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Χορός

τῇδε πᾶς ἕπου δίωκε καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα πυνθάνου

τῶν ὁδοιπόρων ἁπάντων· τῇ πόλει γὰρ ἄξιον
205

ξυλλαβεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον. ἀλλά μοι μηνύσατε,

εἴ τις οἶδʼ ὅποι τέτραπται γῆς ὁ τὰς σπονδὰς φέρων.

208

Χορός
¹

ἐκπέφευγʼ, οἴχεται φροῦδος. οἴμοι τάλας

τῶν ἐτῶν τῶν ἐμῶν·
210

οὐκ ἂν ἐπʼ ἐμῆς γε νεότητος, ὅτʼ ἐγὼ φέρων ἀνθράκων φορτίον

ἠκολούθουν Φαΰλλῳ τρέχων, ὧδε φαύλως ἂν ὁ
215

σπονδοφόρος οὗτος ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ τότε διωκόμενος

ἐξέφυγεν οὐδʼ ἂν ἐλαφρῶς ἂν ἀπεπλίξατο.

219

Χορός

νῦν δʼ ἐπειδὴ στερρὸν ἤδη τοὐμὸν ἀντικνήμιον,

καὶ παλαιῷ Λακρατείδῃ τὸ σκέλος βαρύνεται,
220

οἴχεται. διωκτέος δέ· μὴ γὰρ ἐγχάνῃ ποτὲ

μηδέ περ γέροντας ὄντας ἐκφυγὼν Ἀχαρνέας.

225

Χορός

ὅστις ὦ Ζεῦ πάτερ καὶ θεοὶ τοῖσιν ἐχθροῖσιν ἐσπείσατο,
225

οἷσι παρʼ ἐμοῦ πόλεμος ἐχθοδοπὸς αὔξεται τῶν ἐμῶν χωρίων·

κοὐκ ἀνήσω πρὶν ἂν σχοῖνος αὐτοῖσιν ἀντεμπαγῶ
230

ὀξὺς ὀδυνηρὸς ἐπίκωπος, ἵνα

μήποτε πατῶσιν ἔτι τὰς ἐμὰς ἀμπέλους.

234

Χορός

ἀλλὰ δεῖ ζητεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ βλέπειν βαλληνάδε

καὶ διώκειν γῆν πρὸ γῆς, ἕως ἂν εὑρεθῇ ποτέ·
235

ὡς ἐγὼ βάλλων ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἂν ἐμπλῄμην λίθοις.

Δικαιόπολις

εὐφημεῖτε, εὐφημεῖτε.

Χορός

σῖγα πᾶς. ἠκούσατʼ ἄνδρες ἆρα τῆς εὐφημίας;

οὗτος αὐτός ἐστιν ὃν ζητοῦμεν. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο πᾶς

ἐκποδών· θύσων γὰρ ἁνὴρ ὡς ἔοικʼ ἐξέρχεται.
240

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 (2)

Acharnians (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anonymous; Liveright, 192?). Migrated from Perseus legacy XML; source wording and notes retained. See TEI header and migration inventory.) — 204 focus

CHORUS

This way all! Let us follow our man; we will demand him of everyone we meet; the public weal makes his seizure imperative. Ho, there! tell me which way the bearer of the truce has gone; he has escaped us, he has disappeared.

CHORUS

Curse old age! When I was young, in the days when I followed Phayllus,¹ running with a sack of coals on my back, this wretch would not have eluded my pursuit, let him be as swift as he will;

CHORUS

but now my limbs are stiff; old Lacratides² feels his legs are weighty and the traitor escapes me. No, no, let us follow him; old Acharnians like ourselves shall not be set at naught by a scoundrel, who has dared, great gods!

CHORUS

to conclude a truce, when I wanted the war continued with double fury in order to avenge my ruined lands. No mercy for our foes until I have pierced their hearts like sharp reed, so that they dare never again ravage my vineyards.

CHORUS

Come, let us seek the rascal; let us look everywhere, carrying our stones in our hands; let us hunt him from place to place until we trap him; I could never, never tire of the delight of stoning him.

DICAEOPOLIS

Peace! profane men!³

CHORUS

Silence all! Friends, do you hear the sacred formula? Here is he, whom we seek! This way, all! Get out of his way, surely he comes to offer an oblation.

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.) — 204 focus

Chorus: Follow her with all your might, pursue [her], and inquire about the man.

Chorus: of all the travelers; for it is worthy for the city.

205

Chorus: to seize this man. But tell me,

Chorus: If anyone knows where the one who carries the libations has turned on the ground.

Chorus: He has escaped, he is gone without a trace. Alas, poor wretch!

Chorus: of the years of mine;

210

Chorus: No, certainly not in my youth, when I was carrying a load of charcoal.

Chorus: I was following Phaulus running, thus badly would the

215

Chorus: this is the spoudophoros being pursued by me at that time.

Chorus: He would not have escaped, nor would he have been lightly carried off.

Chorus: But now that my shin-guard is already tight,

Chorus: And the old man Lysander's leg feels heavy,

220

Chorus: He is gone. He must be pursued; for he might slip away at some point.

Chorus: having escaped the Acharnians even though he is an old man.

Chorus: Whoever, O Father Zeus and gods, has sown for his enemies,

225

Chorus: To whom the war, which is an enemy of the land, grows among my fields;

Chorus: Nor shall I desist until I have set a rope against them.

230

Chorus: sharp, painful, and off-beat, until

Chorus: I hope they do not tread on my vineyards anymore.

Chorus: But we must seek the man and look in his direction.

Chorus: and to pursue land after land, until ever so much is found.

235

Chorus: If I were throwing that man, I would not be filled with stones.

Dikaiopolis: Be silent, be silent.

Chorus: Silence, all. Did you hear, men, the silence?

Chorus: this very one is the one whom we are looking for. But come here, all of you.

Chorus: Out of the way; for the man seems to be coming out to sacrifice.

240

Notes on the current edition

Acharnians

1. lines 208-235 re-ordered and punctuated differently in recent editions

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

220. mvp-tlg0019-tlg001-sanjaya-com-eng1-1

Line 220

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.

226. mvp-tlg0019-tlg001-sanjaya-com-eng1-2

Line 226

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.

Aristophanes Acharnians 204-240

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

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Χορός

ἀλλὰ δεῖ ζητεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ βλέπειν βαλληνάδε

καὶ διώκειν γῆν πρὸ γῆς, ἕως ἂν εὑρεθῇ ποτέ·
235

ὡς ἐγὼ βάλλων ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἂν ἐμπλῄμην λίθοις.

Δικαιόπολις

εὐφημεῖτε, εὐφημεῖτε.

Χορός

σῖγα πᾶς. ἠκούσατʼ ἄνδρες ἆρα τῆς εὐφημίας;

οὗτος αὐτός ἐστιν ὃν ζητοῦμεν. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο πᾶς

ἐκποδών· θύσων γὰρ ἁνὴρ ὡς ἔοικʼ ἐξέρχεται.
240

Current edition Perseus

CHORUS

This way all! Let us follow our man; we will demand him of everyone we meet; the public weal makes his seizure imperative. Ho, there! tell me which way the bearer of the truce has gone; he has escaped us, he has disappeared.

CHORUS

Curse old age! When I was young, in the days when I followed Phayllus,¹ running with a sack of coals on my back, this wretch would not have eluded my pursuit, let him be as swift as he will;

CHORUS

but now my limbs are stiff; old Lacratides² feels his legs are weighty and the traitor escapes me. No, no, let us follow him; old Acharnians like ourselves shall not be set at naught by a scoundrel, who has dared, great gods!

CHORUS

to conclude a truce, when I wanted the war continued with double fury in order to avenge my ruined lands. No mercy for our foes until I have pierced their hearts like sharp reed, so that they dare never again ravage my vineyards.

CHORUS

Come, let us seek the rascal; let us look everywhere, carrying our stones in our hands; let us hunt him from place to place until we trap him; I could never, never tire of the delight of stoning him.

DICAEOPOLIS

Peace! profane men!³

CHORUS

Silence all! Friends, do you hear the sacred formula? Here is he, whom we seek! This way, all! Get out of his way, surely he comes to offer an oblation.

Notes on the current edition

Commentary

Line 220

Line 226

Stable identifiers

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Χορός ἀλλὰ δεῖ ζητεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ βλέπειν βαλληνάδε καὶ διώκειν γῆν πρὸ γῆς, ἕως ἂν εὑρεθῇ ποτέ· 235 ὡς ἐγὼ βάλλων ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἂν ἐμπλῄμην λίθοις.

Δικαιόπολις εὐφημεῖτε, εὐφημεῖτε.

Χορός σῖγα πᾶς. ἠκούσατʼ ἄνδρες ἆρα τῆς εὐφημίας; οὗτος αὐτός ἐστιν ὃν ζητοῦμεν. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο πᾶς ἐκποδών· θύσων γὰρ ἁνὴρ ὡς ἔοικʼ ἐξέρχεται. 240

Current edition Perseus

CHORUS This way all! Let us follow our man; we will demand him of everyone we meet; the public weal makes his seizure imperative. Ho, there! tell me which way the bearer of the truce has gone; he has escaped us, he has disappeared.

CHORUS Curse old age! When I was young, in the days when I followed Phayllus, 1 running with a sack of coals on my back, this wretch would not have eluded my pursuit, let him be as swift as he will;

CHORUS but now my limbs are stiff; old Lacratides 2 feels his legs are weighty and the traitor escapes me. No, no, let us follow him; old Acharnians like ourselves shall not be set at naught by a scoundrel, who has dared, great gods!

CHORUS to conclude a truce, when I wanted the war continued with double fury in order to avenge my ruined lands. No mercy for our foes until I have pierced their hearts like sharp reed, so that they dare never again ravage my vineyards.

CHORUS Come, let us seek the rascal; let us look everywhere, carrying our stones in our hands; let us hunt him from place to place until we trap him; I could never, never tire of the delight of stoning him.

DICAEOPOLIS Peace! profane men! 3

CHORUS Silence all! Friends, do you hear the sacred formula? Here is he, whom we seek! This way, all! Get out of his way, surely he comes to offer an oblation.

Notes on the current edition

Commentary

Line 220

Line 226

Stable identifiers

Χορός

ἀλλὰ δεῖ ζητεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ βλέπειν βαλληνάδε

καὶ διώκειν γῆν πρὸ γῆς, ἕως ἂν εὑρεθῇ ποτέ·
235

ὡς ἐγὼ βάλλων ἐκεῖνον οὐκ ἂν ἐμπλῄμην λίθοις.

Δικαιόπολις

εὐφημεῖτε, εὐφημεῖτε.

Χορός

σῖγα πᾶς. ἠκούσατʼ ἄνδρες ἆρα τῆς εὐφημίας;

οὗτος αὐτός ἐστιν ὃν ζητοῦμεν. ἀλλὰ δεῦρο πᾶς

ἐκποδών· θύσων γὰρ ἁνὴρ ὡς ἔοικʼ ἐξέρχεται.
240

CHORUS

This way all! Let us follow our man; we will demand him of everyone we meet; the public weal makes his seizure imperative. Ho, there! tell me which way the bearer of the truce has gone; he has escaped us, he has disappeared.

CHORUS

Curse old age! When I was young, in the days when I followed Phayllus,¹ running with a sack of coals on my back, this wretch would not have eluded my pursuit, let him be as swift as he will;

CHORUS

but now my limbs are stiff; old Lacratides² feels his legs are weighty and the traitor escapes me. No, no, let us follow him; old Acharnians like ourselves shall not be set at naught by a scoundrel, who has dared, great gods!

CHORUS

to conclude a truce, when I wanted the war continued with double fury in order to avenge my ruined lands. No mercy for our foes until I have pierced their hearts like sharp reed, so that they dare never again ravage my vineyards.

CHORUS

Come, let us seek the rascal; let us look everywhere, carrying our stones in our hands; let us hunt him from place to place until we trap him; I could never, never tire of the delight of stoning him.

DICAEOPOLIS

Peace! profane men!³

CHORUS

Silence all! Friends, do you hear the sacred formula? Here is he, whom we seek! This way, all! Get out of his way, surely he comes to offer an oblation.