ἐκ (out) and the root ὀρσ- (to scrape, pick, or tear off), likely implying a violent or thorough scraping away. The choice of this specific, archaic-sounding compound rather than a more common synonym for 'remedy' or 'remove' (like ἀποκτεῖναι or ἐκπείσαι) creates a grotesque, visceral image that fits the play's scatological humor and the character Pheippos's reputation for physical ugliness and vulgarity, suggesting a 'scraping off' of the buttocks rather than a mere legal or social remedy.

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ἴττω Ἡρακλῆς ἔκαμόν γα τὰν τύλαν κακῶς·
The sentence exhibits Doric dialect features characteristic of the comic chorus or rustic characters, specifically the use of -ω (ἴττω for Attic ἴτω), -ω (ἔκαμόν for Attic ἔκαμον), and the contraction of the dative article τὰν (τῇ) with the preceding preposition or particle context, alongside the Doric form τύλαν (τὴν τύλην, 'the club'). This is not merely orthographic variation but a systematic morphological choice to signal the speaker's rustic or non-Attic identity within the play's dramatic context.