Aristophanes Acharnians 719-835

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

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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.) — 719 focus
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.) — 719 focus

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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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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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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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.