Aristophanes Acharnians 172

ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Scene

← Previous Next →

Κῆρυξ

τοὺς Θρᾷκας ἀπιέναι, παρεῖναι δʼ εἰς ἔνην.

οἱ γὰρ πρυτάνεις λύουσι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.

Δικαιόπολις

οἴμοι τάλας μυττωτὸν ὅσον ἀπώλεσα.

ἀλλʼ ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος γὰρ Ἀμφίθεος ὁδί.
175

χαῖρʼ Ἀμφίθεε.

Ἀμφίθεος

μήπω γε πρίν γʼ ἂν στῶ τρέχων·

δεῖ γάρ με φεύγοντʼ ἐκφυγεῖν Ἀχαρνέας.

Δικαιόπολις

τί δʼ ἔστʼ;

Ἀμφίθεος

ἐγὼ μὲν δεῦρό σοι σπονδὰς φέρων

ἔσπευδον· οἱ δʼ ὤσφροντο πρεσβῦταί τινες

Ἀχαρνικοί, στιπτοὶ γέροντες πρίνινοι
180

ἀτεράμονες Μαραθωνομάχαι σφενδάμνινοι.

ἔπειτʼ ἀνέκραγον πάντες, ὦ μιαρώτατε

σπονδὰς φέρεις τῶν ἀμπέλων τετμημένων;

κἀς τοὺς τρίβωνας ξυνελέγοντο τῶν λίθων·

ἐγὼ δʼ ἔφευγον· οἱ δʼ ἐδίωκον κἀβόων.
185

Δικαιόπολις

οἱ δʼ οὖν βοώντων· ἀλλὰ τὰς σπονδὰς φέρεις;

Ἀμφίθεος

ἔγωγέ φημι, τρία γε ταυτὶ γεύματα.

αὗται μέν εἰσι πεντέτεις. γεῦσαι λαβών.

Δικαιόπολις

αἰβοῖ.

Ἀμφίθεος

τί ἔστιν;

Δικαιόπολις

οὐκ ἀρέσκουσίν μʼ ὅτι

ὄζουσι πίττης καὶ παρασκευῆς νεῶν.
190

Ἀμφίθεος

σὺ δʼ ἀλλὰ τασδὶ τὰς δεκέτεις γεῦσαι λαβών.

Δικαιόπολις

ὄζουσι χαὖται πρέσβεων ἐς τὰς πόλεις

ὀξύτατον ὥσπερ διατριβῆς τῶν ξυμμάχων.

Ἀμφίθεος

ἀλλʼ αὑταιὶ σπονδαὶ τριακοντούτιδες

κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλατταν.
195

Δικαιόπολις

ὦ Διονύσια,

αὗται μὲν ὄζουσʼ ἀμβροσίας καὶ νέκταρος

καὶ μὴ ʼπιτηρεῖν σιτίʼ ἡμερῶν τριῶν,

κἀν τῷ στόματι λέγουσι, βαῖνʼ ὅπῃ θέλεις.

ταύτας δέχομαι καὶ σπένδομαι κἀκπίομαι,

χαίρειν κελεύων πολλὰ τοὺς Ἀχαρνέας.
200

ἐγὼ δὲ πολέμου καὶ κακῶν ἀπαλλαγεὶς

ἄξω τὰ κατʼ ἀγροὺς εἰσιὼν Διονύσια.

Ἀμφίθεος

ἐγὼ δὲ φευξοῦμαί γε τοὺς Ἀχαρνέας.

Acharnians. Aristophanes. ed. F. W. Hall, ed. William M. Geldart. Oxford. 1906.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἀχαρνῆς (Greek) (Aristophanes. Aristophanis Comoediae, Vol. 1. Hall, F. W. and Geldart, William M., editors. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.)

Translations (1)

Acharnians (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; Liveright, 192?). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 172 focus

HERALD

Let the Thracians withdraw and return the day after tomorrow; the Prytanes declare the sitting at an end.

DICAEOPOLIS

Ye gods, what garlic I have lost! But here comes Amphitheus returned from Lacedaemon . Welcome, Amphitheus.

AMPHITHEUS

No, there is no welcome for me and I fly as fast as I can, for I am pursued by the Acharnians.

DICAEOPOLIS

Why, what has happened?

AMPHITHEUS

I was hurrying to bring your treaty of truce, but some old dotards from Acharnae¹ got scent of the thing; they are veterans of Marathon, tough as oak or maple, of which they are made for sure—rough and ruthless. They all started a-crying:
Wretch! you are the bearer of a treaty, and the enemy has only just cut our vines!
Meanwhile they were gathering stones in their cloaks, so I fled and they ran after me shouting.

DICAEOPOLIS

Let 'em shout as much as they please! But HAVE you brought me a treaty?

AMPHITHEUS

Most certainly, here are three samples to select from,² this one is five years old; take it and taste.

DICAEOPOLIS

Faugh!

AMPHITHEUS

Well?

DICAEOPOLIS

It does not please me; it smells of pitch and of the ships they are fitting out.³

AMPHITHEUS

Here is another, ten years old; taste it.

DICAEOPOLIS

It smells strongly of the delegates, who go around the towns to chide the allies for their slowness.⁴

AMPHITHEUS

This last is a truce of thirty years, both on sea and land.

DICAEOPOLIS

Oh! by Bacchus! what a bouquet! It has the aroma of nectar and ambrosia; this does not say to us,
Provision yourselves for three days.
But it lisps the gentle numbers,
Go whither you will.
⁵ I accept it, ratify it, drink it at one draught and consign the Acharnians to limbo. Freed from the war and its ills, I shall keep the Dionysia⁶ in the country.

AMPHITHEUS

And I shall run away, for I'm mortally afraid of the Acharnians.